How do I teach my baby no?

Firmly saying no and removing your child from the situation that they are into will help them learn no. You'll have to say no over and over again and you'll have to remove them from the situations constantly, but no will catch on. At this stage, they're mostly learning by repetition anyway. The more often you do it, the better they'll learn it.

I think he is a little young to be smacking him on the hand. You just have to be firm and say no and take him away from what he is doing wrong. then maybe give him something else to play with. Like a toy or a book. I know its rough on you but he will learn that it is off limits to him. Just keep at it.

Exactly what hfxa said. You have to be repetitive with him. He'll soon catch on. You don't want to smack him because that would make him afraid of you.

That was exactly how I taught my children not to touch things. My story When my son was 10 months old and just starting to walk around furniture I had a plant that if eaten could cause a real belly ache, It had bright shinny leaves and he was fascinated by it, and would work his way around the room until he came to this plant, at which time I would take his little hand and smack the back hard enough to get his attention but not to really hurt him. after a week of the trying to touch and the hand smacking I came into the living room in time to see him standing weaving back and forth in front of this plant and the little hand would reach out and quickly come back not touching the leaf. again and again the hand went out, until finally the little hand was just about there when his other hand let go of the table and smacked the hand that was reaching, as well as a very loud NO came out of his wee mouth. I knew he had gotten the message . and that was all there was to it he never touched that plant.

It's very frustrating, but redirecting is best at that age. If they are very mobile (my son was walking at 9 months eek), save a lot of headaches by just removing everything he could get into, like dvd's and such out of the room that you spend most of your time in, like the living room. Be sure to point to what he's not supposed to get into when you say "no" too. Now my son (18 months) goes around pointing at stuff he shouldn't do saying "no" lol, so it does work after awhile! If you smack him on the hand, I bet he'll start smacking you ;)

Hi Kim, You are really great ... a new mom with a cute little boy and a whole lot of good questions. I'm the creator of BabyMeTV.com and I would like to invite you to e-mail me - Peter@BabyMeTV.com - and let me know a little more about you and your family. I expect to be producing videos in various cities this summer including Houston. I graduated from the Univ. of Houston and have a lot of friends living there. Take a look at the free videos on BabyMeTV.com and if you like them and the various columns, let me know if you would like to be considered for one of our new videos. I'm just guessing, but I think you are a single parent. If I'm right, that may be why your parents are offering so much advice. I suggest you talk with your pediatrician and if you don't have one, contact your local hospital's education center and talk with them. Your love and concern for your son - says your a great mom. My suggestion... Trust Your Own Instincts. That usually works best. Best of Luck, Peter@BabyMeTV.com

It depends on what my baby is doing. Usually I tell him no and give him something else to do. It works pretty well. If he is doing something where he could get hurt, or where he could hurt someone else (namely the dogs and cat), then he gets a swat on the hands and I tell him no. He's been getting into stuff since he was about 4.5 months old and started crawling. He's 13 months old now and all I have to do is tell him no and he knows not to do it. In fact, certain things he knows he isn't allowed to touch, he will yell at the dogs and cat for doing, too. Like he knows that he isn't allowed to mess with the trashcan. Of course neither are the pets, but they do from time to time. Anyway, my baby yells "No no Woodo! No no!" or No Rinie, or whichever one it is that he is yelling at. If the cat messes with the little dog's tail, my son yells "No no Rinnie, it Woodo's!" because he knows he isn't allowed to pull tails. As long as you are consistent, your baby will learn quickly what he is and isn't allowed to do.

I tried so many things. My son would be great for everyone but me because I always felt bad having to punish him. I tried time outs, little swats on the diaper, yelling at him to stop, and what I have now found that works great for both of us, me because I don't have to yell, and him because he doesn't have a punishment if he listens. I just say his first/midlle name in a little deeper tone and tell him I am going to count to 3. By the time I get to two 95% of the time he stops whatever he was doing wrong.