How To Stop Childhood Whining

Why Is My Child Whining?

Jan 1, 2007 Connie Newbauer

Find out why young school-aged children whine and how to stop it!

Younger school-aged children have mastered the art of walking, talking and toileting themselves for the most part; but parents have to remember that their young child’s vocabulary may not yet allow him to express himself as fully as he needs.

Remember when, as an infant, your child used to cry to be fed, changed, or while learning a new challenge? Your younger school-aged child will do that as well! What can you do to stop the whining and crying?

Remember that the whining or crying is the signal of something wrong, not the behavior of a bad child.

Is the child getting enough sleep? Have you kept him out past his bedtime? Taken him out when not feeling well?

• Make sure – just as if he were an infant – that you are not interrupting his schedule of basic needs (feeding, sleeping, etc.) for events such as shopping or visiting. Sleeps is very important for growing children – and remember – this remains so until through high school!
• Eating on a schedule is also important. Some flexibility can be tolerated at this age, but even if they are in school, their little tummies start to run on empty at about the same times each day. If you are going to be out running errands near mealtime, keep a small, healthy snack in your purse for emergency growlies!
• Toileting needs are also not as forgiving for children. Making a child wait too long to toilet (even if it is inconvenient for you to stop and do so) may lead to physical distress on the part of the child, or even an accident!
• Once you have made sure there is no physical cause of the whining, and if this is not an isolated incident, perhaps a reflection of your time with the child should be looked at. Children love and crave the attention of their parents. Children not given the attention they need, will resort to whining for attention.
• Children do not whine because they are spoiled. Children only act spoiled from two parenting traps: Receiving things instead of attention and not having a consistent disciplinary plan. The cures for the “spoiled-child whines” are to substitute your attention for material things or to make a disciplinary plan and stick to it!

Following these techniques, you will no doubt be whine-less in no time!

The copyright of the article How To Stop Childhood Whining in Early Childhood is owned by Connie Newbauer. Permission to republish How To Stop Childhood Whining in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.