Until your baby starts moving around, discipline will not be an issue. However, when your six month old is crawling around your house causing chaos, you may, like many parents, start wondering whether discipline is needed.
The truth is, at such a young age, babies have no concept of right or wrong. The mischief they cause is purely because they are curious about their world. Any discipline you try to use on them will be wasted anyway, because your child will not understand what you mean.
It’s a better idea to rather start practising for later on. Rather than trying to explain to your baby why she should not do something, distract her from dangerous or destructive activities by steering her to a safer one.
Making sure that your home is suitably baby proofed is another way that you can minimise the risk of injury, and it’s a good way to avoid the issue of discipline altogether. Get a playpen, or keep your baby restricted to safe areas of your home.
Whatever you do, however, shouting at or hitting your baby is never appropriate. You will scare your child, rather than getting your message across, and there is also the risk of injury.
The truth is, at such a young age, babies have no concept of right or wrong. The mischief they cause is purely because they are curious about their world. Any discipline you try to use on them will be wasted anyway, because your child will not understand what you mean.
It’s a better idea to rather start practising for later on. Rather than trying to explain to your baby why she should not do something, distract her from dangerous or destructive activities by steering her to a safer one.
Making sure that your home is suitably baby proofed is another way that you can minimise the risk of injury, and it’s a good way to avoid the issue of discipline altogether. Get a playpen, or keep your baby restricted to safe areas of your home.
Whatever you do, however, shouting at or hitting your baby is never appropriate. You will scare your child, rather than getting your message across, and there is also the risk of injury.
