How Should You Discipline And Reward Your Toddler?

Leading a toddler in the right direction can often be exhausting and seem like a never-ending task, as any parent with a two- or three-year-old knows all too well, but parents also know that these early years come with incredible joy and satisfaction. 

So, how do you get through to your toddler in those difficult moments and reward them when they do good? Those are some of the questions that parents are asking Dr. Jordan Peterson in the first full-length episode of “Parenting,” which is now streaming exclusively on DailyWire+. 

“So we’re here because we want to foster a spirit of cooperation within our family,” a father named Nathan told Peterson. “Right now, we’re dealing with a pattern of behaviors with mainly our son, who’s three years old. Whenever we want to leave the house or cleaning up, sometimes he agrees … and then he starts running away. And I can always sort of pin him down to [put on] a jacket. Although I don’t think that’s a viable strategy over the long term.”

“Finding that balance. This is what we have to do. And we have to do it now,” Nathan’s wife, Jasmine, added. “But at the same time, we don’t want to crush that independence, autonomy, curiosity. So we need that balance.” 

Nathan and Jasmine said that they have a disciplinary issue with their toddler “at least three times a day” with outbursts that can last up to 30 minutes. “Just him running around, throwing his jacket on the floor,” Jasmine added. “Other times, let’s say it has to do with picking up his toys, I ask him to do it. He says, ‘No, my legs are broken.’” 

“Oh yeah, that’s creative,” Peterson said. 

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The world-renowned psychologist then dissects why their child might be testing boundaries and goes through strategies that the young parents can use to align their toddler with their desires for him. 

Later in the episode, Peterson highlights the importance of rewarding young children when they go “out of their way to do something slightly better, or maybe a lot better than they have before, or just doing something that’s thoughtful or kind, or that helps the family come together.” 

“If I’m giving a reward, how do I teach the value that we’re cooperating? We’re getting trust because that’s actually a family value. As opposed to, I’m just going to get a reward out of this. Like how do you translate the bigger value?” Jasmine asked Peterson. 

Peterson goes into how parents “have to use reward carefully,” giving parents examples of how to encourage and praise their children’s good behavior. 

Watch “Toddler Misbehavior” on DailyWire+.