Two-thirds of parents do not agree with a legal ban on slapping, according to a survey conducted by the Irish parenting website www.RollerCoaster.ie
Many of the 700 parents who took part in the survey said they did not agree with slapping but believed that discipline was the parents' decision so slapping should not be banned.
Almost 90 per cent of parents said they believed that slapping did not work long-term as a form of discipline.
More than half of those surveyed said they never slapped their children.
When given a list of "positive approaches to discipline", 46 per cent of parents said they used the approach of trying to talk and reason with their child. Some 22 per cent used the "time-out" approach, popularised by parenting programmes, while 19 per cent ignored bad behaviour.
When given a list of "punitive approaches to discipline", almost 40 per cent said they shouted at their children, while 38 per cent said they threatened their children with "dire" consequences. Just 1 per cent admitted to using slapping as a discipline tool.
However, 45 per cent admitted to slapping their children "sometimes".
This most commonly happened when parents had tried other options to no avail or when parents were feeling tired or stressed.
The survey also found that almost one in five parents were not happy with how they disciplined their children.
Some 60 per cent said the issue of discipline caused strife with their partner.
Anne O'Connor, a child clinical psychologist and founder of www.RollerCoaster.ie, said the survey highlighted the confusion about discipline methods.
"Although many parents still use slapping as a form of discipline, they are on the whole unhappy about it and wish to learn about alternative methods."
