Understanding the NO!!

Do you mean understand or do you mean listen? The first, early. The second, probably sometime after they move out of the house : )

I agree with others, understand it pretty early.

Accept it? I am still working on my 12 yr olds.

When they have kids of their own.

They understand it now... they just know they can get away with stuff ;)

My son knows darn well what it means, and he's 15 months... he won't stop the negative behavior until I actually get up and go after him though! (No wonder I lost the baby weight, chasing this little guy around constantly)...

My DD has understood that NO means 'stop what you are doing right now' ever since she started cruising furniture at 8 months. I would simply tell her NO touching (or hitting, biting, whatever) and stop what she was doing. If she did it again, I would tell her again, give her a finger flick, and remove her from the situation. She is 11 months old now, and while she does occasionally test her limits, she will stop what she's doing when I tell her no.

A toddler should understand it. They just like to test the boundaries. You have to pyshically move the toddler and engage them in something else for them to stop a behavior normally :). Well heck - this goes for my almost 8 year old too!!

My daughters started to understand at about 8 months. One of things that I learned though is that you have to react with the "no" In other words physically stop them from whatever they are doing while saying no and redirecting them. My kids learned at a young age that I meant what I said. I also figured if I could teach my child not to touch a hot stove or run in the street I could also teach them not to touch the picture frame on the end table. It just floors me when I see a parent saying "no, no do not jump on the couch" for example while the child continues to jump. You need to stop them so they do not jump. I have seen kids at 12 years old that still do not seem to grasp the concept:0). I would imagine their parents said no a lot when they were little but the no meant nothing because the child could stop when they choose to stop.

They understand it, they just don't care about it if you don't make them.

If you want your child to react to "no" at this age, it has to have a consequence with it so they learn to heed the "no". One warning: "No" then firm consequence the next time for a serious action you're teaching them to stop, like running away from you (dangerous), tantrumming, throwing food (if you want a child who is good in restaurants), hitting, touching stuff they shouldn't (dont' worry, still leaves millions of things they're allowed to touch)-any big no "no's" you want to nip, and then you'll see your child react to "no" after that.

I believe that the modern opinion that "no" is bad is to justify when people don't enforce it, and the kids don't care about it, so they're yelling "no no no" all the time to no effect. Though this is pointless, it's not harmful, so I don't buy into that theory that "no" should be saved only for life threatening situations (especially if kids don't get it anyway). I say no calmly to my toddlers a thousand times a day (I have to take all three to the grocery store with me often), but at least they react and they are definitely not harmed by it, nor was I. But it did take discipline up front (starting at age one) to teach that "no" meant something so they would respond. "No" in itself is not discipline, no matter how angrily you yell it.

We never yell. One calm "No", then ZAP, then from then on, the calm "no" is all it takes. Unless yours has been willful longer and is reaching age two, then it may take more repetition.

If you're not going to enforce "no" I recommend not saying it. Not because it's harmful in any way, but because it teaches them that "no" is something they can totally disregard.

Also, limit your "no's" Not because they're harmful, but if it's not important enough to enforce, don't bother. The less empty "no's" you give, the more they'll listen when you say it.

it depends on the toddler and understanding the meaning of it, doesnt mean they care about the fact u said it, most toddlers will do something on purpose to hear no and giggle.....my daughter understood it and the concept of it at 13 months and would go in time out for less than a minute......she was also talking full snetences at that stage too....which she used to back talk M. with...haha

haha you made me remember something. I guess like most toddlers, they are told NO a lot... One day some time ago, I asked my toddler son, why don't you want to do whatever it was he wouldn't do, his reply "because NO"..... which of course led to other things.. Lorenzo, let's do your bath now.. "because NO"
Lorenzo, don't you want to go with daddy to the park "because NO"
hahah anyway... be careful you don't over use the word NO..hahahahah it may backfire..

best of luck

They understand the NO is a response, but they don't truly grasp cause and effect or what it means - meanining, 'I know mom said no, but I am going to do it anyways.' until a much later age. Some studies I have read say 6 years old to where they understand that if I do x then y will happen. . .
I would recommend reading up on some early childhood development literature and studies found at the library. Also, contact a local child development training organization and speak with some experts to reallly get your head and hands around the situation. :)
Good luck!

At about 9-11 months.

That doesn't mean they have the impulse control. Follow through with calm and consistent consequences. Building impulse control takes years. Even 8 or 16 year olds don't have full mastery of their impulses. But as they learn more and develop longer attention spans, they learn to predict consequences and make good decisions.

To answer you a little more directly, my kids could be trusted to listen and follow rules more often then not around age two or two and a half.

Be gentle and remove the child from the situation. Your toddler may or may not understand "no.". It's hard to tell, but if you gently remove her/him then there will eventually be a connection. The child will think to themselves after awhile, "No means I better stop. If I don't I will get moved. I better stop because I don't want to be moved." Try and avoid anger with you "no" as that will only scare your child.

9 months? If they look at you and smile and do it anyway......they know.

Hahahaha I have a 20 yr old & I dont think she has learned the meaning yet lol good luck they will eventually learn it. Like the other Mamas said they are just testing its how they learn about their world.

...the first time they do what you told them not to do. Children act out of rebellion, defiance. They test their limits to see how far they can go before mommy or daddy has had it and either yells or spanks them. If you tell your child "No," 10 times before implementing a consequence, be it a toy taken away, sitting in time out, or for some parents a spanking on their butt, the child knows he or she can get away with doing something 10 times before mommy or daddy reaches their boiling point. Thus, you have created a situation where the child will test you even further next time and up the bar even higher to see just how much further he (or she) can get away with something before a consequence is enforced. All of us parents are guilty of allowing our children to raise the bar. I'm not talking like some expert here. Just a mother with 3 young children (and another on the way) who has read books/articles, talked to other parents as well about this and yet still we allow our children to test our patience (and their limits), time and time again.

You don't say how young your baby is. BUT, if say for example you have a 12 month old getting into something you don't want him to get into, then you must immediately re-direct him to something else and say, "Mommy wants you to play with this instead."

Don't underestimate what a toddler understands. They understand MORE than anyone realizes. Children know how to manipulate at a very young age and they continue to do what children do best: they become masters at it over time. Try not to show your frustration (easier said than done) and work hard not to lose your temper because children seem to thrive on our reactions. It seems to encourage them to push harder next time. Parenting isn't easy, this is for sure.

but remember -in their heads just because Mom said NO for jumping on the bed the last 34 times doesnt mean she will say NO the 35th time and it should be tested. and since small children cant count to 34 -what is the difference between Mom saying NO to it twice and Mom saying No to it 34 times??

When they have kids I guess because at 19 & 14 they still don't LOL

ROFL @ Itsacrazylifewith4... and total agreement.

Understand? Prior to age 1.

Accept it? Hahahahahahaha