As our children grow they start to test boundaries and start to demonstrate challenging behaviour at times.

Don’t forget a child has more connections in their brain at three years than we will ever have again! That feeling when your child is running rings around you is a direct result of just that!

The way you manage your child’s behaviour will have a direct impact on whether the bad behaviour stops or escalates.

It is so important to give the behaviour we want to see less of some advance thought - this will enable you to have a plan and remain calm whilst dealing with this behaviour.

Every relationship has to have a balance of love, respect and boundaries in order to be a positive one and this is your starting point for managing misbehaviour. If you have a positive relationship with your child then you will have better outcomes when you implement strategies to manage misbehaviour.

Setting a good example is key if you are demonstrating certain behaviours your child will imitate – it is how we all learn after all. Your child will observe how you deal with disappointment and how you cope when you are upset – so don’t be surprised when they repeat your words or act out your behaviour when in a stressful situation.

Having realistic expectations is important too. Each of us develops at our own pace and though we may have certain milestones children should be achieving, be mindful that your child is unique and will get there in their own time, supported by you and their world around them.

Some misbehaviour can be ignored an example of this is if your child says silly words or pulls tongues - think about this in advance and pay attention only to the positive behaviour.

Other behaviours need to be addressed straight away, such as hurting others or damaging the home.

The best approach to this type of behaviour is to speak to your child in advance of it happening. Agree some ground rules, making sure they are positive ie. we keep our hands and feet to ourselves.

When this rule is broken we need then to address this straight away.

Always give your child the opportunity to do the right thing and receive praise for this. If your child hits out speak to them and let them know what you don’t like and what they should be doing ie. “Damien you have hit Lucy please say sorry and show me how you can be gentle with her.”

If your child responds in the right way give them praise and move on to doing something positive with them. If they repeat the behaviour you don’t want to see then there has to be a logical consequence. This could be them leaving the setting you are at ie. playgroup or party or finding a quiet boring place for them to have some time out.

Once the punishment has been issued and your child has adhered to this then move on and give them the opportunity to be the beautiful child you know they can be!

See www.parentandbabycoach.co.uk