How to Deal With Whining
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Be consistent
A child who constantly whines might have learned it’s the best way to get his parents to bend the rules. “Sometimes whining happens when children think there’s room to negotiate,” says Solomon, adding that parents need to set limits with toddlers— gently, fi rmly and consistently. “I see in some parents a reluctance to really be the parent.
They’d rather be their child’s friend.” But this doesn’t serve toddlers, who thrive when they know who’s in charge and what the limits are. Whether it’s no candy before dinner, no throwing food or no jumping on the couch, whining won’t be an attractive option for a toddler who understands that when his parents say no, that means no. If you sometimes give in to the whining about a particular rule and other times you don’t, that’s confusing to a child and will not help her make good choices, says Lerner.
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Comment by Alisha on Sep 09 2010 10:07:46:
What about a whiny eight year old? My son still tends to whine and it drives us all crazy. When I have mentioned it to others they suggest that he is reverting back to a toddler because of his 17 month old sister but he has been whining even before she was born, or even conceived. And I know good and well he can communicate his frustrations verbally. How can I respond to his whining?
Comment by Kim C. Cannon on Dec 27 2011 07:52:15:
There are lots of complaints about whining children, so as a former teacher and grandmother of nine I offer the following suggestion: Frequently it helps for children to be read fun-stories that illustrate the unpleasantness of bad behavior and ways to correct it. Sometimes children don’t understand how annoying the sound of whining can be. My latest children's book, "Peter and the Whimper-Whineys" by Sherrill S. Cannon is a story of a little rabbit who does nothing but whine. This rhyming book should be read with alternating normal voice and whining voice, according to the character speaking. Children learn that Whimper-Whineyland is not a fun place to be, not just for all the whining and crying that goes on but for all the other unpleasant character traits exemplified! The book can be found on amazon.com where there is the read-inside-the-book feature, as well as on bn.com. I hope that this might help your child as well as it has helped my children and grandchildren!