Baby 'Punishment'

How about child safety locks on the cabinets?

Two things. I think you might want to put safety devices on your cabinets. I have a set of them on the doors of my cabinet under the sink where I keep my cleaning supplies. the kids don't get into thoses. Unfortunately, they have got into the other cabinets..and this is where the second thing comes in...you will have to punish them! I started punishing my kids when they were just over one..so, very close to your little one's age! You can put them in a corner (you'd be suprised how much they hate it. Especailly if you're like me and make them stand straight up and put their hands to the side. The other option you might have is spanking. I know people are agains it, but a swat on the butt (especailly with a diaper on) isn't going to hurt your little one...it will just "shock" them that you actually did it! Or you can tap their hand and point to the cabinet and say "NO!"

All of these things worked for me. I hope that you find something that works for you!

S.,
The best thing you can do at this age is to be consistant. Every time you see her going to the cupbords, stop her. Every time you see her already in them, get her out. even if this means you have to stop what you're doing and tend to her. She is looking to see how far she can push you right now, and she is learning your limits. If she gets away with it when you're busy, she'll remember that. Or if she can flash you a cute look and get away with it. And don't be afraid to tell her no. Look her straight in the eye and lower your voice and tell her no. No explaination, just "no" either as you pull her out or while she's looking to see if you're looking.

Good luck,
J.

i agree with jackie!!!!! thats what i've been doing. of course it takes time but mine is getting the point. time outs really work!!! good luck

S.

I would say, in my experience, the best thing for correcting at that age is to hit them where it hurts. They're very active, so put her in time out or take away a favorite toy. It's worth a try. I have 3 kids, ranging in age from 5 to 8 months. It's always worked for me. Hope this helps!!

I had this same problem with my daughter, who will be two in Nov. Being a former pre-school teacher, I learned quickly how fast sitting a chid in time-out works. I never thought my little girl would ever sit there for that long but after a few times of me putting her back in the same spot every time she got up, and follow through with the same type of discipline each time she did something she knew was wrong really worked. I started doing this when she was about 13 months. Now she's to the point I just have to mention time-out and she stops immediatly and runs into her play room to do something else. It's just a matter of follow through an not giving up when she refuses to sit. We didn't hold her down or anything like that, we'd just sit her there, sit in front of her and discuss what happened to her and why she is in time-out, and if she got up we'd get her and bring her right back and start the time over again. Rule of thumb for time-outs is one minute for every year they are old. And 1 minute of no play time for a 14 month old seems like a life time. Just get an egg timer, and time it out. And once that ding is up, we tell her she can get up and to give us hugs and kisses and tell her we love her. It worked with my child, and many others I taught in pre-school. But, each child is different so it can end up being a long trial and error process. Good Luck!!

Hi S.:
I just got the book "Toddler 411" and it's such a great reference! It recommends a similar time-out strategy (1 minute per year old), which I've started with my 15 mo. old. It did say that it takes about 20 time-outs before a child that young will actually understand what's going on, so if you take that strategy, be patient and consistent! Good luck!

One thing I read that worked for me was to put your child in another room than you. One where she can see you but can't get to you. Kids that age hate to be away from their primary care giver. What I would do is put up gates in one room and when my son was bad I'd put him behind the gate for a couple mins. It worked at 14mths but doesn't work now (at 2yrs).

I agree with jamie. She is just checking to see if you are going to do the same thing everytime or not. If you consistently stop her or pull her out of the cupboards and tell her no then eventually she will lose interest it just takes time. I know it is tiring but this is how babys learn. Repetition. She isn't being "bad" on purpose she is just pushing her boundries to see what she can and can't get away with. Stick with it and she will learn that no means no which will make your job easier in the long run. I never spanked babies. It has no effect at this age except to teach them how to hit. I only spanked when they did something very dangerous and I had to get the point across that it was very bad. But time outs and a strong no work great any other time.

Being a grandmother and remembering back to when my sons pulled this, we put child proof locks on the cupboards and one was left open with things from the kitchen that they could play with whether it was cans to stack, pot lids, pans or whatever. Possibly she is just trying to get your attention and bad attention is better than none. Be patient.