Misbehaving toddler? Try reasoning with them

WHEN a child is throwing a tantrum, reasoning with them may be the last thing on your mind.

In the long run, however, experts say it is the most effective strategy for improving their behaviour.

Using a punishment such as putting a child on the naughty step – also known as a ‘time out’ – can also be effective, but children need to know in advance that this could be coming if they misbehave.

US scientists from National University in California asked 102 parents how they dealt with ‘toddler non-compliance’.

They found that reasoning was the most effective immediate response to mild misbehaviour such as whining. Punishments such as the naughty step were least effective.

But when it came to dealing with worse behaviour such as hitting, reasoning was the least effective response. Compromising was the best approach in these situations, the experts claimed.

Over the longer term, however, compromise ‘made all behavioural problems worse for the most oppositional toddlers’, the study found.

The authors said: ‘To our surprise, f requent use of reasoning decreases behaviour problems subsequently with oppositional toddlers, even though it is the least effective response for immediate reduction of non-compliance.’

For more defiant toddlers, the authors said time-outs were a good idea.