My son’s at that stage where he knows that he wants something. He just doesn’t know how to ask for it. Lately, his word for when he wants something is “mama”, which makes me wonder if my wife is caving to his every demand when I’m not around.

It goes without saying that things get a little frantic - I’m pretty sure he’s breaking the record for the amount of times he’s said mama in a single minute. And they’ve all got this sense of impending doom - “If I don’t get what I want right this second I’m going to explode!”

Yesterday he spotted a group of adults playing soccer out the car window down an alleyway about 10 blocks away, and that meant a ten minute deluge of “ballballballballball” all the way home, until he could grab his own mini soccer ball from his pile of toys.

I’ve heard parents deal with repetitive whining lots of different ways. Some ignore it, some whine right back at their kids. I’ve been trying to make him ask for specifically what he wants. If I know what it is, I’ll help him after a few tries and then he can say the word. And I’ll usually give it to him, unless there’s a specific reason not to (like too much food).

But sometimes, he says “mama” over and over and I have no idea what he wants. So I say “Sorry, kid. I don’t know what you want,” and then I try to ignore the whining.

What do you do?

What are you going to do when your little boy discovers that he’s a little boy?

Regardless of the way you feel about touching your private parts, having a son or daughter that walks around in public with a hand down their pants isn’t really socially acceptable.

The most important thing to remember right now is that your baby isn’t doing it because it’s sexual, they’re doing it because they’re learning about their body.

They touch their belly, face and feet right now too. You just don’t think twice about it.

So how do you get them to stop touching themselves in public without setting up sexually unhealthy behavior?

At the age of 12-18 months, disciplining or reasoning with them isn’t going to work. Use the distraction tactic.

My son always tried to “go downstairs” when we were changing his diaper or when we were giving him a bath. i.e. when he’s naked. We always gave him a toy or something to hold while we changed him. All he ended up doing was putting the toy down there too.

Our daycare actually came up with this tip. They sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” anytime they change the kids. And they use their hands to make a rolling motion while they sing it.

It’s perfect. My son sings along with the song and he makes the motion. He’s engaged enough to forget about touching himself down there. And since he heard it seven or eight times a day, it’s officially the first song he remembers and can sing a few lines to.

Once your toddler gets older, a different tactic probably needs to get taken. I’m not there yet, but if anyone else has experience on how they handled this sometimes embarrassing situation, sound off in the comments.

If you made a short list of the things my son is absolutely obsessed with doing right now, it might include the following:

• Play with our computer and the cords
• Try to climb in the fridge when it’s open
• Stand in the kitty litter box
• Rock the floor lamp back and forth

Fun stuff huh? My guess is, your toddler has his own list of things he’d love to do if only you’d let him. Teaching them the word “no” becomes critical as kids get bigger and are able to get into more and more dangerous or harmful activities.

How do you do it? There’s no one way to teach your baby the word “no”, but here are some tactics you can try:

• Keep your cool. Your kid won’t know what “no” means right away, and if he listens to you 25% of the time right now, you’re ahead. Be patient. Getting mad or frustrated will only make it worse.
• Distract. Once you’ve got them away from the bad behavior, discourage them going back to it by giving them an alternative. If your toddler feels ignored or bored, they might act out or do something they aren’t supposed to for attention or for lack of something else.
• Praise obedience. If they do what you want them to, shower them with praise. It’ll encourage them for next time, and they’ll feel like you saying “no” isn’t a punishment, it’s an opportunity to do something good.
• Don’t say “no.” We’re teaching my son body parts, and “nose” sounds a lot like “no.” Sometimes when we want him to stop something, he just puts his finger up his nose. Try saying “Don’t” instead, and it may lessen their confusion.
• Lead by example. If you don’t want your baby to jump over the couch, you shouldn’t either. Anything you do, they will imitate.
• Give them a chance to respond. If your kid isn’t in danger, they are just doing something you don’t approve of, say no and give them an opportunity to stop themselves. If they don’t immediately go over, stop them and say no again. The key is to match the word no with their action.
• Don’t laugh. Sometimes toddlers do silly things that are hilarious, even though they shouldn’t be doing them. My son figured out how to climb onto his high chair tray. Funny yes. Safe, no. If they think the word no is a game, they’ll play it every chance they get. It’s O.K. to have a sense of humor, but most of the time you should be consistent and have a serious reaction.

Got any tips to share on teaching your kid the word no?

I don’t get it. At least seven times a day, my son needs his diaper changed. At least seven times a day, he cries, fights, struggles and tries to be anywhere in the world but getting his Pampers swapped.

Chances are, the days of playing peek-a-boo behind the diaper are long-gone if you’ve got a toddler. So how do you keep them from squirming and putting up a fight?

I’ve adopted the “distraction” technique. I find something else for him to focus on, and he seems to be fine with laying on his back. Here are some things you can try:

• Tag team him. It’s always easier if you get someone else to make faces and hold the squirming baby while you get that diaper changed as fast as possible.
• Give him a toy to hold.
• Give him a book to read.
• Sing a song. Our day care sings “Row your boat” to our son, and now he can actually sing along and make the motions.
• Give him something to eat. If he’s hungry AND needs a change, we’re in trouble. I give him a bottle or a cup to sip from and he’s occupied.
• Let him hold his clothes.
• Strap him in. Some changing tables come with a strap that’s meant to keep kids still. This will probably make him scream more, but you won’t have to worry about your baby falling off the table.
• Give him a mirror. Babies are so vain. Exploit this liberally.
• Turn on the radio. The new noise might be enough to distract his attention while you change him.
• Potty train him. If your toddler is old enough, screaming and thrashing on the table might be a sign he’s ready to do it himself.