Glad you like the token idea! Really, ds & super-nanny deserve the real credit
.
We use a baby bottle, but if that has weird connotations for Eli (my kids have been off bottles for a long time) you could use anything!
For prizes, we have bubbles, chapstick, a picture of nail polish (so that I paint their toes) & a few McDonalds/ BK happy meal prizes. My son really set up the whole thing. He even has denoted many tokens each prize is worth.
We give tokens for manners (behaving at a wake we went to), cleaning up toys, sharing, etc. We try to "catch" them being good.
I only use it positively, but ds & super-nanny also took tokens away for bad behavior. DS (11) babysits sometimes (when I am in the shower, folding laundry, i.e. in another part of the house) and it helps him to discipline in a fun way. And he loves taking them to his prize table in the basement and picking out a prize.
Did I remember that you have "big" kids too? Maybe they could help "catch" Eli doing something good & reward tokens? Just another thought.
Anyhow, again, I have no real qualifications & know nothing about s.i.d., but this is working well for my cute but high energy toddlers
.
Peace,
amy