What are alternatives to spanking your child?

Spanking is not a common way to discipline kids, and research links spanking to lower IQ and self-esteem. Pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, shares a better way to discipline your child.

Transcript

00:00

Whenever you feel like spanking your child, take a deep breath, and count to 10. You're the adult. Come up with an expressive and thoughtful

00:08

alternative to spanking. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:26

Spanking is not the common discipline method it was years ago. But some parents still do it. You should never spank or strike a child.

00:34

Research shows that kids who are spanked have lower IQs because they shut down their learning powers. They're also more aggressive, tend to get in more trouble,

00:43

and often have lower self-esteem as adults than kids who aren't spanked. A better way to discipline a child is to understand what's going on.

00:50

Kids act out when they don't have the words to express their frustration and anger. Teach your young child how to express her thoughts.

00:58

If your child is cranky when you're out, say something like, I know you're tired and want to go home, but we can't.

01:04

We have to finish our errands. It shows you understand his or her feelings. This doesn't always work, but it's

01:10

a step towards teaching your child impulse control and how to use words in place of actions. Whenever you feel like spanking your child, take a deep breath,

01:19

and count to 10. You're the adult. Come up with an expressive and thoughtful alternative to spanking. [MUSIC PLAYING]