Toddler

“One of my tactics is to distract my 18-month-old with something other than what she wants (or doesn’t want!).” Laura Wittebol, Laval, Que.

“Every time my two-year-old daughter, Lily, starts to whine, I say: ‘Oh, great! A whining contest!’ Then I put my cheek to hers and say, ‘I bet I can whine better than you can. You go first!’ We each whine, and then ask whoever else is around to judge who is the best whiner. In the absence of any onlookers, we judge ourselves. We always end up laughing and have completely forgotten what the whine was going to be about!” Louise Campbell, Charlottetown

“I tell my kids that whining won’t change my mind, but I will listen to manners. When a child asks politely, I always listen, but I don’t ‘negotiate’with whiners.” Julie Larose, Prescott, Ont.

“When my toddler starts to whine, I sing a song that she likes and she quickly joins in, with her little babbling voice.” Jeanette Youmans, Deseronto, Ont.

“I give my five-year-old a choice: He can whine and not get what he wants, or he can stop whining and we can do something together, such as read a book or play with his cars. He usually picks the activity, and by the time we’re done, he’s forgotten what he was whining about.” Susan Mongrain, Hagersville, Ont.

“As a kindergarten teacher, I have several strategies for handling whiny children. One is that I teach them emotion words to use instead of whining — for example, ‘I’m angry that you took my toy.’ With patience I find that they learn to use words and use a tone that is more effective and less annoying.” Gwen Harper, Stoney Creek, Ont.

“I’m the mother of twins, and when one of them starts whining, I start whining with them and this gets both of them laughing.” Christine Maheux, Candiac, Que.

“With our toddler, we realize whining is usually due to frustration. We try to get him to communicate what he wants by getting down to his level, looking in his eyes and asking him what he needs. He will usually stop whining and show us what he wants.” Lisa Dunned, Ottawa

“When my daughter whines, I just give her a big hug. I don’t give in to her whining; I just redirect it by showing her affection. Usually I get a hug back, and the reason she was whining in the first place is forgotten.” Marielle Catillo, Niagara Falls, Ont.

Originally published in Today's Parent, March 2006