Positive parenting means guiding and disciplining your child in a way that is loving, encouraging, and constructive. The best parenting solutions combine discipline and genuine care. Positive parenting solutions allow you to show your children how much you love them while instilling expectations.

When you take a positive approach to parenting, your children will feel empowered, cooperative, confident, and connected to you.

The goal of positive parenting is not to let go of punishments or to adopt a permissive attitude. It is about parents being actively involved in their child\’s development and fostering a strong bond with their children.

Positive Parenting Solutions Strategies

1. Make Sleep a Priority

You probably know what it’s like to be overtired. It’s the same for kids, and most toddlers do not get the sleep they need in order to grow.

If you notice that your child is overtired during the day, suggest a nap. If you play soothing music at bedtime, use lavender for their bath, and make all your bedtime activities mellow and relaxing, you will make their bedtime routine more relaxing.

A well-rested child has better behavior throughout the day, including during school.

2.      Discuss the Consequence Ahead of Time

For instance, If your child gets 15 minutes of screen time every day, and you notice that they sometimes throw a fit when the 15 minutes are up, talk with your child about the consequences of the action.

As a consequence, you can speak with them ahead of time when they’re calm and say things like, “I am concerned that you throw a fit when you must get off the iPad, and it’s disrespectful and it’s against our rules, so if that happens again you aren’t allowed iPad time for two or three days.

Next, you ask your child to repeat it back to you, and the next time they throw a fit about the ipad, you say I’m sorry love, but you threw a fit so you don’t get screen time for two more days.

3.      Engage with Kids on a Daily Basis

The best way to improve your children’s behavior is to spend quality time with them every day, giving them the positive attention and emotional connection they’re hard-wired to need.

If they don’t receive positive attention, they will seek attention in negative ways, leading to consequences and other forms of discipline that don’t work. Try to put in 10 minutes with each child per day, you will likely see positive results from doing this.

4.      Have Firm Boundaries

While boundaries still need to be set, you should do so with kindness, positivity, and strength. When a child asks for something, you can gently tell her she will not get it. You don’t have to yell at them, use a harsh tone, or make fun of them.

Keep in mind that a firm voice conveys authority, whereas a stern voice communicates anger.

To make sure your child knows what to expect from his actions, set clear limits and enforce consequences.

5.      Make Routines a Priority

Kids flourish with a routine, so establish clear routines for the hardest times of the day, like mornings, mealtimes, and bedtime.

Make sure your children are involved in the routine by allowing them to make the routine with you.

Visuals tend to work well for kids, use pictures and let them decorate it, and then hang it where they\’ll see it every day.

6.      Be Curious, Investigate the Source of the Behavior

Every time children misbehave, there is a reason, even if it seems ridiculous to the parents. They behave that way because it\’s reasonable for them.

The child will still feel that their needs are addressed if parents address the cause directly, even if they do not get exactly what they want. A family’s emotional support is often more important than the request itself.

An acknowledged child does not need to misbehave in order to move on. However, they do not have to act out in order to be heard.

Find out what the problem is by asking them questions. In addition to active listening, parents should be aware of the reason for challenging behaviors so that they can prevent them from happening.

RELATED: Highly Sensitive Child Parenting Strategies

7.      Meet your Children’s Needs

Giving your children everything they want is not the same as giving them everything they truly need. Rather than imposing rules on children, Positive Parenting Solutions emphasizes the internalization of discipline by children. In order for your children to achieve belonging, significance, and self-discipline, you must understand their primary goals.

The significance lies in the fact that your child needs to feel that he or she is contributing to the family. Similarly, belonging refers to a sense of emotional connection that a child has to his or her family. 

8.      Identify Age-Appropriate Behaviors

Toddlers and preschoolers require different techniques than older children.

Young children are unable to reason since their central part of the brain that understands consequences and makes good decisions has not yet developed.

Therefore, redirection rather than reasoning or giving consequences can be used with children this age.

When a child is not listening or acting silly, redirect them away from whatever activity they are engaged in.

Then reward them with positive reinforcement if they are acting up because they are seeking attention with negative behavior.

9.      Use Then Statements

Rather than setting a consequence, use a THEN statement. For instance, you can tell your child “When you’re done putting your toys away, THEN you can have screen time”, by doing this, you are simply delaying things and making your child work for something, which in this case happens to be her screen time.

Being a compassionate parent involves doing things with your children without yelling.

10. Have Everyone Contribute

In order for a household to run smoothly, each member must contribute. Explain to your kids that everyone in your family has a part to play and that your family is a unit.

In order to encourage family unity, teach life skills, and prevent the entitlement epidemic, have all the children contribute to the family every day.

11. Take Care of Yourself

Positive Parenting Solutions can exhaust you. As a parent, you need to have good mental health so that you can pay good attention to your child. To begin with, you should identify your triggers and form your behaviors by working on yourself.

Understanding and identifying those reasons will help you regulate your emotions properly.

12. Encourage Problem-Solving

Let your kids resolve their own conflicts. When parents step in to determine who\’s at fault and punish them, it actually makes the situation worse.

For kids, there is a winner and a loser, which leads to sibling rivalry. Children will be better able to resolve conflicts as they grow older if you encourage them to find a solution on their own. When you have to get involved, don’t choose sides, but ask questions that will assist them in coming up with a solution that everyone is comfortable with.

When children practice decision-making this way, they learn to think cognitively, which is a valuable skill for their future success.

Final Thought

Whenever children feel a strong bond with their parents, they are more capable and cooperative.

Parenting requires that we always remember that every action has an effect on our child’s psychology. Therefore, parents should follow a balance between being quite disciplined or punitive and being too permissive.

Today\’s parents are adopting gentle parenting principles because they do not want to raise their children the same way that they were raised. When parents practice positive parenting, they can raise happy children that reflect their values and beliefs.

Parents who are positive are sensitive to their child’s needs, developmental stage, and temperament. Positive parenting is one of four parenting styles recommended by Baumrind.