My child whines and cries a lot, how do I change this?

[Michele B]

Ignore her when she does this. And praise her when she uses her words and doesn't cry for what she wants. Tell her what a big girl she is for asking and talking with her nice words and when she's being good, tell her that you love it when she's like this and wishes she would stop whining. When she whines, tell her it's not going to get her anywhere and you're not going to talk or listen to her until she uses her words like a big girl (and then ignore the bad behavior). Also, you could start using a point system, like for every day she doesn't whine or cry, she has a cookie for dessert or something like that. She's old enough to know better and you can start to reason with her at this point. Good luck!

 

[ihavedrive]

My daughter is three years old and her whining and crying is driving me crazy. Especially the person I am with. One of the reasons we broke up is because of her whining and crying. How can I stop this?

 

[K C W]

You have to be consistent. When she acts up you have to punish her. I don't know what your child's currency is but you have to take something away that means a lot to her. Most important you have to be consistent. The moment she whines, she gets punished even if you are busy. It's hard, but it works.

 

[Working mom&wife :)]

1- Ignore her, she is doing it for attention.
#2- Consequences, time out, taking things she wants away, etc.
#3- Let her know you are putting your foot down and it is absolutely not accepted.
#4- Make a board of house rules, If she breaks them then it is straight to time out. If she goes 5 days with good behavior then she get a treat on the weekend!

 

[Mrs. Heather Schabby]

You ignore her when she is displaying whining and crying for attention.

One of the key phrases I use with my kiddos when they're whining or crying at me is "Use your words, I cannot understand whining." Then, I walk away or do something else. The children learn very quickly under my care that they will not get what they want through whining and crying. With some children who are used to getting what they want through whining at their parents it takes longer. I once cared for a child who sat and screamed and cried for a cookie for about 1 1/2 hours. Needless to say, I completely ignored the behavior after instructing him to use words and not whine, and he did not get his cookie. DO NOT give in because you don't want to hear the whining or crying anymore. All this does is reinforce to the child that if they whine or cry enough, they get what they want.

Be firm! It is the best thing you can do for your child.