You can't tell me he doesn't know what he's doing.

My ten month old Aiden is being a little brat.
He knows what he's not allowed to touch, and he knows what no means. And yet when i say to him "no Aiden, we don't touch that because (insert reason here)" he gives me the look of "i wonder how far i can push you"
I've been trying to figure out some way to teach him what he can and can't touch.
I've been researching it and there isn't any help for his age group.
Please help me. I've given him a few little light taps on the back of his had when he's been really naughty but otherwise he ignores me.

darl at 10 months i doubt hes doing to be naughty, at this age (and older) its natural compulsive behaviour, he doesnt yet have the skills to not touch something, he see - he touches its all very normal, i dont really have any answers for you :hug:

I dont think he is a brat at all he is a baby who is learning about his world.. and learning his boundaries from you.
just be consistant and repetitive! telling him to stop touching and to move him away.
at 10 months you may think he knows what no means but its more likely he knows your tone means to pay attention mummys voice has gotten louder and more firm.
also NO has so many meanings as an adult that it is often confusing for children and babies. try using stop it has only one meaning..
HTH

It's too early for him to understand so as pp's have said distraction is the key. He won't understand the reason but it's a good habit for later on. If he keeps it up try taking the item away, eg we have had to take down our bar as it wasn't safe with the glasses and we have also put a cover over our tv cabinet. It's easier and less stressfull to prevent access rather than saying no all day long. It will get worse when he is walking and climbing.

Even if he knows what No means, unfortunately he doesn't have the impulse control to stop himself from doing it anyway. He'll eventually get it, just try to be consistent and not get angry with him :)

My DS is a little older (12 months) but I find distraction is a lot more productive than trying to teach him NO. As Oorki has pointed out he probably doesn't understand, simply reacts to the change in volume and tone in your voice. Whenever DS touches something he's not supposed to I just pick him up and distract him with something else, if he goes back I do it again. I've been doing this with the heater since he was about 9 months and now he mostly doesn't go near it. At that age they are just learning and exploring, as much as it may seem like it he's not old enough to know how to push your buttons just yet.

As PP's have said he doesn't have the control to be able to stop whatever it is you've said "no" to. try and be patient, try distracting him or moving him away instead, or move whatever it is he's not supposed to be touching. DD used to make a beeline for powerpoints but after I was always moving her back away she doesn't really notice them anymore. Same with the dvd player, I had to fashion a cover from printed plastic to go over the front of the tv cabinet so she would stop fiddling with it, now that it's out of sight it is usually out of mind too.

He's not being a brat but you can still help him to understand boundaries at that age. Yes it's hard work, and time consuming. But I did it with both my kids, and I could say no and they would listen. Not every time but the would most times, and it helps them to understand the boundaries. I feel this for me worked better because if you just suddenly one day say no it's hard for them to understand that. IYKWIM? Praise worked really well for us too. Not to compare children to animals, but I had a good friend once say to me it's no different than puppy training and it does work :) And you can do it without smacks/screaming and with praise and love :)

If he's being a brat, then all of mine are brats too ;)

I found that saying No did nothing. However a sharp "ah uh" (like you do to dogs. haha) worked better. It got their attention and it was sharp enough to mean business. Plus it wasn't just a "word".

I tried to use other words than 'no' so that DD at least listened a bit better (and I had to stop and think a bit too!). So 'Stop' as someone else suggested, 'Ouch', 'Ow', something like that. Something appropriate too - 'Ouch - the heater is hot, Aiden, better not touch' and take him away. 'Careful' was one I also used, as in 'that might break/fall/hurt you'. He is probably wondering why you don't want him to touch something when he wants to, rather than how far he can push you. It's like someone telling you not to touch or think about that lovely block of already opened chocolate they just put into the fridge - you are wondering when their back will be turned and you can get a little piece!

:hug: Don't take it personally, hun. And I'd be wary of tapping him, unless you are prepared for him to turn around and 'tap' you or his little friends that are frustrating him when they aren't doing what he wants!

My DS is the same age as yours. He doesn't know what the word no actually means either. They're too young to understand boundaries & things like that.
I always say "No DS" & remove him from whatever it is he is playing with. More often than not he will just go straight back to the item so I just keep doing the same thing. So it is very repetitive but it's important to be consistent.
I also don't try to restrict him that much, in that I mean I don't have lots of out of bounds items. The only things my DS cannot play with are the power points, power cords, the oven & the cats bowls. So I have put away as much as I can, for instance I have put away the home theatre speakers as he was always trying to chew on them & it wasn't safe. I do think it's okay to let them explore as long as they are not in danger.
One thing my DS was always drawn to was our remotes on the coffee table. I have now given him his own with no batteries that he can chew & play with as much as he likes. It seems to stop him going for ours now that he has his own right there to play with. Maybe you could do something similar with your DS?