1 Year Old Whiner

Maybe more sign language since that seems to keep him from whining at meals? words like ball, book, airplane, car, shoes, diaper, etc. If he could tell you what he wanted, he might be less likley to need to whine. good luck

We tell our son that we don't understand him when he whines, and ask him to repeat his request. If we still can't understand him, we ask him to show us what he wants. Most of the time he is able to do this, which helps understand what he was trying to ask for. This has almost always helped curb the whining.

I've never actually done this but my cousin does with her children, she doesn't tolerate whining at all very strict but this is what works for her and her family.

Starting around the age of 1 or so she will send them to their bedroom or put them in the corner or face the wall. She never gives in and is extremely consistant with this and I swear her children donot whine at all.

As for my own child (almost 6yrs.) I've been telling her for years I donot speak or understand whining. I only speak English and if she wants something to talk to me nicely. I will walk away from her and completely ignore her and she get's the point immediately. That's what works for me.

Hi M.!!
I love that you mentioned your basset hound in your profile. I'm a dog lover too and new mom. My daughter is 15 months old and started the whining stage also. Actually sometimes instead of whining she screams at the top of her lungs....which is also not very endearing. What I've started with her is telling her "stop" instead of "no" because otherwise I feel like we are always staying "no". And then I've been coaching her to say "Please". Amazingly enough she is beginning to do it. When she uses the word "please" I give her at least a little of what she wants so she can see the affect of doing that vs. screaming or whining. Plus I give her lots of kudos for saying the word which makes her sort of proud of herself. She doesn't say it perfectly...but I can tell that is what she is saying.
As far as the boredom thing in the car, I struggle with that also. But I just try and come up with new creative games we can do...like asking her where her nose is, and where her feet are etc. etc. I can see her in the mirror and then give her lots of praise when she points to the right thing.
When she throws what I call her "baby tantrums" then I make sure she is in a safe place and walk away for a few minutes. It usually calms her down quickly because she wants to be with me again. These might not work for you...they are all so different, but it might?
Good luck!
J.

I would suggest at one years old to ignore him when he whines, just to let him know whinning gets no response

My daughter was also a whiner (and still is in some ways) at that age. Luckily now that she can verbalize what she's feeling or what she wants, the whining has gone down considerably. I also have noticed that she tends to be more persistent and whiny when she hasn't had enough rest or is feeling sick. The good news is that this falls into the "and this too shall pass" category. In the meanwhile, good luck! In a few months you'll be dealing with "What's that?" being asked every five seconds!

My 20 month old was and is the same way. We ignore him when he whines to let him know it's not ok. If the whining turns into a full blown tantrum then he goes to time out until the tantrum is done.

Hi M.,

I am the mother of 6 1/2 year old twins (a boy & a girl) and I do remember my kids going through that stage. My son was especially bad (and still is the bigger whiner of the two). The first thing to keep in mind is that it is just a stage and like all stages it will pass. At 13 months old your son is not yet able to communicate with words what he wants and needs so for him this is how he is able to communicate. So, your job is to teach him the proper way to act and communicate.
First of all I suggest trying to avoid using the word "no" as much as you possibly can. It really teaches your son nothing and if you think you are annoyed with his whining, once he can talk he will be using that word for everything. Most of your day is spent keeping your toddler away from things he should not be into. The idea is to show him and tell him what you want from him rather than telling him what you do not want. If you think about it it makes great sense. Our job as parents is to teach our children acceptable behavior. So, when you tell them what you do not want or tell them no they have not really gained anything from it. So, we need to show them directly and by how we interact with others, how we want them to act. When they are getting into something you do not want them to, rather than tell them no, do not play with that, redirect them to something else and say something like why don't you play with this instead. As far as the whining goes, when he begins whining because he wants something, say I know you want something but when you whine I cannot understand you show me what you want, show me and show him how to do that. Or when he gets frustrated and starts whining (first understand this is the only way he can communicate his frustration) and then let him know with words that you understand it is hard but maybe if I help you, it will make it easier or if he is tired say something like I know you are tired but it does not help when you whine it only makes everyone grumpy ... Another thing I did with my kids (my son especially) when we went out to a restaurant and they would whine. I would very politely ask them to look at all the people in the restaurant and I would tell them that these people came out with their family and friends to have an enjoyable meal, and "do think they want to listen to you whine"?, probably not. It was like all of a suddent their world gets a little bigger than just themselves and they start thinking about how their actions affect others. Start by using simple sentences and keep in mind that even before they are not able to communicate verbally, they can comprehend, so begin using words to explain things to them, this teaches them the words to communicate feelings and ideas even though they can't yet talk. This will help them so much when they finally can talk and will make it easier for all of you. Once he can talk a little just let him know he needs to either show you or use his words to explain what he wants. Look at it from his perspective, can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be tired, hungry, or want something and your trying to let someone know but no one is getting it, although that does not make it all right to whine it may help you understand where he is coming from. It will not happen over night, it does take a lot of time and patience and persistence. I do remember being SO annoyed too when my son was going through that stage. But, again as I said it does pass and eventually your hard work and persistence does pay off. Good Luck!