The Time Out Pad

Discipline is always a struggle – especially time-outs.

First making sure your child stays put, then making sure you remember to get them out of time-out at the right time is not easy.

Because time-outs are supposed to be one minute for every year of age, right? Not to mention, how does he know when time-out is over?

Instead of setting the egg timer, consider the Time Out Pad.

Easy to use, you just set the built-in timer and set your child on the pressure-sensitive pad; if your child gets up before the end of the time-out, a little alarm will go off, letting you know. The timer pauses and then restarts once your child sits back down.

If your child sits through the entire time-out, a little tune will play, letting both you and your child know that his time has been served. And because kids are so visual, it even has a little traffic light system so your child can see where they are in the process of their time-out.

This system works on any flat surface and runs off of AA batteries, which are included.

While I think this is a novel idea, I’m not sure that it will be a great fit for all parents; some might find it to be a bit too “Big Brother.” In addition, while a time-out is a form of discipline that seems to work quite well, having an alarm go off if you have an escape artist on your hands might seem overly punitive.

Have you tried the Time Out Pad? What are your thoughts on the system?

Photo Courtesy of the gro company