Time Out Pad: Review

In my previous post, I provided some tips on dealing with problem behavior and mentioned time out as an option for major "no excuse" behaviors. Time out is a good option to help your child to calm down and also to think about what they did. However, after working with many parents with creating behavior plans at home, I know that it can sometimes be difficult to monitor time outs. How do you monitor how much time your child is in time out? Do you reset the time if he leaves time out too early? What do I do if he leaves early? How will she know that the time out session is over?

The Time Out Pad, made by Keen Distribution, is a product that may help you to be consistent with using the time out option as part of your home behavior plan.

The Time Out Pad is a mat that can be placed on any flat surface such as the floor or a chair. I have seen other time out products before, but this one is different as it is a simple to use pressure pad that has a built in timer and an alarm to alert you if your child leaves time out too early. The timer will then pause until your child sits back down on the pad. When the full time has elapsed, a tune will play to signal that the time out session is over.

Another feature that makes the Time Out Pad stand out is that it is portable. A child does not always have problem behaviors only at home, right? The pad is slim and small enough that it can fit in your bag and go with you to grandma's house or the play group. Remember the consistency tip in my previous post!

Another great feature of the Time Out Pad is the simple to understand light system to indicate to your child what stage they are in during time out. Children have difficulty with the concept of time and having this light system will help them understand that the time out system has a beginning and an end and will not last forever.

How do you use the Time Out Pad?

For a successful Time Out, follow these five steps:

1. Provide a first warning. This warning will alert your child that their behavior is not okay and will give them an opportunity to stop the behavior.

2. If the problem behavior continues, give a final warning. Remind your child to stop the behavior or the consequence will be time spent on the Time Out Pad.

3. If your child continues with the problem behavior, follow through with your warning and have your child sit on the Time Out Pad. Tell your child how long he will be in time out (generally it is recommended that the duration of time out is one minute per your child's age--if your child is four, then the session should be four minutes).

4. When the Time Out Pad plays the tune indicating that the time out session is over, return to your child and ask or an apology.

5. Once your child finishes apologizing, accept the apology with a hug and move on. You may want to return to the activity that your child so that your child has the opportunity to demonstrate the desired behavior (and it will give you an opportunity to reinforce this behavior!

The Time Out Pad comes with a Positive Parenting guide that outline these steps in further detail (including a sample script to say if you need some suggestions). There is also an included pocket chart that outlines these five steps so that you can keep it in your bag when you are on the go.

Overall, this product is a great resource for parents in developing a positive behavior plan for the home. It's use, alongside the tips in the Positive Parenting guide and in my previous post will help to create a much calmer household.

Suggested ages: 2 to 5 years

Buy it! You can buy a Time Out Pad online at Keen Distribution or you can search for a location using their retailer search.