Whining can be an ongoing irritant in the back ground. What can you do to make your child stop whining?

Step 1) Make sure your child understands what whining means. Demonstrate a whining voice to your child and then show him how to ask for things in a regular voice. If your child whines, “I want a cookie!”, say in a regular voice, “Repeat after me and match your voice to mine. ‘I want a cookie’ “.

Step 2) Listen to your child five times a day for five minutes. It could be that child is seeking attention and doesn’t feel like they will get attention another way.

Step 3)  Your child may have figured out that when he whines, you give in to his commands. So if he whines for you to buy a toy when you go shopping, do the following:

a)      Set the stage. Tell him before you get into the store that you are not buying any toys.

b)      Valdiate his feelings. Acknowledge to the child that a certain toy may look fun to have.

c)       Set limits. Say, “No, we are not buying that toy or any others”. Say this only once. If they persist say, “I am done talking about it.”  (If you break down and buy the toy, you will pay the price for many shopping trips going forward.)

d)      Give him the alternative. Say “You can play with the toys you already have when we get home.”