Cleaning Up Toys (and timeouts)

Ok, my boys are 2 years and 2 months old. When do you have them start cleaning up their toys when they are finished playing?

Also, when do you start doing time out?

 

We sing the Barney clean up song everytime we clean up and that would be prior to naps, bedtime, or leaving the playroom. THey sometimes will put things in the toybox but not consistently. I just keep singing hoping eventually they will join in! "Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share...under my breath still singing, why am i the only one here??!"

I can't wait for this beautiful day of pick up your own stuff, but I hear in some worlds, other kids do it! LOL

 

What age did you start time out with your kiddos? How did you introduce it with using it with 2 kiddos? You would never know that I already have been through this, but seems so long ago...

 

We have been cleaning up toys before naps and bedtime since they were about 12-13 months old. They now almost refuse to go upstairs unless ALL the toys are put away just so!

We started timeouts around 15 months

 

We've been working on cleaning up for awhile, but most of the time it was just me by myself. Now, though, they're starting to get the idea & helping a lot more. Especially if they know there's popsicles after all the toys are cleaned up. I think we started timeouts somewhere around 20 mos.

 

We've been cleaning up together for several months now. I started out by repeating one statement over and over like "time to clean up the toys" while walking around putting things back. Eventually they got it. Now I say it once and they start helping.

We started timeouts a while ago. I don't do it a lot, at this age I pick and choose my battles.

 

They know before we leave to go out they have to clean up...started around 2 yrs old.
As far as time outs, that started around then too. 2 minutes (now 3 for their age).

 

We started several months ago. I started by putting them in a certain spot in the living room for just one minute and sitting there with them. At the end of the minute I explained why they were there. I do it mainly to regroup and refocus.

 

We started around 2 yrs old. They sit on the stairs for 3 minutes (2 when they were 2, it will be 4 when 4 years old...etc...).

I DO NOT sit w/them. It's not MY time out After the time is up, I go over to them, hug them and ask them if they are sorry. If it involved hurting their brother, they have to go to their brother, hug them and tell them they are sorry.

 

I merged these threads as both were asking about timeouts.

 

I did clean up all along. Anytime we were done with the toys, we put them away. Even as infants, I put them away, and had them "help", even if it was just dropping one rattle into the box. And they had so very little back then, it was so easy! unlike today, when we can spend two days cleaning up toys and still find stuff around the house! I wanted to instill the habit of picking up their things when they were finsished. I figured if we did it consistently everyday, they would just think that was how it was done. It was a great theory that got blown out of the water after a few months, so I don't know if t woul dhave worked or not. These days, my kids can't tell when a room needs to be picked up. It can get frustrating.

As for time outs, I didn't use them. I dn't recall ever really experiencing a situation where one was needed. When things got tense, I am the one who usually walked away for a few minutes.

 

we started having them pick up about a month ago. Noah is really into it and will pick up on his own sometimes but always helps when I say it's time to clean up. Aiden needs a little more direction to help. I sing the song too.

 

We sing the clean up song, and always attempt to get them to help. A lot of time just one of them will start helping and then we lavish praise on how helpful they are and the other one wants in on the game too then.

Timeouts, in earnest, we started around age two. There is a spot in the hallway where they are away from the action and there's nothing to play with, and we set the time for two minutes.

 

My girls started a month or so ago (15 months) helping me clean up all their toys.

We are going to start time outs shortly.