The first moments when your baby starts talking is great. But as soon as the age of 2 years is reached, it seems as if your child can only say 'no'. The dreaded two is no phase.

It is of course possible that your little one will start this infamous phase earlier or later, but the so-called toddler puberty lasts approximately from 1 to 4 years. Many parents dread this phase, because in many cases this requires a lot of patience from a parent.

It is interesting to look at why your toddler is going through this phase and how you can deal with it as a parent!

To immediately take away part of your worries: it is not a bad thing that your child is going through this phase. It says something about the trust your child has in you as a parent. They often feel safe with someone if they dare to be a little bolder. In the back of his or her mind, the child knows that his or her parents will continue to love him or her.

Your child also learns to set boundaries. In addition, awareness of one's own identity is an important part of the child's development.

That doesn't mean it can be annoying as a parent to constantly hear "no" from your toddler. The following tips may help you!

Check yourself.

Pay attention to how often you say no to your partner, friends and your toddler. They copy your behavior and habits.

Stand above it and show that there are other possibilities.

It is therefore not always a bad thing that your child says no, but this should not take the upper hand. Make sure you stay above it as a parent and your child points out that there are several options to answer!

Ask open questions.

When you ask a closed question, you are actually challenging your toddler to say no. Ask open questions, so that they also think about the other possibilities.

For instance:

Question: "Do you want to play with the dolls or with the cars?" instead of, "Shall we play with the dolls?"

But don't worry, toddlerhood will also pass. Don't forget to enjoy this phase a little bit, because before you know it your little one has grown into a really stubborn teenager!