Trick your kid to stop whining

A guaranteed annoyance every parent encounters is persistent whining. It is after all, a time-honored kid communication ploy. Why do they use this tactic? Well, simply to toy with your emotions. Here are some tips to counter excessive whining…

Kids are a lot smarter than you give them credit for. They know very well that you react to their crying, so whining about something might just get them some results since you want them to be quiet most of the time.

Read on for some tips on how to make your child see that there is a better alternative to ask for things instead of whining. Point out to them that whining isn’t acceptable in your household.


Tips to counter whining


You need to teach your child to ask for things politely from an early age. This means saying “please” is more effective than whining and wailing. Thank your kid and praise him for doing this well—“Thank you for asking so nicely.”


Commands like “Stop whining” are pretty much useless. Instead, you can say, “Sweetie, just ask. You know I don’t like it when you whine.”


Train your child to be self-sufficient—“If you really want something then go and get it if you can.” This will teach them to be independent.


Never respond in a frustrated or angry tone. Why? Because this is the very behaviour you are trying to fix—an adult version of whining.


When your kid starts whining you can whine back teasingly. When your kid sees this, coupled with the absurdity of seeing a parent whining, he will realize that whining is actually a silly thing that gets you nowhere. Reverse psychology baby!


Another thing you can do is pretend that the whining is actually coming from a really small animal making a noise—hidden somewhere. Go like” “Hey, did you hear something– that whining noise? Sounds like it is coming from you. But it can’t be because you know not to whine when you are asking for something. I’m sure you’d say please and ask in a normal voice, so there must be a baby hippo or a puppy in your shirt pocket. Let’s find it.”


Make it interesting, we’ll teach you the “The Whining Jar” trick. First, you take a jar and label it “The Whining Jar”. Let your kid get creative and involved by making him draw on the label. Put 10 to 20 small items that your kid likes in the jar—stickers, sweets, plastic animals, balls, toys and such. Then tell your child that for every day that goes by without whining, he will be rewarded by being able to pick something from the jar. Just replenish the jar when it gets low.


Remember this; never give in to a whine just because you’re fed up of hearing it. Then you’d just be sending your kid the wrong message, that whining is acceptable in getting what you want. Just ignore the whining until he gets tired of his own voice and stops voluntarily.