As a parent of a young baby, the thing that drives me mad the most is without a doubt my daughter whining! Children whining will feature high on any parents list of the most irritating things a child can do. They do it from being young babies well into being teenagers, it is a fact of being a parent that we will at some time have to listen to our child whine. Of course their age depends on what exactly they are whining about but for all ages it is a form of communication.
Punishing a child for whining will probably more likely end up with more whining or tears. He might stop whining for a while when punished or even if the need is met, but more than likely they will end up whining again but for something different. Whining could be the child telling you they need something, they do not always do it to just get on your nerves, although it can feel that way!
Whining can be a sign that your child feels disjointed from you in some way and you need to give them back a sense of security. While your tidying the house or dealing with another child in the household, the child being left alone does not understand you have to do these other things. Why not let them help you do the chores or look after another sibling, this can help them feel useful and they may not get bored for at least another ten minutes! If a child feels disjointed from you and then you ask them to do something, they can become little balls of anguish. Even small tasks can feel mammoth to a child feeling like this.
To try and combat this, think to yourself what your child needs so much he has to whine for it. More often than not, it is not a material need, he wants you and your attention. You have an amazing connection with your child from the moment he is born, but bear in mind sometimes these connections can be way laid sometimes. Make sure you make time for your child or children, all children need one on one attention and you must find time for this somewhere in the day. A confident child comes about from feeling close to the people they love and feeling cherished and important. Once your child feels connected again, he will start to convey his wants and needs without feeling the need to whine for it.
Try to give the child what he wants when he is whining for something, showing him that you are there for him may help to ease his concerns. This may only be a quick fix to the whining though, as if he is not satisfied that he is close to you by you doing what he asked, he will whine for something else instead. If this happens you must then decide to set boundaries for this type of behaviour. Instead of just saying no to his requests try something a little more light hearted. No can be a scary word for a child and as much as we would like them to, they do not really understand no, or why they cannot have what they want.
No matter how you approach it your child will whine and there is no permanent fix for children whining. You just have to think about how to deal with it when it happens and you might be able to do to stop the whining when it does happen. So therefore, there is no cure as such for whining. You juts have to be close and connected to your child to stop them feeling so vulnerable.