We recommend you use the following techniques to educate your child:

• Structuring the home environment. Examples are: putting breakables out of reach, fencing in the yard, putting the stereo out of reach.
• Distracting, redirecting or diverting. This is helpful if you are not at home and timeout will not work. This technique is also useful when you are busy on the telephone or feeding the baby, etc.
• Ignoring the misbehavior. This is useful for tantrums, sulking, whining. Turn your back and avoid all verbal and eye contact with your child.
• Verbal and nonverbal disapproval. Eye contact and a firm "no" is often enough to stop a young child's misbehavior. Pointing your finger adds emphasis. After your disapproval, point out the expected behavior.
• Manual guidance (physical removal or delivery). Occasionally you must move your child, against his will, to a car seat or into the bath, for example. The correct way to accomplish this is to take your child by the hand or arm. If he refuses, pick him up from behind and carry him.
• Timeout. A very effective technique of behavioral modification for use with children over 18 months.
• Natural consequences. Natural consequences are the natural negative results of your child's action. It is important for children to learn that their actions may have results which they do not like. For example, coming to the dinner table late means that the food will be cold. Refusing to put on mittens on a snowy day means that he will have cold hands. Of course, do not let your child engage in behavior that is dangerous, like playing with electric sockets or playing with matches. These natural consequences can be life-threatening.
• Restricting places where a child can misbehave. This is useful for behaviors which you cannot eliminate. Limit nose picking, thumbsucking and masturbation to the bedroom. Allowing these practices to take place in the bedroom avoids a power struggle.
• Logical consequences. Children should learn that their behavior has logical consequences. For example, if they throw and break a toy, do not replace it. Other examples include sending your child to school partially dressed if he refuses to get dressed or turning off the television if the children are quarreling about it. You may also choose to suspend privileges like television, telephone, shopping, car trips, etc., if the children misuse these privileges.
• "I" messages. When your child misbehaves, use "I" messages rather than "you" messages. Say, 'I am angry when you do that," rather than, "YOU make me angry when you do that." Criticize the behavior, not the person.
• Negotiation and contracts. These are more useful for misbehavior in adolescence.