How Do You Discipline a 9 Month Old?

Its hard because they still seem so young at 9 months, but one of my books said that is the age when you start to discipline. My son loves the water dish too and I had to put it up on the counter many times. You will start to notice that when you tell them NOT to play with something, they will do it to test you. This is how you know they understand at such a young age. We started with time outs. Just try and remove her from the situation, even if its 10 times! I too would sometimes forget to put the water dish back down, but it prevented him from soaking himself!

It sounds like you are doing just right. Of course you aren't using a hard slap like some people have suggested - a slight tap on the hand at this age is fine. Accompany it with a stern NO.
I would always then put them in another room to get them interested in something else; trying to redirect kids without leaving the room can be almost impossible at times. Just to keep your sanity, I would baby proof your house as much as possible that way she can explore a lot and still be safe.

Redirection is your only choice. Telling children "no" so young just teaches them how to say no.
We gate off the area so our kids can't get to the pet's water. If that's no an option for you, just keep a closer eye on her and every time she gets close, just move her and set a toy in front of her. And you're right, slapping her isn't going to get you anywhere. She's too young to make the connection, she just knows that mommy hit her all of a sudden and it hurt.
The biting is another issue. Make sure she has lots of teethers. It doesn't have to be toys meant for teething. My first son liked the rubber end of an eye dropper - especially if I gave him a Tylonal bottle and let him chew on the rubber. My second liked the large medicine droppers you get from the pharmacy. You can just go to Kroger's pharmacy and ask for the 2 tsp medicine dropper and they will give you one. Also, get some Hyland's teething tablet and give them regularly. They are homeopathic and can really help with the discomfort of teething.

It was when both of our children were 9 mo/old that they started showing their 'willfullness' and demonstrating that they knew that they were doing something they shouldn't do. They were too young for time outs, spanking, and even just 'telling them right from wrong', and we had heard from some friends of something that worked for them, so we tried it, and it worked for us:
Ex. Diaper changing became difficult b/c they wanted to roll away and they kicked & made a scene during that time, so what we did is first tell them 'no' about what they were doing wrong, then if they kept doing it, we flicked the bottom of their foot (first time very gentle, but enough to get their attention). They cried b/c it was uncomfortable, but they associated that w/ their actions. If they did it again, the flick was harder. It wasn't long at all before we could diaper w/o issues :0) Made for happier baby and happier parents.
The reason for flicking on foot is b/c they're not going to get "hurt", plus then they're not really seeing anything physically being done to them, thus, not afraid of your hands or anything like that. Works well at a young age!
But consistency is the key w/ any disciplining -- you're wise to realize that you have to do something now to train your child not to be unruly.

You will also enjoy:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=29Qhmp...

K.

I went to the For the Love of Kids parenting conference this past year and they had an "expert" on discipline. Her advice was to redirect up until about 18 months, when you can start time outs. We have a 12-month-old and she's into everything too, so I can empathize! We keep the cats' food, water and litter box in our bathroom, which is off limits to our daughter. She was a biter too when she started teething, so we just had to have plenty of "chew toys" on hand. Fortunately, she stopped biting us (which was my fault for putting my knuckle in her mouth before the teeth cut).

I can offer a few suggestions, gate off the area where the dog's food is. They make gates with dog doors. If you can't you may just have to keep a better eye on her, when she starts scooting in the direction of the dishes pick her up and sharply tell her "No dog water!" A suggestion for the biting, once again tell her "No biting Mommy!" in your most serious voice, you can give her something safe and made for chewing like an actual teething ring. Some can even be frozen to help ease the pain.

My son is also very stubborn, so I feel your pain. At your daughter's age, he was obsessed with trying to unplug things. Redirection never worked, he would shrug me off and run right back to what he had been doing. A light tap on the back of his hand got his attention for a while, but then that didn't bother him anymore. Then a friend told me to use different words, since kids get tired of hearing "NO" constantly. So we started saying "DANGER" or "OUCH" in a stern voice, which startled him a little and got his attention much better. Now he is 15 months old and he will point to things he's not supposed to mess with and say "ouch" and shake his head. Just stick with it, and she will learn eventually! And remember that her being stubborn at this age is tough on you, but will be really good for her when she is older, since she'll be less likely to follow whatever her friends are doing. Good luck!

I agree with everything written. I've always been told that children can't really respond to or understand discipline until they're 18 months. I know it's frustrating saying no over and over and redirecting constantly, but remember that you're not alone that department -- we all get frustrated too. Good luck!

First, for the teething, give her a cold, wet washcloth to chew on. This will help ease the pain until those teeth come thru. And without as much pain, hopefully stops the biting too. It's hard to discipline a little one, I agree. My son just turned 1 and he's walking and into everything. He's pretty good about listening to an extent, but I have to keep telling him over and over again. The dog water is kept in another room, blocked off by a baby gate. When he gets too mischivious he gets a time out in the playpen. It is the only way I can contain him sometimes. LOL He's very busy. There's nothing wrong with a slap on the hand to tell her no, within reason of course. They have very short memories though about what they aren't supposed to get into and you're going to spend alot of time pulling her out of things. Good luck. Try to find something else to grab her attention when she starts heading for the dog water. Maybe that will help.

She's less than a year old. Most dicipline will not work simply because she has zero self-control at this age. The urge to explore is instinct for babies. Of course you can start laying the groundwork and saying "not the water dish" 20 times a day and you'll drive yourself nuts. Just put the dish out of the way. Gate off the room, put it up high, whatever.

The best way to dicipline a baby/young toddler is through distraction and redirection. Since she seems to love water (most babies do), get a water table (remove the legs and put directly on the ground so she can reach if she's not standing/walking). Fill the sink with water and a few measuring cups. Put water in a dishpan and set on the kitchen floor. Then when she goes for the water dish you can say "play with water here, not there (pointing)".

The same thing works for stuff like jumping on the couch (it's coming soon!) or climbing a bookcase. Provide a safe spot (small indoor trampoline, Kangaroo Climber, etc) and redirect her to the areas where it's OK to jump or climb... or play in water.

If she's biting because her teeth hurt... help the hurt go away. Motrin is best because it deals iwth the pain and the swelling. Tylonel doesn't do anything for swelling. Popsicles are a lifesaver for teething... a few minutes gnawing on one will provide a very numb mouth and a few painfree hours. Wet and freeze a dishrag, use teething tablets or give her a toothbrush to bite on.

STOP SLAPPING YOUR DAUGHTER! Put the water bowl up or outside. It's up to YOU to keep her safe, not up to her to keep herself safe. A water bowl is a potential drowning hazzard. You need to take the things away from her if you don't want her to have them.

Hi there! This is happening in our house as well. My daughter is also nine months and into everything! She has her daddys love for all things electric. My love for shoes. And is always chewing on the coffee table. The girl is constantly told NO! But ten minutes later, she's at it again. I read somewhere that babies are told 300 no's to every yes. But we parents are just trying to keep a little sanity. Recently our daughter was determined to lick our slidding glass window clean. After telling her NO a hundred times, we just let her have at it. (And posted a video of her doinig it on Facebook for all the family to see.) She apprently just needed to get it out of her system because she hasn't tried it since. Maybe you could just let her dive into the water one day herself. She may figure out on her own that it's best to stay away. Good luck!

At this age, children only know what they want. They need to be taught boundaries, but in a way that they understand. If she loves playing in the dogs water dish, at the time you catch her try letting her play in her own dish of water until she tires of it. Or just gate the area off, or even move the dogs water where she can't get it but the dog can. Spanking or any form of physical punishment for a child this young only teaches them that "hey, I was having fun and now mommy hurt me because I was having fun." They don't understand it; not to mention it also teaches them that when someone does something they don't like to hit them. I would suggest trying a distraction or just temptation elimination. Tell her "no" then show her something she can play with.

Your daughter is an infant, not even a toddler yet, and way too young to understand what you're trying to do so discipline isn't even an issue and won't be until she's closer to 2 years old. She doesn't understand why you're pulling her away from the dog bowl, definitely won't understand why you slapped her hand, and isn't biting you for any reason other than her gums hurt and biting makes them feel better. She has no concept that biting you hurts you.

If you aren't able to gate off the area for the dog dish, move it to another room, like maybe a bathroom. The dog is able to get to many more areas of the house than a 9 month old baby. It's easier to teach the dog where the water bowl has been moved to than it is to teach an infant to stay out of the water bowl. I'm betting she just likes water and to her it's no different than playing at bath time. You didn't say that she was getting into the food bowl, is it in the same area as the water bowl? If so, another good reason to relocate the dog's bowls. She'll eventually get into the dog's food which won't be a bother, it'll possibly be very dangerous!

I'd do some reading on child development in books and magazines for guidance on age appropriate care and discipline. You're trying to do what's best for your daughter, just too soon. God bless you

I started smacking my kids hands as soon as they started getting into stuff. If you don't, you'll always have to watch them and you'll constantly be saying "no" once they start walking. If you stop her now, she will learn early on what she can and can't get into. Also, once she understands and doesn't need her hands slapped anymore because she'll understand what not obeying "no" will bring, when you're out at other people's houses, a simple no will keep her from getting into their stuff too. I always got compliments when I took my kids out and all I'd have to say is "No no" and my kids would immediately stop going after whatever it was. It makes for a much more peaceful mother during toddler years if you teach her now.