{"id":4096,"date":"2023-05-25T07:33:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T14:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=4096"},"modified":"2023-08-08T08:01:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T15:01:18","slug":"5-steps-to-stop-whining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/5-steps-to-stop-whining\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Stop Whining"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whining\u2014that nasal, annoying, distracting way kids talk when they want something we aren\u2019t giving them\u2014drives everyone nuts. It\u2019s impossible to ignore\u2014and that\u2019s why it works! Kids will keep on whining as long as it gets results. So try our 5 steps to stop whining!<\/p>\n

When a kid is whining, it may seem like they want something like a cookie or a toy. But at the core of things, they really want the most precious thing of all\u2014their parent\u2019s attention. Perversely, kids want attention so much that they\u2019ll try anything to get it, including negative behaviors like whining.<\/p>\n

So how do you get your child to stop whining? Here are 5 ideas:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ignore it.<\/strong> If the whining doesn\u2019t work to get the cookie, toy, or your attention, the child will eventually stop using that approach. Some parents say, \u201cI can\u2019t hear you when you\u2019re whining.\u201d And if the whining continues, they add, \u201cHmmm, I thought I heard you say something, but I didn\u2019t hear a big kid voice\u2026 can you try again?\u201d Of course, if they\u2019re trying to get something they can\u2019t have, it\u2019s best to simply and calmly re-state your \u201cno\u201d (rather than ask them to re-state the request!)<\/li>\n
  2. Skip the discipline.<\/strong> Many parents find it works better to not punish or scold when the whining occurs. The child is at some level seeking your attention\u2014even if it\u2019s negative attention. The time to discipline<\/a> whiny behavior isn\u2019t right when it happens. Instead\u2026<\/li>\n
  3. Talk with your child.<\/strong> Take a moment when they\u2019re not whining to sit down and let them know that talking to you that way isn\u2019t okay. Tell them you need them to use their nice voice and good manners instead. (This is when some kids benefit from hearing you explain it\u2019s not that you actually can\u2019t hear them when they whine, but that you choose to not respond until they change the way they\u2019re speaking to you.) Also, remind them that when you say no to something you have a good reason for it, and repeated requests won\u2019t change the answer.<\/li>\n
  4. Try humor.<\/strong> As with many things in life, whining may improve if you try to have a sense of humor. You could try observing that your child is whining \u201cYou\u2019re feeling very whiny, aren\u2019t you? You know, so am I. Let\u2019s whine together!\u201d Then have a whining contest for a minute or two: \u201cI bet I can whine even better than you!\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. Increase positive attention.<\/strong> Although you don\u2019t want to reward whining, you do want to make sure your child\u2019s needs for positive attention<\/a> are being met throughout the day. Kids who spend more calm, happy one-on-one time<\/a> with a parent tend to act out less often. Find opportunities to recognize good behavior<\/a> and celebrate that with your child. Prioritize spending time together to connect.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We know that whining usually stops when it doesn\u2019t work or isn\u2019t needed. Set clear expectations that you won\u2019t respond to whining and increase your use of positive parenting techniques, and soon this annoying problem will fade away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Whining\u2014that annoying way kids talk when they want something we aren\u2019t giving them\u2014drives everyone nuts. Try these 5 Steps to Stop Whining!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[454,674],"tags":[430,207,61,209,466,474],"class_list":["post-4096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-parenting","tag-child-behavior","tag-discipline","tag-parenting","tag-positive-parenting","tag-toddler-development","tag-toddler-language-development","ages-preschool","ages-toddler"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1691506879:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"_thumbnail_id":["4097"],"slide_template":[""],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"5 Steps to Stop Whining in Kids\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["454"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["289"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["5 Steps to Stop Whining"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["77"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1691506879"],"wpfp_favorites":["330"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4096"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4122,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4096\/revisions\/4122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}