1. Effective Techniques for Parents and Caregivers

2. Video Nightmare

3. By learning a variety of successful parenting practices, individuals will have a bunch of strategies that they can choose from for a variety of situations

4. Distract and Redirect Beginning at an early age, distracting the child by offering an acceptable alternative helps avoid conflict.

5. Have a childproof/child friendly home Move breakables out of the child’s reach, put safety covers on electrical outlets, and keep poisons out of the child’s reach. Children are born without knowing what they can and cannot touch. Child proofing reduces the necessity to say “no” and makes it less frustrating for parent and child.

6. Set limits Clearly explain the boundaries, limits or expectations and follow through consistently. Limits should be logical, reasonable and well- understood. Remember, that limits change as children acquire new skills.

7. Do not argue about rules or limits Effective parents do not have a lot of rules because the more rules there are, the more rules must be enforced, important rules, however, should not be subject to negotiation. This is especially true when dealing with safety issues. A parent can state firmly, “I am not going to argue with you about that.”

8. Establish Routines Children find comfort in the sameness of routine. A bedtime ritual becomes something to look forward to if it involves something enjoyable, like a bedtime story or back rub.

9. Provide Transition Time Adults automatically give themselves time for transition from one event to another by mentally thinking about what they need to do next. A child needs transition time too. Give them warnings before doing something. “Bedtime in 5 mins!”

10. Teach and Train Children need to learn essential skills and habits such as how to brush their teeth, how to use toilet paper etc. This teaching takes time, and a parent must model it until a child can internalize it. Teaching should be done before the skill is actually needed, but not until the child is capable of accomplishing it.

11. Give Encouragement A child learns how to be successful in small steps, from getting back up after falling down, as well as from being able to make a mistake without belittlement or embarrassment. Encouragement gives the child the courage to move forward.

12. Offer Choices Letting children make choices within reasonable limits from a very young age not only gives them a sense of control over a situation, but helps them accept responsibility for making choices. They also learn to recognize when they make a bad choice.

13. Natural Consequences These result directly from the child’s behaviour. Without nagging, the child will likely make a better choice the next time.

14. Logical Consequences These are established by the parents and relate logically to the behaviour. It is important to ensure that the logical consequences are not punitive and offer a solution to a problem rather than a punishment for misbehaviour.

15. Time-in An act of inclusion rather than exclusion. Parent stays with child and teaches the child on how to act.

16. Time-out Removes a child from the problem situation, giving him or her time to calm down or rethink behaviour

17. Humour Can be used to diffuse anger, redirect a child and turn a tense situation into a lighter moment

18. Offer love and comfort after dealing with misbehaviour Parents need to reinforce that misbehaviour is an unacceptable but never tell the child that they are bad. Children are often upset by their misbehaviour and need to know that they are still loved. A parent who refuses contact, displays continued anger, or uses the silent treatment shows disapproval for the child, not the behaviour