Time Out

We started with "Time-Outs" yesterday.

So, the thing is, and I KNOW that this is perhaps NOT the best way to be going about it, but, I am starting with putting her in the pack n' play/playpen. It was the only permanent, not Makiya-moveable, safe thing I could think of. She was never a regular user of the pack n' play, it has been like 6 months since she was even in it!

She was starting to be a little bum early yesterday morning, before I had even set the thing up. I was changing her diaper, which gave ME (of course I am sure only I truly benefitted from this conversation!) the opportunity to chat with her, eye to eye, without her running away. I began a lightly animated talk about what "Time-Outs" were for, what would happen etc. She appeared to listen, but certainly was not relenting in her little "ehh's" and little slaps at herself, me, the diaper! So off we went to pull the pack n' play from the closet, and she was kind of excited seeing it come out! (Several times, as I hung her clothes in her closet, she would be eagerly pointing at it.) I pulled it out to the dining room, where she intently watched me set it up, then tried to pull up on it, checking it out. I firmly told her that "No, we aren't going to play with this, it is for Time-Outs ONLY." I took her hand and off to the living room we went. It was, of course, a short time later that she began jumping/standing up on the couch. Off we went for our first Time-Out.

SHE LOVED IT! Over the course of yesterday and today, I have stuck with it. We have encountered very little crying, or even NOISE out of her. She will bounce up and down as she sits, or even lie down and happily push her feet against the sides!! When I approach her to bring her out of Time-Out, she gets excited! Smiling, squealing, even giving me a little chase! I leave her there for 1 minute, then go to her and explain why she was in Time-Out, ask for her to say sorry (which is quite obviously, more for me again, as she doesn't know how to say sorry yet!! She WILL though!!) and give me a hug, then a kiss and I tell her that I love her.

I really DO think that she is beginning to grasp the...concept?...I have asked her a couple times before hand if she would like a Time-Out and she shakes her head "No".  I went into the idea of the pack n' play knowing full well that it would be a temporary, introductory step, mostly in mind was the fact that she would soon enough figure out how to get OUT of the thing! I see now that she is perhaps ENJOYING the Time-Out a little, but I am hoping that the idea is sticking with her too. I will, likely quite soon, lose the playpen, and am sooo hoping that this first step was in the right direction!