time out mat

We have finally reached the need for Time Out. Sadie has started becoming deliberately naughty. She still doesn’t understand the concept of time out, which makes it HARD…but I thought having a specific place set aside would perhaps make it clearer. (pipe dream?)

Anyways, this is how I made a quick, easy and cheap time out mat.

You’ll need:

fabric paint
fabric place mat (less than $2 at wally world)
freezer paper
sponge brush (not shown)

First I found the font and size I wanted for my letters on the computer…then traced them onto the flat side of the freezer paper. (shown below…) Then iron your freezer paper, shiny side down, to your place mat.

fill in with fabric paint (I did 2 1/2 coats…the 1/2 was mostly dabbing where it was needed)

see my other freezer paper stencil tutorial for more tips.


Peel off freezer paper, let it dry completely, place somewhere in your house, and then let the punishing begin! (kidding) The cool thing is, you can take it with you (easily rolled up), room to room, or to Grandma’s house….grocery store…park…whatever. ๐Ÿ˜‰

But really…I wanted to ask for time out advice. Specifically for 18 month children…if you have one, or have had one…let me know what worked for you! (puh lease!?)

happy time outs! (er…)

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I’d love if you’d add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

Comments

  1. What a great idea! Wish I had one or two of these about thirteen years ago ๐Ÿ˜€

    I found the key to discipline is follow through… if you tell her ‘if you do this, you will go to time out’, then it’s up to you to follow through if she does what she’s not supposed to. It worked for me, hope it helps you too!!

    Michelle

  2. I agree about the “follow through.” Our little guy sat in time out for 1 min @ 1 year, 2 min @ 2 years, etc. and we always set a timer to keep it consistent. It works pretty well for us – time out definitely removes the little one from the situation and the naughtiness at hand!

  3. We use the bottom stairs as his time out spot. When he was 18 months and we were just starting the land of time outs, he had to stay there until he had calmed himself down. He knew he had to sit quietly – no screaming or crying. I would have to stay right by him so he wouldn’t run off. Now, he’s 27 months and I can go upstairs and he’ll stay until I tell him he can get up. (We do the minute per age thing too.)
    I also believe in public time outs (which mortifies my husband). My son has had his 2 minute sit downs in Target, Wendy’s, friends’ houses . . . I just plop him against a wall (or by stairs if the other house has those), squat down and tell him this is his time out spot. I would rather have him sit on the ground for 2 minutes than let him act out because we’re in public.

  4. Cute Idea! Now if i only have someone to put on Time out! ๐Ÿ™‚ Watch out Jarom!! hee hee just kidding!!

  5. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  6. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  7. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  8. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  9. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  10. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  11. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  12. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  13. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  14. Oooo I am in the same boat as you are and sooo in need of this. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get a placemat!!! Hopefully the dollar stores in town have some (closest Wally World or like store is 45 min away!)!!!!!!!

    Thanks!!! Good luck!

  15. Ha, ha! That’s strikingly reminiscent of “Keep Calm & Carry On”… maybe one of those for Mommy, right? (I’m a firm believer in putting myself in time out from time to time, too.) For us… Lizzy has never been good at keeping herself in time out. Around 18 months, there was a particular corner of our house that we’d go to where I’d hold her on my lap without talking or interacting with her (after explaining that she was in time out for such-and-such, and we don’t do such-and-such) until time-out was over. Now she has her time-outs in the pack & play. For a while we just sent her to her room, but she thought it was hilarious, which did not have the desired effect. I know it’s awful, but I have to see evidence of sincere repentance!! Anyway — enough of my novel —

  16. This is so cute! I don’t have kids, but I have worked in day care and I have nannied. One girl I nannied had a monkey towel as her time out mat. If she was acting like a monkey she had to sit there. I rolled it up and took it with us some places such as the pool, play dates, etc.
    I agree with the others about the follow through otherwise they get worse as twos, threes and teenagers!

  17. I love this idea! Currently our “time out” spot is on the stairs — behind the baby gate! It seems to do the job most of the time. If not, they get sent to their room — which doesn’t seem like punishment to ME, but they weep and wail, and hate it! :o)

    ….I guess you never did get my mailing address? I think I sent a total of 4 emails! :o( Craziness!

  18. so cute, tabitha could use a time out about 3 times a day, too bad she has no clue what that is.

  19. Care-Nope I never got any emails! they must go to my spam folder…yikes! Sorry about that. Try sending it again and I will put your email address in my address folder. Thanks!

  20. Oooo, I feel ya sister. Samster is 19 mths old and is starting to deliberately disobey me. I even get the devious smirk before she does it, time out however she just doesn’t get. The pediatrician said we can try but really she’s too young. Right now the best thing to do is to remove her from the situation. She can get the concept of if she keeps acting up that the object (or sometimes her) gets taken away. Not ideal in every situation but it’s what we’re working with so far. I think we have a bit to go before she’ll get time out, right now it’s just too frustrating for all involved.

    Good luck!

  21. Consistency!! I agree with the follow-thru as well. My daughter is 19 months, and we started time outs around 11 months, and around 12 we designated a spot. She isn’t in it often, but she knows exactly where it is and what it is. I follow the SuperNanny philosophy to time out, which is one warning, set in timeout and tell them why in a language they understand, one minute per age, go back and tell them why again and then give hugs and kisses. If they get up after that first time of putting them down, keep setting them back there without saying a word.

    This has been very effective for my little tot. It’s not easy to get in the swing of it, but it is worth it. Good luck!

  22. I AM TOTALLY USING THIS IDEA!!!!!! Well, not at this moment, but when he is getting naughty, I TOTALLY WANT TO DO THAT!

  23. love this, have to make one. I don’t even have a designated time out spot (I use time outs really spuradially) I suck at spelling, anyway. I’ve been giving my 18 month old time outs here and there and she does AMAZINGLY well with it. Never did any at this age with my oldest, but she probably should have!

  24. ditto to all the comments, consistency! She understands more than you think. Cute idea, we don’t have convenient corners or stairs in our home. A mat would be perfect

  25. love the idea! Hope it works.

  26. Zoe is 21 months as we started time outs about 6 weeks ago, as she was being deliberatley naughty. I would agree with the other posters about follow through. We use the counting method. first, we tell her to stop. and say,” Zoe, that’s one.” She continues, we say,” Zoe that’s two.” Usually, once we get to 2 she stops. If she continues after that, we say, “Zoe that’s three, you’re not listening, we need to go to time out.” Generally, she’ll stop at that point, but like other posters said, follow through. At that point I take her hand and march her into the kitchen corner (our time out spot) and set the timer for 1 minute. I stand near her and fold my arms and look straight. she cries and whines and sometimes tries to get out, but I always sit her back down if she stands up. Once the timer beeps, I explain why she was in time out, and ask for an apology. I get an apology and a hug, we say I love you and go back to playing.
    sorry that was a book, any more ? you can e-mail me. Good luck!

  27. How. Cute.
    what a fun idea!

  28. We used corners for our time outs. I remember one that was particularly delicious to you! Jarom teased you and he got put in time out in the corner and you skipped along behind in joy that he was in the corner! We have video tape to prove it! Corners were everywhere but a bit tricky with twins as they would “look” at each other and keep the annoyance level high so we had to put them in separate corners in separate ROOMS! Aaaaagggghhhh! There was about six months there where I was lucky to take the sacrament before either one or both were naughty and in the corner of a classroom! Time out works though, Josh even got to the point where he would put himself in the corner when upset and then come out and say “All done!” LOL!

  29. I don’t have children yet but I am a nanny and I have a two year old nephew.

    My nephew has been having time out for a good while and does very well at it. He has a spot in each house he spends any time in, usually a empty spot on the wall or a chair, with nothing nearby to play with. What was really funny when he was 19mths or so he would not want to do something so he would put himself in time out. For instance, we might say it was time to change his diaper and he would loudly announce “No, Alex time out!” and plopp down on the floor. Trying not to laugh was the hardest part!

    Now, he sometimes refuses to come out because he won’t say he’s sorry if he doesn’t mean it. After we go back to talk to him about it and he will say he can’t leave time out and “Alex not sorry.”

    But as everyone has said it is all about follow through and getting down to their level to talk about it. The child needs to understand why he/she is in time out or it won’t have the desired effect. And also, not running back when they are screaming and having a fit because they will still love you a few minutes later!

  30. Time outs all are about enforcing them and following through. I love your mat idea and at first i was about to jump all over making it for my girls. BUT, I realized that we stumbled upon a “trick” that might help you with all this time out stuff.

    When we started time out, we didnt have a specific chair/mat/place/etc. We simply stuck kiddo next to a door in the room we were in and she had to seperate herself from the family or activity. After doing this for 2+ years, time out can go wherever we go- hotels, grocery store, babystters, etc. We dont have to take the chair or mat along. She realizes thatjust sitting there without participating is enough of a punishment. We can even just say go to time out, and if we are in the bedrooms, she goes to the hallway, if we are in the kitchen she heads for the closet door, etc. She also has done really well with staying there until we tell her to get up- no sneaking out for her….. now her little sister is a different story! haahaa!

    Good luck with that!

  31. Time outs all are about enforcing them and following through. I love your mat idea and at first i was about to jump all over making it for my girls. BUT, I realized that we stumbled upon a “trick” that might help you with all this time out stuff.

    When we started time out, we didnt have a specific chair/mat/place/etc. We simply stuck kiddo next to a door in the room we were in and she had to seperate herself from the family or activity. After doing this for 2+ years, time out can go wherever we go- hotels, grocery store, babystters, etc. We dont have to take the chair or mat along. She realizes thatjust sitting there without participating is enough of a punishment. We can even just say go to time out, and if we are in the bedrooms, she goes to the hallway, if we are in the kitchen she heads for the closet door, etc. She also has done really well with staying there until we tell her to get up- no sneaking out for her….. now her little sister is a different story! haahaa!

    Good luck with that!

  32. Genius! WHY didn’t I think of this? He knows where the spot IS, but this would be nice for clarification and I bet all I’d have to do is get out the mat to adjust attitude. LOL Thanks!

Leave a Reply to A. Cancel reply

*