Is it okay to spank a one year old?

I actually wrote a paper and did an entire presentation on this topic for both my highschool senior law class and psychology class. I was spanked as a child, and never thought much of it - until I began researching this.

First of all, in Canada it is illegal to spank a child under the age of two. I'm not sure about U.S. legislation, but I would bet that it would be fairly similar. This is simply for the reason that children under two cannot understand the implications of a spanking - to them, it is just physical pain, and no lesson is really learned.

Smacking a child's hands has proven to also be a very dangerous practice. I read a study of children in a daycare-type setting. Half of them had their hands slapped when they reached to touch something. The others were just verbally warned not to touch it again. Eventually, the children whose hands were slapped stopped interacting in a group setting, became very withdrawn, and seemed uninterested by playing with other children and/or toys. When a child is a toddler, their only means of exploring is by using their hands. Slapping their hands stunts their natural desire to explore, and can lead to learning disabilities or developmental ireegularities as a child ages.

As someone previously stated, displaying physical punishments towards a child only succeeds in proving to them that violence is the key to getting what you want. This is a very dangerous idea for a young child to foster as they grow older, especially when they must learn to share and interect with other children in a daycare- or school-type setting.

Spanking also damages the ever-important parent-child bond. It damages a child's self-esteem and proves that their "self" can be violated by someone who is bigger and more physically able than them. Often, children may be confused about the meaning of a spanking, or may be so caught up in the "unfairness" of it all that they gain very little from the spanking itself. Communication lines are never opened between the parent and child. How can a young child unconditionally love someone who harms them for reasons that they are not old enough to understand? I once read a statistic that in a mind of a five-year-old child, one memory of being spanked stands out amongst the memories of 100 hugs.

Children who are spanked growing up are more likely to exhibit aggressive, anti-social and even criminal behaviour in adulthood. A study done by the American Psychological Assocation (Elizabeth Gersham), found that children who are spanked are more likely to abuse their own children or spouses in adulthood. Violence in the home is a dangerous precedent to set, as spanking can easily become a "gateway" to abuse. When one spanking stops working, a parent may resort to two, then three, then hair-pulling or hitting their child with an object or kicking/punching/etc. ... the list goes on and on. Spanking is often a manifestation of a parent's frustration and a last resort. Parents should take the time whenever possible to use verbal communication instead of resorting to spankings.

Studies have also proven that spanking does NOT work as a means of disciplining children. It does not permanently alter a child's behaviour - It only succeeds in earning immediate compliance. When the "spanker" is not around, the child will likely display the same deviant behaviour.

As you can probably tell, I could go on FOREVER with reasons to NOT spank your children. I was shocked and appalled by some of the research that I found online - stories of children whose hands had to be amputated because their parents crushed their tiny bones. I feel very strongly about this issue. Feel free to contact me if you need more info - there's plenty where that came from.

I don't recommend it because that's too young to really know what he/she has done wrong. At that age yes and no can be complicated. I think a firm NO! and then move them to something they can get in to or play with. Then more kisses and hugs when they are behaving really well because soon they'll be running off and you will have to tackle them down to get those smooches in. It takes a lot of patience and persistence but your better off if you hold out on that and use it only for serious things... like trying to stick pennies the electrical outlet.

I didn't spank my son until he was around three and only if he did something that was dangerous.

Telling someone else could be tricky. No one likes to be told how to raise their children.

Maybe next time you have the opportunity to step in maybe while the mom is not paying attention to the baby on the floor and the baby is doing something it shouldn't be doing you can perform that for her. She might like the way it worked and do it also.

Remove the babies hands from whatever it was getting in but hold them firmly and try to make eye contact when you say "No" and sound a little curt. Babies can pick up on feelings pretty well. Good Luck!

I have a 14 month old- and we do not spank him. Not because we don't believe in discipline- but because he is not old enough to know what 'spanking' is and why he is getting spanked. I do slap the hands though-not hard, just a tap- but only when he is into something that he shouldn't be into and 'no' isn't working. I believe children should be disciplined. The lack of that (because parents are afraid to spank their kids because they think they'll get sent to jail) is the reason why most teenagers these days have no respect for their parents and elders. So I say- yes discipline... 1 year old, wait awhile for the spanking.

If you take the time to teach them right from wrong, you shouldn't have to worry about discipline at all. My son is almost 14 months old and already knows 'yes ma'am' 'yes sir' 'please' and 'thank you'. He has many words in his vocab. but still doesn't know the word 'no'. We don't have to say it too often.

At the age of one year old, children are not able to make the connection of spanking to stopping the behavior that you are trying to correct. Spanking them will only upset them because they are being hurt and don't understand why. Even slapping their hand doesn't get them to understand not to do whatever it is that you want them to not do. You are better off removing them from whatever they are doing and redirecting their behavior.

I think a light tap on the hand with an affirmitive no will do the trick. They may get their feelings hurt, but they have to know that their are boundaries and rules. I have a cousin who only spanks after speaking to her kids 100 times and then when they cry picks them up, consoles them, gives them food and acts like everythings ok- not good!!The younger you start, the better off you will be.

I only believe spanking or smacking a hand works with really little kids IF the child is putting themselves in danger. Use it when they run in the road, play with the stove etc. I have smacked a hand for the tv, stereo, dvr, computer etc and told them NO in a loud voice. These items are very expensive and a small child could get hurt. ( my 18month old pulled a TV down off a table and ended up in ER fortunately he was ok).

I cant think of anything a one year could do that deserves a spanking. Maybe a pat on the hand but not a spanking.

When my boys were 1, we would give them a light tap on the hand if just telling them NO didn't work. It also depends how many months the child is. 13? Or 23?? A child that is almost 2 can comprehend better than one that is 13 months.

Spanking or smacking hands teaches the child that physical power is an acceptable way to impose your will on others. That will translate to it being okay to push around or hit, bite, pinch, etc. anybody smaller than himself, from littler kids to pets.

Not a lesson you want a kid to learn.

If you feel that is the way your child should be dealt with then you do so. Once they start getting into things and something not so hard to leave a mark but something to get their attention to say that means NO then I think it is fine. Some children are mentally older than others. These people on here are not a bunch of psychologists so you should trust your own motherly instincts on what is right or wrong.