Does Your Baby Need Discipline?

That is the response of most parents when you ask them at what age they must start disciplining their child. The upbringing of your child needs a strong base and that has to begin when the child is still a baby. Discipline has surprisingly little to do with your kid's age. How you adapt your parenting techniques to suit your child's age makes all the difference.

Your baby needs to be disciplined from as early as 6 months of age. This is even before he or she has uttered the first words and taken the first steps.

Why to Discipline?
Most parents want to know why they must discipline their baby from such an early age. This is because, they are convinced that the baby does not understand their reprimands and needs to be loved. You are wrong there. The baby absorbs everything around it like a sponge. A little baby who is one year old has much more capacity to imbibe things than a 4 year old toddler. So you must make sure that your baby imbibes only good things.

If you overlook your baby's temper tantrums or fussy eating habits now, he or she will grow into a fussy toddler and eventually, a difficult teenager.

When To Discipline?
Now, you must know when your baby has crossed the line in order to discipline him or her. For that, it is vital to set limits. You must decide what is and is not acceptable behaviour for the baby. For example, grabbing baby toys, books, food and other tid-bits can be acceptable but tugging away your spectacles are not. You can take help from parenting books and special behavioural experts to set the limits for your baby.

Ways To Discipline Child In Infancy:

• You cannot really smack a little baby or have him or her grounded. The parenting technique that you must use is to be logical with the baby. For example, tell the baby in its unique baby language that he or she is responsible for their own actions. If you touch a gas burner, your hands will burn, the message should be clear. Once the baby feels the hot glare of his/her skin, they won't do it again.
  

• You cannot have everything you want; that is another message you need to give clearly. If you want Mama to pick you up and play with you, you have to stop grabbing Mama's hair. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how well your baby gets the point.

There is no right age for discipline and it is never too early to start. At what age did you start disciplining your child.