How do I get my Daughter out of the NO phase?

Rachel - posted on 10/15/2009

my boy says no and also 'i don't think so' a lot which is just another no. I say 'yes you have/need to' or '___ is a have to not a want to' and repeat myself over and over till it is done. breaking it up with a bit of tickling stops him having a full on temper tantrum. I offer choice too, but sometimes it's just no to everything - especially around food, and then I say he has to choose or mummy will, and I choose.



we've just made a 'rules' board - just three simple things that were a problem - 'pacifier goes in it's box after sleep times', 'everyone helps tidy up toys' and 'we sit down to eat' and added pictures to support the words. he can stick a well done sticker on there if he does those things as he likes stickers but not to wear. He's not happy about the pacifier one, but he's getting there.

Anastasia - posted on 10/13/2009

i have the same problem everythin is no atm its soo annoyin

Alison - posted on 10/13/2009

Try giving options: do you want to take a bath or a shower? Do you want to walk to your bed or do you want me to carry you. Which coat to you want to wear? The child feels like they are in control and making decisions. This may not eliminate the NOs, but it should cut them back considerably.

Joanne - posted on 10/12/2009

My daughter also turns 3, in December.My daughter says''no'' too.What i do is...i tell her to come beside me because i want to talk to her.I talk calm and tell her thats not nice,that shes hurting my feelings.She almost always says sorry.I also give her time outs but that dont work.slowly but surely shes saying it less:)

Eryn - posted on 10/07/2009

If you can, give her a time out in a crib or playpen. They hate that and want out immediately. At this age they can sort of rationalize, the key is consistency you can let one "NO" slip with no consequences. Also, if you say no a lot she might think it's okay for her to say no a lot so instead of telling her no when you don't want her to do something, try another type of wording like "I don't want you to do that", or "You can't have that right now", that way it's a little more difficult for her to use those techniques on you.

Mandy - posted on 10/07/2009

My son did this a lot with he was 3. I started making him say "yes mommy" with every request. To start out, I actually would give him a little treat for saying the right thing. I would give him treats until it was habit, probably after a few weeks. This worked wonders for us. He is very strong willed and I constantly have to make sure he realizes who's boss. Another thing we did was take some choices away from him. We had to make sure that he was happy with the things that we chose for him before giving him the freedom to make some choices.

Regina - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter was 3 in August and she is very head strong, she used to tell me no alot and I started to tell her no when it came wanting to do things like going outside or getting her a cup ( I would get her a cup eventually) but she got the idea that she didn't like to be told no. She don't say no hardley at all now.

Andrea - posted on 10/05/2009

egnore her if she says no, just do as you do if she said nothing.

Jessica - posted on 10/04/2009

My son has been doing that alot lately.. And most time I tell him to come here and look at me.. Then I tell him you don't tell mommy no .. you need to listen to mommy in a firm but not mean tone. :) He usually says sorry mommy.. He also turns 3 in November.. on the 4th. :)