Never spank a baby (1014)

You probably haven't thought about discipline for your baby. After all, your baby is only 3 months old! But there are some things about discipline you may want to start thinking about.

"Discipline" comes from the world "disciple," meaning student. Think of discipline as teaching, not punishing.

The most important thing you can teach baby now is to trust you. You can do this by meeting her needs, so she learns you are there when she needs you. Later on, you'll need to set limits to keep her safe. The trust baby has in you will help her try to obey, so she can please you.

When baby does something you don't want him to, it is your cue to teach and to show him what is acceptable behavior. Try to distract him from the problem situation#give him something else to do, sing or talk to him, take him to another room, or put him in the stroller and go for a walk. "Teach" your baby to trust you. Respond when he needs you. Be there to change his diaper, or maybe give comfort.

Every parent gets angry, upset, and frustrated sometimes#that's normal. Tiny babies like yours don't do things on purpose to annoy you, even if it seems like that sometimes. Baby can't help crying, messing her diapers, or waking up at night when you want to sleep. A tiny baby should never be spanked for any reason. Never hit or shake a baby. Shaking can cause permanent brain damage, blindness, or even death.

But if you feel like you are so upset that you may hit or shake your baby, get help quickly. Try these things:

* Call a friend and ask what she would do.

* Call someone to sit with baby so you can take a break, even if it's only for a few minutes to take a walk.

* Put baby safely in his crib in his room, shut the door and try to distract yourself for a few minutes.

The important thing is to get some space between the two of you, so you can calm down.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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