Any parent can tell you that the word “No” was their child’s favorite at one time or another. This week’s guest post from Kecia shares four tips to counteract that trend!
My son is quickly falling into answering “No” for everything – whether it’s a task or something fun. I will ask if he wants his favorite food or drink, and even then he will respond with the negative word. My husband and I are learning how to deal with the new trend, and we have come up with some ideas that have been working for us.
1. Say “Yes” More Often
We didn’t realize it at first, but we say “no” to tell the kiddo not to do something more often than giving him permission. It’s really no wonder that he’s all for shouting “NO!” if he hears it a lot. So, to remedy this, we have been saying “yes” when we catch him doing something that is acceptable.
For example, “yes, you can play with your blocks” as he starts to unzip the bag or “yes, read the book” when he pulls one from his book bin.
2. Offer Options
Asking if your toddler wants “X” is bound to elicit a “No” in response. We have shifted from simply asking about one thing to offering the kiddo two choices. For lunch, we will ask if he wants a sandwich or burrito. At this point, I don’t think he fully grasps the idea of choices and decisions, but at least we get an answer besides “No”!
3. Make the Task Fun
If I ask the kiddo to pick up his toys, you can guess his usual response. However, if I get down in the floor, singing and acting crazy while I pick up a toy or two, he usually joins in. Making it fun causes him to forget his automatic response…and it makes for a clean play area!
4. Change Your Wording
I have noticed that we are more likely to get a positive response from the kiddo when we change how we say certain things. For instance, if we say “Do you want to take a bath?” he will spit out the common two letter word while shaking his hand. However, if we say, “It’s bath time!” and get the tub ready, he’s much more likely to come running.
These four ideas don’t work every single time, but it seems like they are making things easier as we go through the “NO” phase!
Kecia Hambrick is a work at home mom to a one year old son, wife of five years, blogger, product reviewer, and freelance writer. She owns SouthernGirlRamblings.com, where she babbles on about parenthood, getting healthy, saving money, and life in general.
I have found all of these to be really helpful in dealing with toddlers.
I think these are such wonderful ways to combat the “NO”s. I wish I had used them sooner as my son is now 4 1/2 but I am learning to offer choices and it does help a lot.