The books all say 9 months old is a good time to introduce the idea of discipline starting with "no" I am not having a great deal of luck with my little guy. He laughs and does it again. For the most part I let him explore his world since I know this is how he learns. But I would like to teach him to stay away from potential hazards. Any suggestions? Or is it still too early?

My daughter is 15 months old. It is only in the last couple months that she has started to understand and start to listen to no better.

With my little ones-I made sure to give a stern "no". Then I would remove them from the situation or distract them from it. The child will pick it up soon. Just be consistent.

Try the approach of timeouts, naughty corner, step, etc. put them in that place and do not interact until the punishment is over.

These are all very good suggestions. Remember, though, that you need to keep your willingness to change methods handy because discipline that works today might not in 2 weeks!

He is getting better. When you say his name in a stern voice and follow it with a "no" he now stops and looks at you and seems to ponder it before he continues on his way.

A two year old is not ready yet for real punishment. They don't have the capacity to understand why they are punished. It may sound cruel, but if there is no real danger of real injury to let them harm themselves. This is the most effective way for them to lkearn what not to do. Of course I am not suggesting to allow them to face any serious harm. Giving a stern no and removing them from the situation is the only other option you have to teach them not to do something.

9 months is not too young to begin setting boundries for a child. Although, a timeout and that sort of punishment can't be processed yet. They will learn to understand the word no, followed by redirection. Children learn and adapt very quickly, so it's never too early to start setting up boundries.

My son just recently turned one and he is the curious type and never lets a little "no!" rain on his parade. Since I am not in favor of scolding children at such young age, I just let him be and try to enjoy with him the things he loves to explore. He can sometimes be a handful but I know that his curiosity is not out of mischief but only because of his age.

You'll regret it if you don't start now. You are the parent which means you have control of their safety. Saying "no" and tappng their little hands lets them know that you are serious and that what they are doing may hurt them.