How to get your child to stop whining quickly
Do your kids constantly whine and complain? Then these tips are for you, harmony will return in the home!
Whining or whining are common behaviors in children. It can become a very annoying (but common) behavior problem in children. If there is no adequate intervention on the part of the parents, a child who stays a long time could turn into a complaining adult who does not know how to find solutions to the problems that he must face.
Parents need to take steps to control their children’s whining and prevent it from becoming a bad habit. Remember that whining is not the same as a tantrum. Whining consists of crying complaints to pity the adult or to annoy him until the objectives are achieved.
Index
ESTABLISH A FAMILY RULE
You need a family rule about constantly whining or complaining that says something like, ‘You should ask nicely and take the answer calmly.’ This will help children understand that attempts to change the mind of adults will not be effective. You will need to make sure that other caregivers of your children do the exact same thing when the child tries to whine to get their way.
GIVE HIM A CLEAR WARNING
Sometimes whining becomes a bad habit for children and they don’t realize they are doing it. Give a warning saying, ‘Remember that complaints are useless.’
This can help your child become more aware that begging, begging, and repeatedly asking doesn’t work.
STAY CALM WITHOUT GIVING IN
Hearing a child constantly whine can be very annoying, but it is important that you stay calm. Take a deep breath and count to ten. If necessary, leave the room and play music on headphones to keep your cool and keep your composure.
Whatever you do, you must not give up. If out of frustration you end up saying something like, ‘Okay, have another cookie, but shut up!’ You may have taught your child that whining is an effective way to get what he wants. You need to avoid these negative reinforcements so that you don’t complain in the future.
IGNORE COMPLAINTS
Attention in any form, even negative attention, can encourage the behavior to continue. Ignoring attention-seeking behavior, such as complaints or teasing, is an effective form of behavior modification.
If your child starts whining when you tell him to pick up his toys, and you keep talking to him while he whines, you are reinforcing the behavior. Giving attention encourages whining to continue. Also, the longer you engage in conversation, the longer putting away toys can be delayed.
Ignoring complaints and whining means you are not listening. Disconnect from the whining but be prepared because he will cry louder when he sees that you ignore him. If this happens, the strategy works. Keep ignoring until the behavior stops and then your child will see that it is not working and make sure not to give in at any time when your child has made his behavior worse.
POSITIVE ATTENTION: AT THE RIGHT TIME
Positive attention should only take place when the misbehavior has stopped. As soon as the whining stops, give your child positive attention and praise their attitude with phrases like, ‘I like the way you’re playing quietly right now.’ Paying a lot of positive attention to good behavior will motivate your child to seek your attention in a positive way.
PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN
Give your child the skills he needs to handle frustration, disappointment, or sadness without the need to complain. It teaches that feelings are all valid and help us to recognize how we feel and to learn to handle the most uncomfortable feelings.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.