How to teach a 1yr old to understand 'NO!'

[Cherry85]

Our darling little terror doesn't understand the word 'no'......or he does and just doesn't care 😆

He is currently in to plugs and the oven which is under the cooker. Both are obviously dangerous and I am at my wits end on how to stop him. We have the plug covers where there are empty sockets but if he can reach any wires into plugs (harder to move) he yanks them and I am terrified he will get an electric shock. He managed to open the oven the other day when it was on too!!

Aside from baby proofing as much as we can....are there any techniques for teaching him to understand no? Other babies in our nct group know it so he maybe just doesn't take us seriously?

I have tried eye level, saying it softly, saying it firmly, shouting and I hate to say it even a tap on the hand as it is becoming dangerous and I hoped it would maybe make him react. He just laughs.

Please help!

Physically remove him from the object or the object from him while saying no. You cannot expect a 1yo to obey verbal instructions with no physical distance between them and the interesting dangerous thing. They do not have the cognition.

Repeatition and the message will sink in. At this age distraction works best as impulse control isn't there yet, so say no and move away to play with something else. Socket covers are more dangerous than an empty socket so remove them and you can not let them anywhere near the oven.

Oh thats interesting about the socket covers! Does that apply to all socket covers or just certain brands?

I thought plug covers weren't meant to be used anymore?

Remove him from where ever he isn't meant to be and continue to say no. He will get there eventually. He is still very young and probably sees it more as a game at the moment.

I'm pretty sure socket covers are not needed/recommended (if you're in the UK).

When trying to get him to stop, just say no and move him away. Try not to get angry or react too much as he'll think it's a game. At 1 he probably won't stop doing it (so you'll need to be patient!), but eventually it'll sink in.

No plug covers shouldn't be used, no matter what the brand, they are more dangerous than not using them.

Thanks for info re plug covers. Removed them now! They come with the babyproofing pack from JL so didn't realise!

Get a stair gate for the kitchen door! Or for the interesting bits of your kitchen. There’s just too many interesting and dangerous things in the kitchen.

Do you have space for something like a play kitchen or similar? I'd try and give him some toys similar to the activity he is trying to do.

Actually one last socket covers question....our parents both have really old houses with old wiring. Should we use them there still or remove as well? Thanks so much for this!

Also plug covers are dangerous in the uk. USA electric socket design is a lot more dangerous than uk socket design and they are needed there. UK sockets are designed so that the electric current can't be accessed unless there is a plug in there. A socket with a plug cover in it is more dangerous than one without. The covers only exist because people read articles/books written in the usa saying that they are important, and someone spotted a business opportunity.

Oh sorry cross-post. I got distracted by a home-schooling issue and everyone else said it while I was gone!

Your parents house will also have 3 pin plugs no matter how old the wiring, so they don't need covers either.
As pp said, socket covers were aimed at the US not the UK.

Children can very quickly become desensitised to the word ‘no’ because they hear it so much!

I’ve found that saying something different, like ‘freeze!’ And freezing myself gets my sons attention and he tends to copy me by staying still. He thinks it’s a game! Which means I can quickly move him on to another activity.

It also helps to give them something they can do, rather than just telling them what they can’t do.

For example, if my son is banging the skirting board with a hard toy (drives me mad) I will remove it but give him a soft toy to do it with, or even better a baby wipe and encourage him to clean it! Gives me a chance to have a quick wipe around too

Another good tip is to show them what they ‘should’ be doing with it. So for example, if they are throwing things, like a bottle. I would put it on the table and say something like “the bottle doesn’t belong on the floor, it belongs on the table. Your turn!” And encourage them to do it. Make a big deal when they place it down nicely.

It is also worth remembering that children often only remember the last thing they heard.

So we say “No, stop running!” And their main take away from it is “running!” Mixed with a funny reaction from Mum (yes, looking cross is funny!)

So it can be useful to restructure your sentences to something like “No, stop running, show me how you use your walking feet!” So the last thing they hear is ‘walking feet’ and if you can show them some nice walking that’s even better!

I've taught my 17 month old 'hot' with accompanying sign. I say it if his food is a bit hot and for cups of tea and the oven and he knows not to touch those things. 'No' on the other hand is still a brilliant game...

He is far too little to respond to verbal instruction. You need to combine saying no with moving him away from whatever it is and ideally blocking access because even if he knows he shouldn't do something (which is really unlikely at age 1!) he won't have the impulse control to actually stop himself doing it for ages yet.

I find the resources on this site really good and useful :) I listen to them when I'm hanging up or folding washing, but you can read them as well.

www.janetlansbury.com/2019/03/instead-of-no-no-no-4-tips-for-keeping-your-baby-explorer-safe/

www.janetlansbury.com/2019/01/already-exhausted-by-a-15-month-olds-behavior/

Two articles/episodes which might be useful for you.

@unbeatenmum anything hot gets blown at my 1 year old as that's what we do with her hot dinner

Plug covers are dangerous. As long he is not poking in a metal stick her will be fine.

Just say no and remove. If the situation or area is dangerous then don’t allow them in the area.

Just keep repeating and removing him from the situation, no fuss, don't make it a game or something that he does to get a reaction.

Agree with the previous poster about getting desensitised to 'no'. Try and limit saying no to the things that are dangerous and that you really don't want him doing. Everything else try and rephrase. With the oven we said 'ouch hot, don't touch' every time he went near it to try and bring some idea of consequences in.

We had one cupboard in the kitchen that he could go crazy with and do what he wanted with, and the others were locked - could you do something like that so he has something to do in the kitchen that's still exciting?