Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

How do you discipline your toddler in the car or at the store? My 2 year old doesnt quite understand me giving him a warning for when we get home. I was wondering how you all instantly respond to their misbehaving ways in these situations.

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

great question. i would love to know the answer as well!

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

Me too!! All I can do is try my darndest to get her to calm down and listen.

I find that when I go out when she's tired or cranky (late in the day) its a lot harder for her to be good. I also try not to lollygag (sp?) and go in and get what I need to get and get out lol

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

I mean I know we all do the same thing in the store by gritting our teeth and telling them to stop whatever they are doing but what happens when they dont stop.

DS was kicking the back of my seat the other night in the car. I told him to stop. He didnt. I told him again. He didnt. I yelled. He didnt. I yelled louder. He didnt. I tried warning him but I couldnt think of anything that I could follow through on instantly.

Any advise in these types of situations would really help.

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

I leave the store immediately, tell him I am upset at his behavior, don;t engage with him the car ride home too much, except to remind him whe I am not responding to him,a nd then immeditately come home and put him in time out

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

I say to Cailen, "Do you want a time out?" And he shapes up so quickly. The threat itself does enough. thank God he never pushed me hard enough to figure out where to give him the time out!!!!

Re: Question for Toddler Moms who use time out

Well, I do a couple of things (and they don't always work, but usually).

-I'll say in a very stern voice, "If you don't stop doing xyz, you're going to get a timeout!" Which most of the time works.

-If that doesn't work, then I actually DO give her a time out. If she has a book in her hand or toy or whatever, I take it away and tell her she's on time out and I'll let her know when it's over. Then I completely disengage myself from here for two minutes. It usually works just as well as a regular time out. Sometimes I'll make a phone call if we're in the store to drive home the point that I'm not interacting with her while she's on time out.

-In the car, I really pick and choose my battles. If she's kicking the seat, she'll stop if I just tell her to. She's so good with those things, but like yesterday, she was in the back seat and asked if she could have a wipe because her hands were sticky. So I gave her one. Then she started to use it to wipe the window. I could have started in with her, but decided it wasn't worth it.
HOWEVER, then she started to wipe her tongue with it and would NOT stop when I told her to. So I raised my voice much louder than I normally would and I think I startled the wipe right out of her hand.

ETA: I've even gone so far as to take her out of the shopping cart, find a chair in the store and give her a time out.

Message edited 10/24/2008 9:25:30 PM.