Please remind me that my toddler's favourite word won't always be NO! and...

[averagemum]

...how it's just a phase and why it's really important to be calm, loving patient?

Sample dialogue:

Mumma, no pear! (removes all pear off plate)

• Ok, you don't have to eat your pear if you don't want to.

Mumma? Pear! NO!

• I heard you sweetheart, you don't want your pear. That's OK.

No pear, Mumma. No pear. (pause) Mumma, no nana (banana). Nana. NO! Mumma? No! Nana? NO!

But it's not just food related:

Mumma? NO!

• No what?

NO! Mumma? Mumma? No, NO!

A propos of nothing, as far as I can make out.

ARGGH! He's 21 months, just.

Be honest. How long will it last? And WHY is it an important developmental thing again?

Thank you in advance. X

it will change to Why?!

or NOW

I was thinking of WON'T

Or MINE

Seriously, it can last for years - but ime it's very off and on. Seems to be a developmental thing -ie develop a bit, be a bit stroppy for a few weeks, then it all calms down until the next developmental leap. But I guess it's different for each child.

I do remember the one conversation I had with dd1 about 6 months ago:
dd1 - mummy?
Me - yes love?
Dd1 - NOOO!!!! < massive strop ensued >
Just where are you meant to go with that?!

Remember - make sure they are well fed and rested at all times (like horses), ignore, distract, bribe. If all else fails, wine (for you that is).

Why? or Now! sound better at the moment but I bet they come with their own frustrations!

I think you're right about the stroppy for a bit = developmental leap thing, luke, it seems to have worked that way for us so far. Maybe it's language really kicking off?

Anyway, he's in bed (we're an hour ahead here),
not well fed but that's unusual, I think he is a bit under the weather. And I have a bottle open!

Thank you all for putting some perspective into my day

do you want to go to the park.. no
do you want lunch... no
do you want juice... no
do you want an ice cream... no

it's constant, I think he is just automatically saying it to everything, because he meant yes to all of the above.
Mine is 2.7, but i think they all go through the phase

No! it will change to Why? and then What for? and Why? again. Give me no anyday.

I know the feeling, with my DD it's usually a whole string of 'No's. Although she is just starting to move on to 'Me', meaning 'mine', or 'give it to me'.

Yep its a phase & will change, to come are

Why?
Can I?
Shit & Bugger

I am here to console you about the developmental relevance averagemum!

Sounds like he is using it as pivot grammar - working out the rules of how it can combine with other words into a phrase and testing it for meaning. So he tries it as a two word phrase, then a three word phrase.. then substitutes 'pear' for 'nana' and off he goes again..

Brilliant example of language development in action! Brilliantly irritating for you as his mum right now!

Stop asking him questions with Yes or No answers .

After Why (which sounds just like whiiiiiine after a whiiiiiiile), comes a lull of a few years, followed by Why Not, incessantly, for the teen years.

Mrsbean, how v interesting! Thank you for that insight. Where did you glean this info from (ie course/ profession), if you don't mind me asking?

First comes NO, closely followed by WHY, and hot on its heals comes MAKE ME !

lukewarm, I'm a speech and language therapist

DD missed the "no" stage but we have just reached the "why" and "but....." stage.

I heart you MrsBean!

Thank you - makes a lot of sense.

Mine is enamoured with NO as well as MORE. So everything is either NO or MORE depending on whether it's in favour. MORE means MORE and also I WANT THAT THING and GIVE ME THAT NOW.

Her only two word sentences to date (18 mo) combine MORE with whatever her noun of desire is. More book, more fish*, more bottle...

*This does not imply a love of seafood, but rather a desire to feed the fish until they die.

Actually 'no' is a lot less irritating than 'oopsy'.

'ooopsy'
'oopsy'

Then slaps on adoring smile and shouts 'duddles'

tortoise, I think we have the same child! If it's not NO! then it's going to be MORE! For example: MORE CAR!

whomoved Thank you. I shall make a mental note never to introduce oopsie into my son's vocab. "duddles" sound pretty good though!

Mine haven't been stroppy particularly. I think it's important to remember that 'no' also sometimes means 'listen' or 'yes' or just 'ooh, I'm talking!'

at oopsy.

Tortoise, 'more' is over-used here too in similar fashion. Impressed with your dd's two-word sentences though.