How to Stop Whining

At some point, all children will whine about something or throw a tantrum. Learn how to stop a whiny child with tips in this parenting video.

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Ignore whining
Do not reinforce whining behavior with gifts
Talk to kids in soft voice when they calm down

About this Author

Dr. F. Felicia Ferrara has more than 25 years of experience in psychology with a specialization in childcare and adolescent adjustment. Ferrara maintains a private practice in Tampa, Fla. and consults in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties within the family court system. She has trained many educators and psychology students on child assessment, diagnosis and treatment as a former associate professor in the university setting. Above all, Ferrara loves to circulate expert knowledge along with her vast background and training to help people with all types of childcare issues.

DR. F. FELICIA FERRARA, PhD: Hello! I'm Dr. Felicia, the parent coach, and I've been working with children and families for over 25 years. I'd like to talk to you today about how to stop a child from whining. Now whining is probably the biggest curse any parent ever heard. I mean, all of us have had instances where a child takes a tantrum and whines quite a bit. Though occasional whining is not what we're talking about. We're talking about the chronic whiner, the one who constantly whines. What happens is a lot of parents give in and as soon as their child whines, they give them whatever they want. All that does is reinforce the whining behavior. So, what you want to be careful of is do not pay attention when the behavior starts. This has to start very early, as soon as they start the whining. Just ignore it, and then model the kind of behavior you want. Instead of yelling at the child you would talk softly because they have to be quieter in order to hear a soft voice. So they automatically stop whining. You want to lower them down so that they're nice and calm, and then you speak to them and you say, "That's not the way we want you to behave. We want you to behave. When you can ask me nicely, that's when you're going to get the candy or the dessert or the toy, okay?" So you want to make sure. Do ignore the whining. Do not reinforce it with gifts or whatever it is the child wants. Make sure that you talk in a soft voice and meaningful voice, and then model the behavior that you really want the child to have, okay? So with that, you should have a nice, quiet home setting. I wish you luck with that! Bye now.

How to Stop Whining Video

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