Supernanny

Ask Supernanny - Too young for the naughty step

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Thursday 14 May 2009

Do you think two years of age is too young to use the naughty step? My Samuel has just turned two and sometimes tests me and says 'naughty step' just to see what I will do.

I have now got him to stay on it, but when I go back for the apology he cries thinking I'm going to put him back on it. I wonder if two minutes is too long at that age and he has forgotten why he's there. It only takes around three to five times to get him to stay put, and I've only put him on about four times at the time of writing this.

piersmum

I would say at two years old, if you have a child who is mentally mature and you have good communication going on then the naughty step is fine for them to go on. But a child won't remember. Two minutes is definitely fair - as I always say one minute as per their age.
If your child has a good attention span for a two-year-old, so they will sit down and do a puzzle for example, and shows progression in actually doing things, then two minutes is good. If you haven't even started to build their concentration span to allow them to follow through with anything they've started, then two minutes is going to be a very long time. So be realistic. You know your child.

If you haven't done your homework with them during the day, then it's going to cause you problems when you do a technique with them. So maybe one minute would be more preferable.

But it should all go hand in hand with what you're doing with them during the day. If you can do a 15-minute arts and crafts with them during the day, and they're completely engaged, then they should be able to do a two-minute naughty step. If the child can't even sit down and sit still for any length of time, then you need to work on improving their attention span and concentration.

Don't forget though that a two-year-old child is exploring their boundaries, they're exploring the world, so be realistic about what you are placing them on the naughty step for. You need to let them explore and have fun too.

Don't try to control everything through threatening the naughty step. Spend time in a positive manner teaching the child the hazards of home and explain why (this is all a learning curve for your young son - he wasn't born knowing) before ever using discipline.

All the best,

Jo

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  1. hey jo i have 2 boys of the age of 2yrs n 1yrs. my 2yrs old is very naughty we have tryed the naughty step, we give him all the attetion all he needs and he is still being very naughty, every time we praise him he just screams at us we have tryed everything and dont know what to do. with our 1yr old he just wants pick up all the time from and never goes to any one else and when we tell him to leave something alone our 2yr old thinks we are talking to him. dont know what to do what do u think please help.
    Posted by gem on 28/10/2009 22:05:34
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  2. Dear Jo My 14 month old son is very naughty and demending. He has a habit of pulling things from the cupboard and climbing on places he know he shouldn't. I can tell that he knows when he does something wrong because he runs after doing something wrong, at times it gets so frustrating that I resort to spanking him, I know its wrong and ineffective but at the time it seems like the only solution I have at my disposal. The other problem I have with him is that at times he becomes impossible when I have to do my chores by demanding that I pick him up, at times I end up doing whatever it is I'm doing whilst carrying him. This seems dangerous because sometimes I cook carrying him and I worry that he might get burned by the steam comming from the pots. I do play with him everytime when I come home from work, he does have toys but at times he just wants nothing to do with them but just n=my attention. Jo please tell me of a way i can minimise this behavior, because I don't think the naughty step would work on him,he has a short concentration span and I think he's too young to understand what it would mean. Thanking you in advance, L. Sigabi King William's Town South Africa
    Posted by Luvo Sigabi on 16/09/2009 11:05:07
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  3. Hi Jo, My daughter is having trouble with her nineteen month old she is a nightmare in public we try and engage her and praise but she screams when she wants something please help.
    Posted by julie on 04/09/2009 21:03:36
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