When Can You Start Time Outs?

My Jack has horrible temper tantrums and I know most of them stem from not being able to communicate something to us yet. Sometimes though it's only because he wants something his brother has, etc. He'll start by screaming, then sobbing, then banging his hands/head on the floor. DH and I mostly ignore it, but I was watching John and Kate plus 8 last night and really like the idea of time-outs, but I don't think my boys are old enough yet (17 months) to actually sit somewhere where I tell them to or to understand it.

For mom's who use it...at what age did you start doing it with your kids? Did it work for you?

Thanks!

Re: When Can You Start Time Outs?

I just started it on DD and she is 18 months old. I don't have her sit really, but I make her stand up against a designated wall. If she is doing something she isn't supposed to be doing, I'll give her warning, if she continues, then I just put her right in time out. She seems to understand because I've succeeded at nipping the bad behavior just by giving her the warning. lol

Re: When Can You Start Time Outs?

2 years.

Re: When Can You Start Time Outs?

We started at 18 months.

Re: When Can You Start Time Outs?

At 18 months I would remove them from the situation and hold them on my lap facing out for a minute at most. It was enough to get them to calm down and remove them from the situation. If it was something like head banging on the floor, or doing somthing that didn't affect anyone else, then I just ignored it. But hitting each other or taking toys from each other, they were on my lap. They would not have stayed in a specific spot not on my lap at that age.

Re: When Can You Start Time Outs?