This book describes quite a useful system for thinking about discipline for children. I’ve read a few different books on discipline for toddlers and up; this is the one which seems the most productive. I know there is some debate about the relative value and harm of “time-outs”, and I can see the logic behind their critiques. I think in practice it comes down to a question of quantity and degree - rare timeouts are probably fine, and luckily this system seems to keep such punishments down to a minimum. And like many other books, it provides some sensible recommendations for reasonable and enjoyable routines that help keep punishments rare in the first place. I do think there’s a bit more emphasis on incentives and rewards than I really like. I’d hope that intrinsic rewards are sufficient, but I know realistically they often aren’t; still, I would have liked to see a little more discussion on that topic.

While I think this disciplinary system is pretty good, I suspect that it’s probably better suited to slightly older kids, perhaps 5-12 or so. Indeed, all of the “what-if” sections, which address questions such as “what if I need to discipline my kid in the middle of a busy supermarket?”, seem to tacitly assume that age range. So I’d certainly recommend the books to parents of toddlers, I think of it as a disciplinary system for toddlers to grow into over time.