How to deal with 4.5 year old stealing?

[Amelya]

DD is 4.5. A couple of weeks aho nursery told us that they had found some (haloween) sweets in Cadence's bag that she had taken and hidden. When we got home we also found a couple of small toys from nursery.

We talked about it and I took away one of her toys for a couple of days, and she apologised to nursery the next day. I hoped that was it...

Then this morning I noticed that she had shiny lips so I asked her where she had got the lipstick from. After some persuading she went and got the lipstick which she had taken from someone at nursery (goodness knows who takes lipstick to nursery but there you go...). She also revealed that she had a plastic mobile phone belonging to one of her friends.

Looking back she ran upstairs with her bag as soon as we got in last night - which isn't usual - and she must have hidden the things away.

I spoke to her again and she wasn't allowed to watch TV this morning but she just doesn't seem that bothered. DH says she said sorry at nursery this morning but it was through giggles.

I'm not sure what to do next?

Anyone got any advice that's worked?

[Fawkes]

I'm a harsh Mummy and I would have taken EVERYTHING out of her room. I mean everything. I would have showed her what it is like to have all her stuff taken.

ETA I would leave the bed probably and make her realise that for 24 hours at least she has nothing.

Any more stealing would mean everything got taken away for longer.........

I know if I took my children's fluffy toys away there would be hell to pay.

What punishments normally work with her? Does she actually understand what's she's doing - that it not hers?

ETA: Does she understand about the police? Can you have a 'friendly' police officer give you some advice. When I was younger my friend took something from the local shop and my friend's parents arranged for the local bobby to come and 'arrest' her, scared her ****less and she never did it again.

[Roo]

Laura went through a bit of a cleptomaniac phase in her last few months at nursery too I made a BIG show of taking the items back and announcing LOUDLY to the staff what she'd done (whilst she stood next to me looking suitably sheepish) and handed the 'goods' back to the staff whilst she watched on. It happened a couple of times but after that she seemed to get the idea. I think they genuinely don't realise it's 'stealing'...her argument was 'I only borrowed it' but she certainly didn't like having to stand there whilst I effectively told everyone in the room what she'd done We did of course also talk sternly at home about how wrong it is to take other people's things, how would she feel if X took her Y etc.