getting my toddler to remember to say please?

[titferbrains]

she says thank you fine, for everything. But I have to remind her all the time to say please because she is always demanding things. I know she's a toddler and I know she'll learn, but any ways of of hammering home the message? Obviously I try to be as polite as possible to her, except for my appalling habit of swearing...

You just have to keep on truckin', saying "Say 'please'" 20,000 times a day. A way you can speed it up is to hold something out to her, wait for her to take it then don't actually let go of it until she says please - prompt her the first few times, then wait for her to learn. I read that in a parenting book.

I did a bit of both and DS1 is vvvvvvv polite now so I think it does go in!

Don't owrry about 'hammering it home', just remind her every time. Don't withold things until she says please, or she'll just start thinking politeness is an unpleasant thing. You want it to become just what she does - a habit -, not a 'if I don't say please I won't get what I want' thing.

Seriously, we have just patiently reminded ours to say please and thank you every time. 22m old now says thank you without prompts. The older three are really polite and often commented on.

You don't need to do threats or bribes, just remind her every single time and gradually she'll learn it.

I would add that you need to try and use please yourself as toddlers learn loads by example. That's what we do here anyway, everytime I ask DD to do something I say please and seems to be rubbing off on DD aged 2. Probably sounds a bit weird if overheard - an adult asking 2 year old to please do things but I can't abide impolite children!