API: changing our yes environment

We're practicing our positive discipline (One of the eight principles of attachment parenting) with our soon to be one year old.  At this stage in Baby's life, creating a "yes" environment is one of the only forms of discipline that we see necessary (We are pro-discipline and consequences, but anti-punishment*).  However, it is a BIG necessary.  In our home we have lots of stairs, animals, drawers, and cabinets (in descending order of danger- however, Baby is more a danger to the animals than the other way around).   These are all things that are commonly blockaded by child gates and safety locks, not just in our house but in most houses with a small child in residence.  We go a step further by keeping things that are not dangerous but generally not child friendly out of reach as well.

This sounds pretty simple, but I think a big deterrent for parents in following through with this is that the house doesn't not look as put together as pre-child.  For us, we have a function over aesthetic value mentality; for example, we constantly have chairs in front of the china cabinet blocking access to the silverware drawers, game drawers, and other stuff that is not for Baby.  Is it pretty?  Not so much, but it works very well.

Something I have personally had to work on is being flexible.  I recently came across a quote that said:

"When nothing goes right, go left."

That's pretty profound in our lives, and I have decided to embrace that a bit more.  This past week, Baby discovered the books on our wall of a bookshelf.  The top shelf of DVDs has always been an interest of his, but not so much a worry of mine.  He would take them down and play with the cases, but it was an easy clean up with no damage to anything.  The books, however, get bent, ripped, and eaten.  It seemed this problem got really bad very quickly, so one night I began removing all of the books from the bookcase.  I couldn't think of where else to put them;  I was pretty dismayed at how apart it felt like our house was. Then it was like a light came on, and I decided to put the changing table and the pack and play in front of the bookshelf.  This seems like a Duh moment, but we have had the changing table in the same place for so long.  It didn't not occur to use it to solve a problem.  This is what I mean by being flexible.  What worked yesterday might not work today, and likewise, what works today might not work tomorrow.  

*I am often asked the question "How can you provide discipline without using punishments or even the word 'no'?"  I have heard way too many cases of a child's first word being no.  I think it is said way to often.  A friend of mine a while back said she wanted to say "Yes" as much as possible so that when she did have to say "no," her kids would know to take her seriously; that it wasn't some casual thing she just felt like saying no to.  The more I thought about it, the more that idea grew on me.  With Baby, we do use "no" for important (usually dangerous) things like licking electrical sockets.  Everything else, we tend to default to saying "not for Baby" or "Ouchie!  That will hurt!" or "Yuck! That tastes bad!"  Even at a young age when he doesn't know exactly what our explanation and words mean, we're getting in the habit of trying to explain that there is a reason behind the rules.  This is our concept of discipline.