Time out?

[daycarewhisperer]

Daycarewhisperer, aren't you afraid that the children will associate sleeping as a punishment if they are put into bed every time they act badly? I always keep all 5 of my children in the same room at the same time, except when one has to run off to the bathroom of course. I wouldn't want them split up all over the house like that.

I do believe that timeouts work because I raised my own 4 wonderful children using that method and it does work at my daycare. It's a learning process for the children and it certainly isn't fun for me. It's exhausting for me when I have to put a child in timeout over and over for a chronic problem but they do learn that it isn't fun for them either.

No kids don't confuse the two. It wouldn't be any different to a child than using a kitchen table to eat or using a kitchen table to do art work. They have the ability to descern the difference at a very young age. The original concept of time out was developed using a crib for the time out. Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-out_(parenting)

Staats described the discipline of his 2-year old daughter in 1962: "I would put her in her crib and indicate that she had to stay there until she stopped crying. If we were in a public place [where her behavior was inappropriate], I would pick her up and go outside."[4] This has the effect of weakening the offending behavior so that it occurs less frequently, quickly disappearing unless the behavior has been well learned.

Just like supernanny came up with the minute for each age idea, someone else came up with an idea that kids would be confused by using a time out spot for sleeping and time outs. If you have a good experience with time out then do what works for you.

Before time out was popularized moms just put their kids to bed when they acted up. Been done for hundreds of years. Of course there was also spanking and spanking if they got out of bed without permission. Now with spanking not an option for care providers there needs to be compliance to stay IN bed if you use that technique.

I have the notion that a safe, warm, comfortable place to chill out when our regular programming doesn't work for a child is a good recipe for de-escalation. I've never had to use it on a kid over the age of two because they learn from an early age to be agreeable or go rest. I don't do punishments, talks, reflection, sorry words... or anything like that. If they are fussy or behaving dangerously then they get their own separate area. I use go to bed or go to play yard (I have three six by three play yards). Either one works. I don't even care if they have toys in either location. They can play to their little hearts content, have blankets, or lovies.... I don't care. I just want them separated when they are unable to make it with the other kids. We also fully supervise regardless of whereever they are located.

Soon as they are calm and I feel it is safe to reintegrate then we do a fineagain beginagain. They start over with a clean slate. Sometimes they make it ... sometimes they don't. Rinse and repeat.