Five ways to not say "no" to your kids.

Just read a good article today on "ways to avoid saying no" to your toddler. Ah, much needed advice. I often stop and think about the fact that I find myself saying "no" more than I'd like. I don't want to be a naysayer to my little guy, I just want him to be safe and sound.

But with a toddler who loves to explore and touch and feel and try everything, I'm finding myself saying no, no and no more than I care to do.

So this is a great read, and I actually found that I follow some of these tips already, mainly, #2 and #4.

I've listed the five tips and some examples below. And here is the link to the full article.

1. Steering Clear of a Difficult Situation
Anticipate; bring along stickers, crayons, etc. when going to a restaurant and move the knife away!

2. Distraction
Hey, let's line up the Sesame Street characters (instead of trying to climb atop the table).

3. Teach Them What They Can Do
If you want to hold the fork, we'll have to point it downwards and not near your eyes. 

4. Give Choices
You can hold my hand across the street or I can carry you --- let me know which you want. 

5. Use Danger Words
Stop! Too hot! Don't touch!

And, two personal add-ons;

1. Finger Wag
Sometimes, when I'm trying to teach the little guy something not to do and it's something that will come up on a regular basis, shaking my finger and showing him that it's a "no, no, no" often does help - said in a nice, sincere, calm tone.

He actually then repeats it -- just this morning, I let him walk next to me on the sidewalk, but when he wanted to get close to the curb, I did a finger wag, shaking my finger, "no, no, no, we can't go close to the cars, it's dangerous".  And then he repeated, shaking his little finger, no, no, no.

2. Stop & Ask Yourself
If you find yourself about to say "no", stop and think; "is it really a big deal?"  Sometimes, you may just realize that it's not a big deal if your kiddo is doing something or exploring.  It really just might be better to overlook and let them be!