Does kitchen timer techinique really work?

tzatza

Tue, Aug 18 2009, 9:57 pm

I am thinking of buying a kitchen timer for some "behavioral modifications" as in setting time limits. Do you think it is a good technique for a 2.5 y.o?

pecan

Tue, Aug 18 2009, 10:34 pm

I think it depends on the maturity of your two year old. And what are the specific instances that you want to use the timer for? You need to make sure that the behavior you expect is age appropriate and have a proper plan as to what will happen if the timer goes off and the behavior has not been performed. What is pushing you to do this?

Stepmum

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 12:49 pm

Can you buy a sand-timer instead? As a preschool teacher, I found this more effective - the child could see how much sand was left in the timer. Watching the timer could also be a distraction and get the child out of the negative place.

I had jumbo timers, which I loved - I also used it for turn-taking, and taught the children to do it themselves. If you can't find the big ones, you can find a timer in many games.

Good Luck!

NotInNJMommy

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 12:52 pm

yup. worthwhile.

I used it to enforce dinner time, so that the kids weren't distracted and it dragged on forever...OR, so the kids didn't leave too soon and not enough and graze over and over before bed....again, for toddlers.

Also, for timeout it's helpful, especially for me to remember to keep the right amount of time (2 min for 2yo, and 4 min for 4yo)

tzatza

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 1:22 pm

Stepmum wrote:

Thanks for all the advice. My main problem, is bedtime. He gets in bed and starts the Jack-out-of-the-box game coming out dozens of times just for fun. We put a crib tent last week, but he gets upset and cries when we zip it up. This is the first kid that gives me so much headache with sleepinghabits(not napping, early get-up, waking up few times a night, etc). Drives me up the wall!!

ra_mom

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 1:25 pm

tzatza wrote:

I am thinking of buying a kitchen timer for some "behavioral modifications" as in setting time limits. Do you think it is a good technique for a 2.5 y.o?

It's a wonderful technique!
It's also amazing for preparing a child who has a hard time adjusting, for the next activity. (Most children at this age!)
I will often tell my dd "5 more minutes of coloring, then it's time for a bath." I put on the timer, and when it rings, she knows that time is up. (As opposed to when I don't use the timer, and every 2 minutes she keeps asking for "2 more minutes!".)

tzatza

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 1:35 pm

ra_mom wrote:

tzatza wrote:

I am thinking of buying a kitchen timer for some "behavioral modifications" as in setting time limits. Do you think it is a good technique for a 2.5 y.o?

Which timer do you use?

ra_mom

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 1:44 pm

tzatza wrote:

Which timer do you use?

The Sunbeam 91640 from Amazon.
It has a magnet for the fridge, and a stand for sitting on the counter.
(But beware that when it is on the fridge you have to hold it while pressing the buttons. Otherwise it falls to the floor. So I usually keep it on the fridge, but when I am using it, I use its stand and place it on the counter.)

Oh, and dd loves to press the button and turn it off when time is up!

NotInNJMommy

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 2:07 pm

I was successful using it with ds when he was abotu 2.5, not as time out but as a reward system.

ie. 2 min in bed, he'd get his fluoride "vitamin" (this was the easiest bc he'd do anything for it); 2 more min, I'd open the door or turn on the night light (he's not afraid of the dark, but would like the light); 2 more min, he'd get a little music....(if he was still awake enough). Trick with teh music was to make it just quiet enough that he'd have to be lying quietly and relatively still in bed to hear it.

tzatza

Wed, Aug 19 2009, 2:13 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Interesting. How long did u take to train him to stay in bed?