One in eight parents has said they have yet to consider the discipline strategies they use with their children, which could affect how their children learn which behaviors are safe and appropriate.
That is one of the findings of a new study published by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The study, conducted in August 2024, surveyed 725 parents with at least one child between the ages of one to five.
The poll specifically focused on the parents' experience with disciplining their young children and what strategies they used to reinforce positive behavior.
Study on Discipline Strategies of Parents
The survey found that over 12% of parents did not consider what discipline strategies to use on their children. In contrast, 53% said they often warned their child for misbehavior, 49% said they spoke firmly, 46% said they often redirected their child to another activity, and 13% said they put their child in time out.
Parents of children aged one or two were found to be more likely to redirect behavior, while parents of children aged three to five were more likely to issue warnings or use timeout as a discipline strategy.
In addition to the strategies outlined above, some parents also said they use strategies that health experts advise against. These include bribery (68%) and spanking (45%). Furthermore, parents of children aged three to five were more likely to use threats to get their children to behave. For instance, 24% of parents with children in that age group said they threatened their kids that there would be no Santa or Christmas gifts should they misbehave.
Consistency in Discipline
Apart from discipline strategies, the study also sought to determine how consistent parents of kids aged one to five were in disciplining their children. Only 49% of parents said they were very consistent, and 45% said they were somewhat consistent in disciplining their kids.
When asked about the barriers to their consistency, 49% said their child is too young to understand, and 31% said they did not want to risk their child having a tantrum in a public space. That said, some also noted parent-related barriers, such as getting too irritated when their child misbehaves (25%) and being too tired to be consistent (24%).
