Do We Say "No!" Too Much?
Photo by Veela
When toddlers hit a certain age, there are days when it seems like "no" is the only word that comes out of your mouth. "No, you can't eat the cat's food," "No, that will break," "No, you can't draw on the wall."
A couple things happen at that point. You get bogged down in all that negativity, the word starts to lose some of its power, and eventually your child starts repeating it right back to you.
Then you'll never get rid of it!
One mom in the Old Fashioned & Anti Mainstream Moms is looking for alternatives to the word "no" for her 1 year old.
"I tend to over-talk (Bobo, we don't touch the table cloth because all the stuff will fall down and Bobo will get hurt"). So we usually go with the less wordy "no" and redirection, but I'm looking for other words to get the point across."
Fellow moms say these terms work equally well with their toddlers:
Stop
Don't touch
Stay away
Uh-uh
Ouch
Be gentle
Not for ______ (child's name)
Hands off
Please don't
That's owie
- Yes 88%
- No, no, no, not at all 10%
- Other 1%
Voting on polls is not available on The Stir Mobile.
Do you stick with "no" or have you found alternative terms to indicate your toddler shouldn't be doing that? Is using "no" over and over damaging in any way?
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toriandgrace
I think the key is to add those extra words "No, you can't eat the cat food." As long as you are explaining the situation, I think it's fine. Now just NO! all the time could get old quickly.
JPsMommy605
No isn't always the best response, it's just the shortest and fastest. I try to use the right response, which tends to be Stop. However, the other thing I do is try to give a Yes for every No or Stop or other negative response. It is possible to overuse negative responses too much if positive alternatives aren't given to help the children learn to re-direct themselves. It's one of my most common responses - for every NO, give a YES on what your child CAN do. Don't keep the focus on what they CANNOT do - change your negative to a positive, then it won't be so burdensome for you OR your child.
Goggle
Saying no is a necessary evil to keep your child from harm and to also teach him/her how to behave. However, it's possble and fun to balance it with a lot of YES-es!
LadyKiki
I know I saw it a lot more than I use to. I usually try to use "No!" for when he is getting into something that could be dangerous. I baby proof the house but it's amazing what the little guy finds to get into. If I see him doing something that is not to dangerous, but he isn't suppose to be doing it, I give him a "Ethan Alexander...what are you doing?".
twotwinsmom
I am soo glad their are others like me out there!! I feel like all I do is tell my 18month old twins NO!!!!! all day long, but the kicker of it is, I don't think they even know what I'm talking about. They don't listen at all when I say it so, I usually have to pull them off or away from what ever it is they are on or into.Sometimes I'd like to be the one that cry's....
jagrus
Our baby is only 6 months and learning to crawl. He doe a lot of moving around on his belly and crawling backwards. He wil crawl under the table and the tv stand, so i am already using the word NO. Yes it is awful I am telling him No, But then he is also a hair puller. It is never early enough to tell tem no. If they hear the tone in your voice early then they will learn when they get big.
workathome01
Poledancemama
I do think that "no" can be over used. I have always explained things to my children, but sometimes no is the best option....I just try not to over use it.
kara_g.
fmchavez
It sure can be overused. I use Stop or Leave it alone, in place of no. Also, I always praise her for listening to me when I do say no.