How to Discipline a Baby

When my daughter was still a baby, I was confused about how I was supposed to discipline her. She would engage in behaviors that were destructive or inappropriate, like pulling books off of a shelf, but I had no clue how to address these behaviors. How on earth could I discipline a baby who was barely even able to crawl? Techniques like time-out seemed like they would be ineffective at best and detrimental at worst.

I don't have any clear-cut answers about how to discipline babies -- Heaven knows that techniques that work for one child can be totally worthless for others. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a variety of effective, nonviolent discipline methods for babies 6 to 18 months of age. Here are a few disciplinary measures that you can use with your baby.

Impose natural consequences.

Natural consequences aren't a true form of punishment; they are difficulties that a child naturally faces as a result of his actions. For example, if your baby throws her cookie on the floor, the natural consequence of this is that she no longer has the cookie to eat. For this discipline technique to work effectively, you must avoid jumping in to "rescue" the baby from the consequences of her actions. Let her live with the results of the mistakes she has made; this helps to set the foundations for discipline later in childhood.

 Keep punishments logical and immediate. A baby can't connect "I threw my food at lunch" with "I didn't get my bedtime story tonight." If you do use punishments instead of natural consequences, make sure that they are directly connected to the situation at hand. For example, if your baby tries to climb the TV stand and ignores you saying, "No!", the TV should be turned off and she should not be allowed near it for a minimum of several hours. (And, of course, you should always carefully monitor your baby when she is in any room with scalable furniture.)

 Understand time-outs. As a discipline technique, time-outs are not likely to work for babies or young toddlers. A baby can not rationally link a time-out to a misbehavior; they work better as a discipline technique for kids 2-5 years old. However, a time-out can work very effectively in one capacity: it gives you a chance to cool off, away from your baby, so that you do not lose your temper. If you need a time-out for your own sake, put your baby in a safe place and leave the room. Bear in mind that you are doing it for yourself, not as a discipline method for the baby.

 Communicate. Your baby can't yet understand rules and consequences, but, the earlier you start talking to her about them, the sooner she will start listening. When your baby does something that upsets you or violates a rule in your home, tell her why she shouldn't engage in the behavior and what the consequences may be if she breaks it. For example, if she continuously swats or pinches you, tell her, "That hurts me when you do that. If you do it again, I'm going to have to put you down and leave the room." Although she may not understand these sentences yet, you need to be in the habit of communicating effectively with your little one.

 Do not spank.

Professional organizations frown upon spanking at any age. As a general rule, it is not only ineffective, but counterproductive. For babies, spanking can be a form of outright abuse. I remember watching with horror when I once saw a mother spanking her five-or-six-month-old baby for pulling her hair. These early years will pass far too quickly for you to spend them carrying out acts of physical aggression of a person so innocent and new to the world. If you feel compelled to spank or hit your baby, seek counseling. Talk to your baby's pediatrician if you have questions about more effective discipline methods for babies.