Parents are being urged to add giving up smacking their children to the list of New Year's resolutions.

Save the Children has published a free guide "to support parents making the break from smacking" - which is also available online.

It fears Christmas could be a prime time for smacking and "We Can Work it Out: Parenting With Confidence" offers alternative ways of managing children's behaviour.

The charity says that the key to sound behaviour is good communication between parent and child.

It says that children need firm and consistent guidelines on how to express themselves, but that smacking should never be an option. And it says that parents also feel better if they do not hit their children.

Kate Harper, a development officer with Save the Children, said: "Smack-free parenting not only provides a healthier environment for a child's development, it also stops parents feeling anxious or guilty when they've smacked a child.

"To be smacked is confusing enough for a child but when this is closely followed by a parental cuddle, as is often the case, the whole situation becomes even more difficult for children to understand.

"There are other non-violent ways of dealing with children's behaviour. Parents should be supported in learning about these methods."

A report by the organisation Children are Unbeatable, last January, found that out of 76 children, 19 said they had been smacked on the head, face or cheek.

Save the Children says that children should be listened to, and their good behaviour acknowledged and encouraged.

It also advocates parents stepping into their children's shoes from time to time, and to think about whether requests are clear enough, and the consequences of them are adequately explained.

The charity says that bad behaviour should not be given a lot of attention, and that children should never be ridiculed, compared with others, threatened or shouted at. Bribes should not be relied on, it advises.

It says if all else fails, and a parent has raised his or her hand to smack, the following actions can be taken:

divert it to hit a table or your own knee

place your child in a safe place and leave him or her for a few minutes while you calm down

clap your hands instead of smacking - it's a better way to get attention


Ms Harper said: "We know that Christmas time is great fun, exciting for children and busy for parents. However, this can lead to cross words and fraying tempers if pressures build up.

"Christmas is probably the time of year when children are smacked more than at any other time of year. As we move into the new millennium, let's treat children as we would want to be treated ourselves, and give up smacking."