Our two year old is a screamer. He screams when he's happy, when he's sad, mad, excited, whatever. We have tried for 18 months to get him to NOT SCREAM, but nothing worked. Finally, we just put him in time-out every single time he screamed. Within 3 days, the amount of screaming in our house had decreased drastically. We do time-outs about 5 times a week now, for throwing toys or when he screams just because he knows it pisses us off.

Anyway, point is, time out saved my ears and my kid, because had he kept the screaming up I'd have killed him. At first glance I thought this product was ridiculous, but, my son does NOT sit in time-out if his daddy puts him there, so I thought this would help. And then I decided to snag a second one for the diaper bag (because that's our newest battle-learning to behave when we're out and about.) If it works, awesome. If not, I'm only out $20. If it ends up he LIKES the stupid thing and starts trying to get time-outs, I'll just sell them. There's gotta be some more time-out and random-crap loving parents out there who don't know about kidswoot, right?

lovethatfusion wrote:I think this is a great idea! It's so helpful for small kids to have a visual of how long they have left, otherwise it just seems like eternity...

It's supposed to... it's a punishment.

hahaha, i love this thing. too bad it's only 1-5 minutes. 1-5 minute time out means nothing, lol.

mkentosh wrote:The time out pad in action!

http://www.bumpto3.com/images/en-gb/products/hd001_main.jpg

Give the kid a magazine. It looks like he's taking a dump.

What is a time out?

Don't your kids just listen to you? What happened to fear/respect?

My daughter has one opportunity to talk back. One. And that usually is the number "One" spoken aloud.

Timeout is simply more time for them to scheme how to get away with more crap.

Will this work with my wife?

Does anyone else find it insanely hilarious that the item photo is of a ratty used one (frayed and worn edges). The scuffed part of the pad itself is worthy of a chuckle.

If my kids weren't too old for this (and by that I mean capable of finding a work around to the alarm) I would be all over it

This makes me so sad. Time out works really well as a quiet place for kids to calm down when they're literally not hearing what you say, a good place for them to be able to relax and compose themselves. A timer just tells me this is pure punishment and a way to show your kid that you have power over them. Sadly, this is what the term "time out" means to most.

ianholland wrote:"Parents have been led to believe that children will use time-out to think about what they did and regain some modicum of self-control. In reality, when children act in inappropriate, aggressive, or obnoxious ways, they are often harboring such strong pent-up feelings that they are unable to think clearly about their actions. Far more helpful than isolation is an attentive listener who can encourage the expression of honest feelings. The healthy release provided by talking, crying, or raging may even prevent the recurrence of unwanted behavior."

Above is a quote from the following article:

The Disadvantages of Time-Out

<3 I just read an article where a guy said he has a safe, quiet, comfortable place for his children for those rare times when they are so out of control that they are a danger to themselves, but that it in no way is a punishment. Rather, it's a place where they can contrinue to rage (after being heard and loved by the parents), but often they calm themselves in a short bit. the point being it's a safe place for the child to be able to calm him or herself on his or her own conditions. He renamed it something else though because of the negative uses of "time out". It was a nice article. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this. Seems there are a lot of people who think fear and straight out control are the ways to allow kids to develop healthy ways of dealing with their natural emotions. Time outs make me sad.

thinks that this could be a great dog-training device - STAY!!!

Gotta love the photos on the package.

Step 1: Berate your child.
Step 2: Neglect your child.
Step 3: Your child loves you again.

I have one of these and I love it. My kids played with it for about 2 days then the novelty wore off. The point of time out is that the child does not receive any attention during time out. If you are standing there putting them back in timeout and watching to make sure they stay then they are getting attention. (kids like attention-sometimes even if it is negative) With this you can walk away and they are not receiving any attention for their bad behavior. At first you do have to go put them back on the mat if they get off (and you hear the alarm) but they learn pretty quickly. My 20 month old sits quietly and pouts, then when the music plays she dances and apologizes for the behavior. My 3 yo's behavior improved after we bought this and it is SO much easier for the parent than trying to remember the time or setting a timer every time. I can just tell my daughter 'go to time out, we don't push' and she goes (complaining) by herself. Anyway- that is my 2 cents!
Also- we have not had to change the battery since we bought it a year ago. It only times up to 4 or 5 min? Not sue which.

Here's a passel of links about the psychology of time-outs. It is not surprising to see that experts are divided on the appropriateness and effectiveness of time-outs. But the general consensus is that they can have a positive effect, provided that certain guidelines are adhered to. Of particular interest are the two articles that reference "time-out vs. time-in." The time-out pad sold here at Woot could be used for time-ins in a constructive manner.

podcast

Time-In Versus Time-Out

Effective Use of Time-Out

Time Out: Insights From Football

INTERVENTIONS AND STRATEGIES

A Useful or Harmful Parenting Strategy?

Lots of stupid comments here. Use your brains, people. Everyone is not you and kids are so different from family to family. Just because someone uses this timeout pad doesn't mean they're some namby-pamby yuppy that let's their kid run over them. Also, it doesn't mean that we're trying to somehow have a device be a parent for us (which is probably the most eeediotic insinuation in this thread).

We've been using this for a while. I'm not opposed to using a variety of discipline methods but this one works for us. My child is very well-behaved and people constantly tell us that. When we send him to timeout we are not just "putting the device in charge" or whatever. We tell him why he's going to timeout and he goes. He realizes it's punishment and he doesn't like to be there. Afterwards we discuss with him what he did and he then apologizes. That might not work for your kid but it has worked so well for ours. It's just another tool, not a substitute for parenting. Name ANY method of discipline and any dope can go onto the Internet and find an article that says it's of the devil. Find what works for your kid and leave the articles to people who want to "win" arguments on the Internet.

EDIT: nightghost - the last sentence above was not directed at you...your post basically shows what I said - that you can find an expert that agrees and disagrees with everything. That last sentence was basically directed at the person who posted one article from one guy to attempt to "prove" that timeouts are bad.
bc

Another thing about the timeout/timeout pad besides being a consequence of actions is that it gives our child time to settle down. He will often go in angry but he is always calmed down by the end without exception.

plinerd wrote:<3 I just read an article where a guy said he has a safe, quiet, comfortable place for his children for those rare times when they are so out of control that they are a danger to themselves, but that it in no way is a punishment. Rather, it's a place where they can contrinue to rage (after being heard and loved by the parents), but often they calm themselves in a short bit. the point being it's a safe place for the child to be able to calm him or herself on his or her own conditions. He renamed it something else though because of the negative uses of "time out". It was a nice article. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this. Seems there are a lot of people who think fear and straight out control are the ways to allow kids to develop healthy ways of dealing with their natural emotions. Time outs make me sad.

They are certainly an improvement on "trips to the woodshed."

DigMe wrote:Lots of stupid comments here. Use your brains, people. Everyone is not you and kids are so different from family to family. Just because someone uses this timeout pad doesn't mean they're some namby-pamby yuppy that let's their kid run over them. Also, it doesn't mean that we're trying to somehow have a device be a parent for us (which is probably the most eeediotic insinuation in this thread).

We've been using this for a while. I'm not opposed to using a variety of discipline methods but this one works for us. My child is very well-behaved and people constantly tell us that. When we send him to timeout we are not just "putting the device in charge" or whatever. We tell him why he's going to timeout and he goes. He realizes it's punishment and he doesn't like to be there. Afterwards we discuss with him what he did and he then apologizes. That might not work for your kid but it has worked so well for ours. It's just another tool, not a substitute for parenting. Name ANY method of discipline and any dope can go onto the Internet and find an article that says it's of the devil. Find what works for your kid and leave the articles to people who want to "win" arguments on the Internet.

EDIT: nightghost - the last sentence above was not directed at you...your post basically shows what I said - that you can find an expert that agrees and disagrees with everything. That last sentence was basically directed at the person who posted one article from one guy to attempt to "prove" that timeouts are bad.
bc

NP. You also said something that really rings true - different parenting techniques are appropriate for different children. I have the minimum number of kids that allowed me to make a comparison (two), but it was obvious to my wife and me early on that some methods worked better for one son or the other. And of course, appropriate parenting also depends on the personality of the parents.

edit: So, at the risk of stating the obvious, you shouldn't buy this if you don't plan to use time-outs, but it may offer some advantages if you do.

My parents used something like this. But instead of a pad it was a yard-stick. The thick ones. And instead of sitting on it, they used it to spank us when we were bad.

It was very effective.

verybadperson wrote:My parents used something like this. But instead of a pad it was a yard-stick. The thick ones. And instead of sitting on it, they used it to spank us when we were bad.

It was very effective.

I'm sure it was "effective" in the short term, but...? Experts may disagree on the effectiveness of time-outs, but they nearly all agree that abuse is harmful.

I'm not passing any judgment about a light cuff here and there, but there is no justification for torturing a child, even if most people thought there was only a few decades ago (they also condoned racism and sexism).

verybadperson wrote:My parents used something like this. But instead of a pad it was a yard-stick. The thick ones. And instead of sitting on it, they used it to spank us when we were bad.

It was very effective.

Yes, so are hangers, wooden brushes, shoes, slaps and bloody noses. Call me funny, I choose to go a different route than my mom. Give me a good time out area any time. There is a fine line between a spanking and a beating.

lovethatfusion wrote:I think this is a great idea! It's so helpful for small kids to have a visual of how long they have left, otherwise it just seems like eternity...

You apparently don't get the point of having a timeout.

Also 5 minutes max? So its good for 2-3 year olds only? Spankings are much more effective anyways. No pad needed for those, though the occasional wooden spoon is (for the Mrs.)

obviously most people here don't know what a spanking is, its not abuse. properly applied a spanking leaves no marks, (other than a red tushy for a little while) and stings for a short while. never spank in anger spank to discipline.

how long before the kid figures out he can replace his butt with a few heavy books?

wkrieger wrote:how long before the kid figures out he can replace his butt with a few heavy books?

And grows up to be Indiana Jones?

wkrieger wrote:how long before the kid figures out he can replace his butt with a few heavy books?

That's when you know that the kid is too old to be using the Time Out Pad!

These are a bad idea. "Time-out" is short for "Time-out from positive reinforcement" and this thing looks like it could be fun for some kids (i.e., positive reinforcement). The key is to make it booooorrrrrrrrrrrrrring, not some fun bs with lights, timer, sounds. Also, the release from time-out should be contingent upon the child's behavior, not some time limit. Too many adults use products like these for themselves - they use them to get the kids out of their hair and not for improving the child's behavior. That's a problem - from a psychological perspective.

[quote postid="3996714" user="NightGhost"]Can a really smart kid use a coin to reduce the length of his time-out?

If they're that smart, hopefully they were smart enough NOT to get caught and be time out in the first place ....

Can't a smart kid just place a heavy book in place of him or herself?

KRosey wrote:Does anyone else find it insanely hilarious that the item photo is of a ratty used one (frayed and worn edges). The scuffed part of the pad itself is worthy of a chuckle.

If my kids weren't too old for this (and by that I mean capable of finding a work around to the alarm) I would be all over it

If you you closely you'll see that it is actually so SHINY NEW that you see a reflection at the corners. It is VERY marked on the lower right and I would've used a shade for the picture or some "post-production" work to remove it. However, it is obviously "brand-spanking new". [Had to throw that in!]

I have foster kids, so I can't properly beat them into submission. Time-out is all we are allowed to do. So I bought 3.

Wish I'd seen these before they sold out - would have been great for the office - to emphasize the importance of following thru on those "short meetings"....

This thing seems so wrong, I feel like I should go apologize to my son for just looking at it.

wow.. is this n@zi germany? talk about disturbing... yikes

iGGz wrote:wow.. is this n@zi germany? talk about disturbing... yikes

Either you're denying what happened during the holocaust or you're putting a child sitting out for 2 minutes on par with the killing and torturing of millions of people. Either option is pretty sick and ignorant.

Just got mine in the mail.

It turns on and the red light flashes, but nothing happens when pressure is put on the pad. Is this happening to anyone else?

tamalw wrote:Just got mine in the mail.

It turns on and the red light flashes, but nothing happens when pressure is put on the pad. Is this happening to anyone else?

I just gone mine as well...same exact problem.

Also the yellow light doesn't work, but red and green do.

Not very happy with it...was hoping it would help my wife with the twins this summer... I only bought one, probably should have bought two.

I bought 3. One of them, the screws on the battery door were in too tight to get out without damaging the screws. I ended up pulling the door out and ducktaping it back on.

The other worked for a while, but now it is silent, the lights still work thought. We use that one for crowded places like airports.

The other works perfectly.
Sigh. bought 3 got one that works perfectly.

JewelsMax wrote:I bought 3. One of them, the screws on the battery door were in too tight to get out without damaging the screws. I ended up pulling the door out and ducktaping it back on.

The other worked for a while, but now it is silent, the lights still work thought. We use that one for crowded places like airports.

The other works perfectly.
Sigh. bought 3 got one that works perfectly.

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