Just recently our toddler’s mood seems to be set on ‘Default = Whine’. To be clear, I’m not talking about whining because she is tired, or hungry, or frustrated. I’m talking about whining for the sake of whining. We all want to stop toddler whining but sometimes we just don’t know how. Here are some ideas to flick that ‘Whine’ button off that are guaranteed to help!
8 Tips to Stop Toddler Whining in its Tracks
1. Don’t Give In!
Don’t reward the whine. If your child whines, and your response is to give in to whatever they are whining for, then you are training your child to win the gold medal for whining. Yes, you’re tired. Yes, you are really, really sick of whining. But. Don’t. Give. In.
2. Teach Your Child About Whining
Show your child what whining is by modeling for them. For example, if your child whines ask them to stop and say, “please don’t use your whiny voice, use your regular voice” and model it for them. Yes, whine! Show them what whining looks and sounds like, then show them what using a regular voice looks and sounds like.
3. Teach Your Child to Communicate
Remind them that you do want to help them, but you can’t help them while they are whining. Remind your child that you can’t understand what they are saying while they are whining, ask them to use their words, or show you what they need.
4. Stay Consistent
Don’t be tough on whining one minute, then give in the next. It is very confusing and will lead to… yes… more whining.
5. Whine Avoidance
Toddlers can be very particular about their needs, and will whine loudly when things aren’t just right (or is that just my toddler?!). Check in before acting, to avoid the dreaded whine. Let your toddler take control of as much as possible. For example, if they invite you to play ask how they want you to play – Which piece of the puzzle should you start with? Which costume might you wear? What color marker could you use?
5. Catch the Good
When your toddler asks for something in their ‘regular’ voice, respond straight away. You don’t need to make a big song and dance about it. Simply say “thank you for asking nicely”.
6. Are you a whiner?
Check yourself! Do you nag or whine at your toddler? Try to keep on top of your own whining and show them the best way to communicate.
7. You Are the Adult
Stay calm. Remind yourself that YOU are the adult in this situation. They are young children, learning how to behave in this crazy world. They need your help to learn. Nobody is perfect, we all lose our cool from time to time. If that happens, acknowledge it and apologize. Remind your toddler that you will always love them, it’s just their behavior that you don’t appreciate.
8. Laugh
If all else fails, make a joke, have a laugh, diffuse the situation with a giggle or some silliness. It will help you and your toddler relax and make all the world’s problems seem a little bit smaller.
Toddler whining can make us as parent feel like whining ourselves. But try a few of these and I am sure you will see so much improvement!
You might also like 5 Ways to Teach Kids Gratitude and end Entitlement and The Right way to Praise Your Toddler so They Grow to be Confident, Capable.
Have you ever wondered if your toddlers speech development was “normal”?
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This post is by Kylie at octaviaandvicky.com
