Will the whining ever stop? - Toddlerhood

natjasem wrote: I know this is probably just a toddler thing, but Emma's new thing is whining for everything. DH and I have told her that she won't get something unless she stops whining, but it's getting so bad lately. Is ignoring her the best thing to do to nip this in the bud?

MomToMany replied: Yep, ignore it. Tell her that you don't like that behavior and walk away. Another think I do is the "Hannah Dance". She likes to jump up & down while crying and whining, so I do what she does. She stops, and thinks it's real funny, then she's in a better mood. I feel real stupid doing it, but it seems to help .

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Oh I know what you mean! Claudia is so whinny lately! It's driving me crazy!

kimberley replied: the whining stops when WE die! i swear, Jacob and James drive me nuts some days and then i have Jade to deal with on top of them . i try to ignore it but if it gets really bad (for the boys), they get a time out and can come out when they are ready to talk normal to me. it doesn't usually take long. then we talk out the problem and i emphasize the fact that whining and hitting get you nowhere.

amynicole21 replied: I hate the whining and the crying over EVERYTHING! I usually make her stop crying and ask nicely for something or she doesn't get it. She always does, but I don't know if it's helping much in the long run. She's probably just learning that the way to get something is to whine until Mommy freaks out then ask nicely and she'll get it right away

kit_kats_mom replied: I tell her "use your normal voice, Mommy can't hear you when you whine". Then I just ignore her and do something else. I'll occasionally say "hmmm, I thought I heard something but I guess not" she often gets more upset but after awhile she will ask in her normal voice and I either give her what she wanted or we have a "discussion".

BTW, when did I turn into my mom? Yesterday I asked K to look at me so that I could tell her something important. I remember HATING that as a kid. UGH!

coasterqueen replied: I don't think it ever stops and it usually is at it's worst when you are at your limit. At least it is for me.

5littleladies replied: Well my oldest is 6 and I swear we've hit our peak with her (of course I thought that a few times so I'm sure I'm wrong ). Whining drives me crazy!! I tell my kids that I can't understand them when they whine, sometimes I just have to ignore them, and sometimes I do what Mollie does-Just start whining right along with them. Usually that surprises my kids so much that they stop but sometimes it just makes them madder.

Josie83 replied: Cassie's not much of a whiner, but when she's tired ( or missing daddy ) she can start, I just completely tell her that i'll listen to her when she stops talking like a baby and then completely ignore her until she does. She knows that we pay no attention to her when she whines and tantrums anyway . . . she got bored of it really quickly!! xx

Alice replied: It doesn't stop until they get married-- sorry!

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Maddie is 4 and she JUST started whining. I do the same thing as Mollie....jump up and down and whine with her. She has a pretty good since of humor so normally she will laugh at me. UNLESS she is tired and that is a whole other story. She normally gets sent to her room if it gets out of hand.

Josie83 replied:

tanner'smom replied: My son who is now 6 used to be a bad whiner and you can win the battle. But you have to be constant about it. And you have to be willing for it to get worse before it gets better. My husband can't stand it and it puts him in a very bad mood to listen to him whine. But he works at night, so it gave me time to work with Tanner. When he whined I would say, I am sorry I am not listening to that. Use your regular voice. Then I would walk away. If he was hungry or thirsty I would say I am sorry I can't hear you. At first he would whine for hours, and it would drive me crazy but I never let him see that it effected me. I would grab a book, or continue to make supper. I would go outside on the porch or anything, But I would not give in. It was hard to listen at him whine and cry knowing that he only wanted a drink of water and that I could give it to him and he would be done whining until the next time, but I couldn't do it, I had gone far enough not to turn back. Every now and then he will try to whine, and I will say in a loud deep voice Can I hear you? He will immediatley change his voice now. You have to be very constant, and now that you have to listen to hours of it, and once you face that you can do that and not give in then it gets better, but if you ever give in, you are back at square one. It's hard, but I feel like super Mom now that we have broken Tanner from it. Another thing is never give in if he is whining in public. That is the worse, the check out line whiner is the worst. It maybe embrassing but let him whine and if he was getting anything at all put it back, Give them nothing. My child learned fast that to throw a fit meant to get nothing not even that special snack we had talked about.