My 2 1/2 yr old tells me "no" to everything-what do I do?? He even tells me no when I tell him not say no!!

Answer 1

This may sound mean but it works...slap him upside the head...take things away, like his toys ,for example....if you tell him to put his toys away and he doesn't listen then take his favorite toy away...wait that might not work...hmmm yeah just smack him in the head...spank him...those kinds of things....don't leave marks and when he crys you can give in, you've go to be mom and step things up.

Answer 2

You have undoubltedly reached the so called Terrible Twos stage. Negativism can be quite frightening to parents, so it is helpful to remember that it is merely a normal and natural phase in the infant's development. However, that does not mean the undesirable behavior should be tolerated or ignored. On the contrary, it is crucial for both parents to make it known that the child is still cherished, but they are in charge. Doing this without crushing the infant’s spirit may seem difficult, but it can be done.

The primary problem facing most parents is "battle fatigue." The day-in/day-out deluge of disobedience and obstinancy begins to wear them down, and they find themselves simply too tired to continually "take a stand." Consequently, they start to relax their restrictions, relay too much on verbal warnings and recriminations, and fail to follow up on whatever temporary victories they may achieve. The result is that the infant learns it won't be easy all the time, but if he pushes hard enough and long enough, he will eventually have his way.

The solution involves both eliminating as many confrontations as possible, then dealing in a determined manner with those that can't be avoided. The first part requires a lot more mental alertness than in prior phases. In the course of daily routines such as feeding, bathing, dressing, etc., there will be numerous times when parents will count upon the cooperation of the child, and without careful planning, they are likely to be disappointed on a regular basis.

The trick is to offer choices instead of delivering direct instructions or making requests whenever the opportunities arises. For example, rather than asking "Do you want to put on your shirt?" or stating "Please put on your shirt," one might say "Do you want to put your shirt or your pants on first?" This gives the infant a chance to exercise the personal power without having to oppose the will of parents.

In those inevitable instances where a request has been made and the child does not comply, a restriction has been violated, or a warning has gone unheeded, too many parents make the mistake of assuming that they can talk their way out of it. Although the infant's ability to understand words is advancing, their memory is expanding, and the capacity for rational thought is emerging, he is still basically "unreasonable" and largely tied to the "here and now." Therefore, pointing out that "If you keep swinging on the drapes, you'll tear the material and it will cost us a lot of money to replace them" or threatening "If you don't stop swinging on the drapes, we won't take you to Nana's house next week" will have very little meaning and almost no effect at all.

It may be comforting to know that no parent makes it through negativism without a lot of hard work and a fair amount of heartache. Setting limits consistenly requires parents to be extremely conscientious, and enforcing restrictions rigourously requires them to be extraordinarily patient. In fact, it is rare that the infant doesn't "win" at least every once in a while. However, to the extent that these procedures are employed pesistently, the child will learn that he is a respected person with a special place in the family structure - but is not the boss.

Answer 3

Children say what they hear the most... and don't worry all kids go through this stage. Whenever my daughter now three, told me no, I sternly told her that it was not okay to tell Mommy no. She finally go the idea after a few times of me having to remind her. It's nothing to worry about. FYI it takes about 100 times for a child to learn something, goodluck!!

Answer 4

its okay most kids at this age learn even their first word as NO...because they hear their parents always saying no dont do this, no dont do that....but u can punish lightly if you tell him not to say it and he says it then you have to punish...the most important thing at this age is to show him that when mom says no its a NO!! you can take away a toy or not talk to him, best thing is to ignore for a little bit when the kid is in need of something....just tell him a NO because he always says no, then he will learn that its not a game anymore...its very important to get your kid under control at this age but also have fun but when serious time comes, its important to be serious.....or later you will have no control when he is older etc. well good luck.....!!!!

Answer 5

Show him your the boss and put him in a time out for mouthing off, and make him stay and fullfill the time out, and if he mouths or tries to walk away of make him stay a little longer. show him you won't take his crap all the time, I know it might be tough to do this to your kid but he needs some discipline otherwise he could become much worse and if you wait too long he'll be too old for you to stop anymore. You need to teach if respect, it will get him far!

Answer 6

Terrible Twos

To help you cope with this normal stage in your child's development, you should always remember that your child isn't trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose. He is just trying to express his growing independence and doesn't have the language skills to easily express his needs.

By learning more about this normal stage in your child's development, it can make it easier to get through it and make sure that you aren't contributing to more battles than are necessary.

Other tips for helping your toddler during the terrible twos include:


having a regular routine for meals, naps, bedtime, etc. and try to stick to them each day


offer limited choices only, like 'would you like apples or oranges for your snack' and not just 'what do you want for your snack.' This helps your toddler feel like he is making some decisions and has power over things, but he isn't able to choose unacceptable alternatives.


learn to set limits about things and don't be surprised when your toddler tries to test those limits to see what he can get away with


don't give in to tantrums


begin to use time-out and taking away privileges as discipline techniques


provide your toddler with a safe environment that is well childproofed to explore and play in. It really isn't fair that your toddler should get in trouble for playing with something he isn't supposed to if you left it within reach.

more here:
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/toddlers/a/05_terrble_twos.htm

Terrible Twos Countdown Calculator
http://pediatrics.about.com/library/calc/bl_terrible_twos.htm?start=1&dobmonth=NaN&dobday=NaN&dobyear=NaN&name=undefined&page=1&p=0

Answer 7

He doesn't mean it! My 18 month old says no even when she means yes! LOL I'll ask her "Nakeya do u want to eat?" She will yell "NO!" and i will say "No ma'm dont say no to me", she'll yell "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I will say "Keya do you love me?" And she know what love is but she will yell "NO!" LOL its hillarious when she does it but its also not good that she says no so much. He picked up no becuz you probably tell him no, or no no when he does something wrong, this is why he thinks its ok for him to say it. Just give it time, and he will stop, besides, its his terrible two!!!

GOOD LUCK....

Answer 8

Give him an open ended choice, like "do you want apple juice or milk" instead of a yes/no question like "do you want juice."

If he still says "no" than choose for him and stick to it, he'll learn to make a choice while he still has one.

Keep your patience in check, it's just a phase!

Answer 9

Use reverse psychology. Say no when he wants something, and just keep saying no. It might work. Try time out, or revert to spanking if your that desperate.
Good luck

Answer 10

Sometimes toddlers favorite word is NO. Just teach him that saying no all the time is not nice. Saying yes or okay is nice.