I once knew a couple who were trying to raise their daughter without using the word “no,” the thinking being that toddlers start spitting this word back at us parents all too soon. I remember thinking this was brilliant; yet at the same time, there are moments when “no” is a very important word, especially when it comes to dangers a baby needs to learn. In fact, when my son was little I referred to outlets simply as “nope-ity nopes” for the first two years of his life!

So it is important for a baby to learn yes and no, and it’s good to start early. Today, I made a point of saying yes to all the good things Veronika did, and firmly saying no to the actions that were a little naughty. Of course, nothing she did today was terrible, usually just silly, but it’s good to set the precedent for when the real nos come along.

Whenever you say the word, you can also sign it. A fist “nodding” means yes, and your pointer pinching to your thumb means no. So, playing with toys always gets a yes.

As does sharing with big brother.

No, Veronika, you can’t eat big brother’s book!

Yes, Veronika, play with your own soft book.

No, Veronika, you can’t steal mommy’s list at the grocery store (and yes, she wants to eat this).

Yes, Veronika, those are better toys to play with while in the cart.

You can further highlight the difference between the two words by smiling for a yes, and frowning for a now. I definitely have an impish girl on my hands already, because she loves throwing her package of diapers off the diaper table. No, no, no sweet girl.

But a hug from mommy or a nap on my tummy always gets a yes.

Today’s activity is a simple reminder to… use your child’s name! It builds upon the Name Drop game we played back when Veronika was only two months old.

A child’s name is one of the first words they’ll truly recognize, since they probably hear it hundreds of times each day. For each action today, I made a point of saying “Veronika,” first. “Veronika, I’m going to pick you up now.” “Veronika, we’re going to do your diaper change.” “Veronika, we’re getting in the car.”

Then, although she’s years away from learning to read and write her name, it was also fun to provide her with a visual of it throughout the day.

To wit, she starts the day on the sheets that say her name!

Big brother Travis and I then had fun going through “Veronika’s photo album,” and putting together a personalized puzzle with her name – and she got to have fun watching the action.

Personalized books are great for this purpose, too, since many companies will now custom print a book featuring your child’s name.

We even have a family song almost entirely about her name. The ditty works like a charm whenever she’s fussy in the car. It goes:

Veronika, Veronika

We love Veronika – oh yeah!

And yes, I’ve been known to repeat this song for up to ten minutes on end, if it keeps her calm!

What other cute personalized items does your baby have? Chairs? Step stools? Backpacks? Please share in the comments!