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Time Out Pad™

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How often should I use a time-out?

A. That depends on your children and your family situation. It is important to remember that time-outs are generally a last resort for helping correct inappropriate behavior. Please consider the other positive parenting suggestions available in the Parenting Tips section, and don’t forget to use the ‘5 steps to successful time-outs’. If all goes well, time-outs should, over time, correct inappropriate behavior.

Q. When is a time-out not appropriate?

A. Childcare experts agree that time-outs should not be used for punishing children for having ‘big feelings’ such as extreme distress, pain, fear, or rage. These types of major emotional issues will probably be better handled using parental support, hugs, and talking through issues, rather than pushing the child away onto a time-out. Time-outs work best when the child is misbehaving and they know they are misbehaving. When they overstep the boundaries and refuse to behave, even after the two warnings, then the time-out is the best course of action.

Q. How long should a time-out last?

A. Most experts recommend one minute for every year of the child’s life (3 minutes for a three year old, 4 minutes for a four year old, etc). The Time Out Pad™ runs from between one to five minutes, which covers children up to the age of five or six years old. We don’t recommend using the Time Out Pad™ for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Q. On what age can time-outs be used?

A. Generally, children over the age of six have outgrown the time-out technique. Older children do of course get sent to their bedrooms, but the Time Out Pad™ is designed for 2 – 5 year olds – the ‘terrible toddlers’ who are learning where the boundaries are and what behavior is acceptable and not acceptable.

Q. Can my child change the time setting once the countdown has started?

A. No, once the countdown is in progress the timer will run for the chosen number of minutes. A child would need a coin to change the time setting, so it is recommended that you keep coins away from the child during their time-out.

Q. What happens if my child sits staring at the traffic lights?

A. No problem. The Time Out Pad™ has been carefully designed to be functional, but not too fun and certainly not like a toy. However, if the child is fascinated by the lights, then anything that helps to distract them from the bad behavior that helped land them on the Time Out Pad™, is a good thing. As they get used to the Time Out Pad™, the novelty of the lights will wear off, it will get boring, which is also a good thing! As long you follow the ‘5 steps to successful time-outs’, then the child will know why they are on the Time Out Pad™, whether they are looking the lights or not.

Q. What happens if my child gets off the Time Out Pad™ during the countdown?

A. If the child gets off the pad, the pressure sensitive electronics inside the pad will know the child is not on the pad, triggering an alarm to sound and the red light to flash. At this point, the countdown is paused until the child sits back down again. If your child repeatedly gets off the Time Out Pad™ and runs away, it may be wise to re-set the countdown and start again. Tell them in a firm voice that they will not be able to go back to what they were doing until they have had their time-out.

Q. Is my Time Out Pad™ waterproof?

A. No – it will stop functioning if the electronics get wet. However the pad can be wiped clean, so if your child has just covered himself in chocolate after being asked twice not to, the chocolate will wipe off the pad.

Q. I like the tune that is played at the end of the time-out – does it have any words to go with it?

A. Of course! The words go like this: “Now that your time-out is over and finished. Time to say sorry and go back to play!”