Time Outs

[WImom]

Do you have a time out chair for time outs or do you do an area they can go to with books, soft toys to 'think' about making better choices.

I'm trying to decide what would work best with my 2-3 year olds. I rarely give a time out but was wondering what works for you.

[daycare]

Do you have a time out chair for time outs or do you do an area they can go to with books, soft toys to 'think' about making better choices.

I'm trying to decide what would work best with my 2-3 year olds. I rarely give a time out but was wondering what works for you.

I just have them sit in the other room where I can still see them ( no chair). I don't use books in time out, as i don't want the kids to associate them with being bad or wrong. I give them about 5-6 minutes to chill out. I then go to them and we talk about what happened and how to fix it.

the one and only time I used a chair, the child flipped it over rocking it on the back legs and broke some of my stuff on the fall going down.

[youretooloud]

I rarely ever use timeout. Timeout is usually for me... because I'm mad and just want them to go in the other room.

I have gone through times where a certain kid needed "to chill" and i'll set up a spot that is only theirs. But, it's never associated with any type of behavior. It's really just a "being alone" spot.

[lil angels]

I have most of my daycare in the basement and I have a landing at the bottom of my steps where the kids go if they need a time out there is no toys or anything to do. That I think would make it a fun place to be. So they may act out just to get those fun things. I don't need it much but that is my spot and seems to work well if we need it.

[MG&Lsmom]

Time out is either in a spot in the dining section of the great room or in the kitchen section depending on where I need to be at the time. No toys no contact until their time is up. State Regs are 1 minute per year of age. This is for bad things like hitting, pushing, unsafe behavior they've been warned about.

For breaks and separation time, I have a small mat, about the size of a small pnp mattress, where they sit with a couple of books and small toys. I can put the mat anywhere I need it to be to separate the child from the group, still keep an eye on, but it also gives them a boundary of where they are allowed to be.

[tulip1969]

The state I work in does not allow "time out". They say it draws too much attention to the child and the others go home, tell their parents, and the repeat offenders wind up being labeled "the bad kid". I actually never though of it that way until I attended a class for my registration and they described it that way. I have since been "redirecting" children.

[Meeko]

I do whatever is convenient to me at the time and depending what room the behavior took place.

Many years ago, I used to send the kids to sit on a big recliner we had in the living room.

One day, a day care mom arrived on the doorstep and giggled while telling me they had been furniture shopping over the weekend. She said they walked past an area in the store filled with recliners and her toddler exclaimed

"Wow! Look at all those time-out chairs!!!"

That toddler is 23 years old now and we still laugh about it!

[cheerfuldom]

I rarely use time out as well. If a child needs that much correction then he isn't ready for our group. However, if I do use a time out, I just pick any old spot where they have to sit (no toys or activity) until they calm down and can rejoin the group. There is no time limit. Sometimes they are instantly sorry and ready to get back in action and as long as the offending behavior stops, I am fine with that. I usually tell them to come sit by me and chill out versus making a big deal about them being in trouble.