How many times have you heard “Moooom!” today? How about yesterday, or the day before? Toddler whining is a fact in many households with young children.
It irritates you beyond belief. Whining is a frustrating and annoying problem and is often downright unacceptable. Nonetheless, it is actually the way in which your child manages to attract your attention and, let’s face it, it works. Toddler whining is similar to many other bad habits and it can easily be reduced as long as a few simple tactics are put into play at an early stage to show your child there are other, far more successful ways to communicate with you.
Be Aware Of What Trigger Toddler Whining
The first step to stop whining is to try to limit the trigger points of whining. For example, a children will whine if they think they are not receiving your full attention when talking, or if they are allowed to partake in a frustrating activity just before bedtime making them even more tired, or if they are hungry and you are busy doing something to feed them. Any time your toddler is able to get through these scenarios without whining and using good communication skills you should praise them for speaking to you in a grown up voice that you can understand. Praise, when something is done right, can be more effective than criticism.
When the toddler whining begins, keep calm, don’t overreact and quietly ask your toddler to repeat what they have said once again but this time in a normal tone. We use the phrase, “Tell me that in your big girl voice”. There will, of course, be times when you have to give in – your child is hungry and you are busy preparing dinner, for instance. The challenge is to change your focus from what you are doing and ask yourself what your toddler wants. More often than not, they are hungry, tired or bored. At this point a healthy snack or a few minutes of attention will go a long way to stop the whining.
Consistency Is Essential To Stop Toddler Whining
When rules have been laid down, consistency on the part of both parents is essential. It’s no good one parent following it through when the whining boundaries have been crossed, and the other letting the child revert back to how things were previously. When you have an older child who has a tendency to whine, asking them to come up with a few ideas to relieve their boredom or solve the problem at hand usually works much better than you suggesting a solution.
There are, of course, occasions when whining happens because of life traumas. Problems at school, illness amongst family and friends and parents getting divorced are just some of the issues which may lead to a child whining. These situations can often be alleviated by paying your child a little extra attention or sharing some one-to-one or family quality time together.
Remember that the underlying cause of toddler whining often, if not always, frustration. Determining what is causing the frustration and working with your toddler to eliminate them will go a long way in getting rid of the dreadful, “Moooooooom!”
