When No Gets You Nowhere: Teaching Your Toddler and Child Self-Control

When my son turned 18 months and a new wave of conflicts started, I gave a lot of thought to how and when to say No. I already knew a lot on the topic of positive discipline, but wanted some practical advice and additional insights. The title caught my attention, so I bought the book. it's an extremely fast and easy read. The material is straight-forward; there are plenty of anecdotes, some light preaching, some theory and a lot of practical advice. The basic message is one I have come to believe a long time ago: NO is a harsh word. It wounds and puts down, child or adult. So we should use it sparingly. We should use the opportunity to teach a child about making choices, about the context for their disappointing situation, about how to cope with their feelings. He goes into great detail describing how to do it specifically. It's hard to say whether it's the right book if you haven't encountered the idea of positive discipline before. Personally, I like "Positive discipline for the first three years" as the book that lays the foundation for what toddler discipline is all about. Unfortunately, it doesn't give you enough practical advice to implement the idea. This is a great wonderful supplement that just helps illuminate the path.

I have two toddlers (2 & 3), this book provided practical advice that really impacted the way my husband and I parent. I agree with the author that teaching your child self-control is the real basis for discipline. I bought this book after becoming incredibly frustrated with my 3 year old's behavior. After 2 weeks of applying the techniques I saw real improvement in both of by son's behavior. I really recommend it for parents who believe their child is "difficult". A few modifacation in the way you parent may change your perspective.

The techniques taught in this book are easy to follow and make sense. My two year-old daughter is really listening when I use the process, she doesn't necessarily obey every time but that will come with time. It's a good way to express my respect to her. I'm thinking the technique will work on adults!

I loved this book. Great advice, particularly for first-timers like me. Our daughter was only 12 mos. when I read it, but I will definitely use it as she grows-the few times I have been able to apply the technique I've been pleasantly surprised by the result. I loaned it to a friend with a 6 yr. old and now I WANT IT BACK! I'd recommend it to anyone.

I looked at a dozen books on dealing with toddlers before deciding on this one. It really gives a logical, consistent, ethical basis for making a two-year old terror into a small human person.