[Gennie]

The problem lies in the fact that NONE of us are children, babies, or infants any more. We all ARE adults, over 18 years of age, or we would not be in this forum. Hopefully, not involved in any of this at all, although I know that's not the case.
As an adult, we have grown to expect, enjoy or even look forward to certain types of actions, many of which may be of a physically intimate nature. Physical punishment may, and I emphasize the 'may' part of this, be a turn on or physically intimate stimulant to some people.
For others, like myself, my little age is between 9 and 15 months old, and you just don't punish a child that young. If she or he, at that true age, starts to do something bad, you pick them up, and tell them that isn't allowed. You may have to do that multiple times since the cognition level of the child isn't want it is for an adult. But, as an adult being in littlespace for that age, if they do something wrong, Mommy/Daddy/CG can inform them it's wrong, or something not to do. Depending on the person, they may or may not respond to it, depending on their level of regression at the time.
An 'older child', 2 to 3 years old, may want to combine 'brattiness' with some physically intimate stimulant of a spanking (again, speaking of an adult who is regressed to a 2-3 year old level), and is looking for some sort of punishment or physical discipline.

All of this makes it much more difficult to determine the hows and whys of punishment as a caregiver for a person who wants to be regressed or little again. It must be worked out on a person by person case, and even then, often times, the individual may not know the answer. It takes a caregiver to help them determine their answer.

Gennie

[Gennie]

I want to add something else to this discussion that I don't see having been brought up, and that's the difference between 'Discipline' and 'Punishment.'

ALL children crave discipline. Discipline is nothing more than 'correct thinking.' It is simply stated, following a set of rules. A 'Disciple' is one who is disciplined in a particular 'discipline.' Sounds silly, but it isn't. When Mommy and Daddy give baby or their child rules, they are setting out the 'discipline' for the child to follow. This applies to real life Parent/Child relationship, and also to Big/little relationships, or D/s relationships. There are rules to follow.

So, what happens when the rules aren't followed.
First, the rule maker needs to call the infraction to the disciple's attention. "Hey, you aren't supposed to be doing that!" Did the disciple KNOW they weren't supposed to be doing that? Was it spelled out or directly given to the disciple? 'No running in the house with knives' or 'No tossing dirty diapers at Mommy!' If the disciple is unaware of the rule, how can you 'discipline' them? All you can do is educate them.
Wide ranging rules like 'Be a good girl' may or may not cover the ground, depends on the disciple.

Okay, so lets say our babygirl did something that she knew was against the rules. Mommy has either seen the infraction, or the results of the infraction.

The first thing Mommy does is, if the action is in process, she stops it. Baby is throwing her food all over Mommy, so Mommy reaches out and takes baby's hands and holds them away from the food. She then tells baby 'Honey, you aren't supposed to throw food at Mommy. You know that, I've told you before.'
If Baby stops throwing food, or says she won't (I'm thinking an adult here in little space) anymore, then the discipling is completed, and no further action is required. On the other hand, if Baby continues to threw food, Mommy may need a 'reminder' for Baby, the 'rod of correction.' The rod of correction is nothing more than an 'attention getter.' A wooden kitchen spoon works well for younger children/littles. A gentle, but firm swat on the back of the hand to get the attention of the child is all that is required. We don't want to HURT the child, since that will build up resentment towards the parent/CG. Once you have the child/little's attention, you can again repeat the doctrine, which is 'We do not throw food at people.'
Sometimes, the child/little will be having fun, and it takes a stern voice to get the point across that the child/little has crossed the line and is now being disciplined. The understanding of that, both on the part of the child/little and that the parent/CG, that everyone knows that the Child/Little is in full comprehension is critical.
Once a Child/Little is disciplined, it should be complete.

Having said that, repeated violations of the doctrine may result in the need for punishment. Punishment is used to correct repeated failings of the Child/Little to adhere to the doctrine given to them. Punishment can take on a wide range of actions. From my own personal experience with a heavy-handed real-life father, physical punishment is the last thing on my list, i.e., corporal punishment.
However, depending on the age of the Child/Little, the punishment may vary; anything from being put to bed early, having favorite toys taken away, having privileges taken away, corner time or any number of other actions against the Child/Little. The thing is, though, and this is very important in any relationship, either a real-life Parent and Child or a Big/Little, is that Punishment comes LAST. You Discipline first, and if the discipline and doctrine does not work, then, and only then, do you punish.

Gennie

[Theheartofdragonwing]

It all depends on the little some react to corporal punishment others react to verbal or loss of privileges etc some punishments aren't really punishments to some littles (once had a little were spanking wasn't a punishment for her really she liked being naughty to get a spanking)

[Forever]

I don't want ANY punishments! I don't understand why anyone would want to be punished... I feel like I'm never wrong and if I am, it's not on purpose so I just want someone to patiently explain things to me and reward me
for being a good listener

[littlepipp]

Same here, I don't really want punishment, I've never seen 'pain' (even very light) as something negative. I think it really depends on each little and each person. It's always been different for me but I know that for some it's something they crave because they want/need it. I prefer correction/being told in a calm way that something is not good or I can't do something. I am okay with a firm tone, as long as it isn't angry. I know this is a very different way of thinking from other littles, but it's something I've discovered and I think it should be told to other littles that this is also okay! (:

[Peter99]

As both a brat and a little, I find punishment very important in my relationship. I'm the type of little who is good and obedient for most of the time, but I will get bratty and push my Daddy's limits just to see what he'll do. I love being talked sternly to I don't know why,but it makes me feel loved and let's me know my Daddy isn't a pushover and he'll put me in line when its needed. Some littles are fine with just talking it out but some of us need to be disciplined and some of us like it as well. It all depend on the little so it's important to talk it out with your little and see how they feel about punishment.

[Bunnochist]

-Gets his Dom pants on for a moment- It depends on the little really and what they are looking for in a dynamic. That being said however, if you prefer talks but you find yourself giving a talk for the same thing over and over, you might need to look into a light punishment, like writing lines, timeouts, or a favorite toy for a short time. Whether it's talking or a timeout, it IS important for there to be some kind of consequence for blatant rulebreaking and bad behavior and it is important to stick to it. You can't say you'll talk about something and then when something happens, just brush it off and not address it. That's how you get the not so good kind of brat.

Gennie also said it best, make sure the little knows what is against the rules and what isn't first and foremost.

[littlemary]

Depends on the little but I will say that honestly the idea of being punished is worse than the actual punishment for me. I don't want to do something wrong and it makes me feel bad when I do and tends to get me down. I don't mind like light punishment I guess but I'd rather go ahead and get it over with so I don't get too depressed about it