my son is a whiner?

Question

My son is 10 months old and is a whiner, very fussy. The doctor said he is a normal healthy boy but my daughter did not whine like him. He even does it when i spoon feed him. The only time he is really happy is when he is watching sesame street beginnings DVD's...do you have a son that is like mine??

he whines in stores, i can never get anything done. pls help me!!! Itried with my doctor and all she tells me is he is normal...but i have seen other babies and they are not fussy like him. he has been this way since he was 3 months old

I di\o ignore his whinning. I will not pick him up, if at all until he stops whinning as i do not want to reward whinning.

thats his picture on the left.I love him, just the whinning is drivin me insane...sometimes, if he keeps doing it and doing it, I will put him on the floor in his room and shut the door for a little while.

Answer 1

Don't worry. It's just something with that age. My son is three days younger then yours (Feb. 6th, 2006) and he's going through the whiny stage also. It certainly is frustrating. Is yours pulling up all over your legs also? That gets to me also! What I always do is just let him whine around or get him to help me with what I'm doing. I'm a big time cleaner so I have a few cleaning things (rags, sponges, and a hand broom) that I let him play with while I'm cleaning. I also try to include him with whatever I do. At the grocery store I give him the pen and my list to hang on to and talk the whole time we are in the store. Sure, I look crazy but he doesn't whine. I just do little things to make him feel included but also things to make him able to play independently without my constant attention on him.

Another thing I noticed that you said is that you are still feeding him with a spoon. My son got really upset about that around eight months. We got him utensils and he plays around with his food while we eat. It's fun and he's really catching on to it. We use "Gerber Graduates" (fruits and veggies) which the kids can pick up with their hands and they are in little chunks. This eliminates about three meals I otherwise would have to feed him.

I don't know if you've regestered with Baby Center yet but it's a really great website! You get weekly emails about your child personalised by age and name. It is also a great parenting tool. Another thing that's great is you can put in your child's exact date and more information and it tells you the things he is ready for. Boy, I love that website.

It's kind of nice to know I don't have the only whiny kid! I know it's tough and you've probably had a rough day. I have my days too but hang in there! If you ever want to email someone who's child is close in age, feel free to contact me!

Answer 2

All babies are different. Just because your daughter or other children don't behave the way your baby does, doesn't mean there is something wrong with him. He's 10 months old and not able to talk yet. Imagine how frustrating it must be for him to want something and not be able to communicate that to you. I think you are being a little hard on him. I understand how frustrating it is for you too, but give it some time and with any luck he will outgrow his whining. Good luck!

Answer 3

You probably have a whiner because when he whined in the beginning you just ignorned him...babies that are tended to and not left to cry or whine before six months cry less after six months....mabye that is why. I dont think ignoring the problem is working is it! Hes still whining. Mabye give him more attention, when hes in the store whining talk to him about the things your going to buy make games with him. Dont just ignore him.

Answer 4

Hi, I know you usually really hate my answers, but I think I have found some information that could be of some help for this situation.

First most doctors don't consider a child to be whining until they are toddlers which is 12-24 months. That being said, when a baby appears to cry for no reason he is said to have colic.

Here is a site with some great information and even a definition of colic (in case your doctor tries to tell you that she/he has tested your son for colic, there is NO such test and it seems she was just trying to tell you something so that you just had to deal with your son's crying):
http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babyills/colic/3160.html

Once your son is a toddler here are a couple of sites with some great information on what to do and how to stop it.
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/preschooler/pbehavior/11576.html

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/toddler/toddlerbehavior/11980.html

I guess I never stopped to think that you were just using the word that best describes your son's behavior to you, and for that I am sorry. I really hope this information helps you. I was lucky my boys only had short term colic.

Answer 5

Sounds like he needs more sleep. Make sure he is still getting two naps a day, morning and afternoon of at least an hour and a half each, and that he goes to bed a decent hour, no later than 8pm. I have a day care in my home and I've watched several children that behaved the way you described your son. When they first came to me, none of them were getting enough sleep at night, due to bedtimes being waaaay too late, or during the day. Once I got them on a set sleeping schedule and made sure they were getting good restorative naps during the day I saw dramatic changes in the "whininess". Their parents were even shocked at how much better they behaved once they were well rested and made a permanent change to the early bedtime. Good luck.

Answer 6

I actually have daughter like that.
Well try leaving him in his room with a bottle on the floor and shut the door until he stops crying!
If that doesn't work then let him watch the movie.
When a baby cries it is their way of communicating.
Now if he is showing off in a store that is when a kid needs a spankin.
Rewarding a child for not crying is a good idea.
You are completely right. DO NOT reward a child for crying b/c it let the kid know that you have a weakness. Keep the disipline for a couple of weeks. It shoukld change.

Answer 7

I believe it is their way of asking for attention...everyone is different....so it is something that you will need to focus on real hard, to see the underlying meaning. He is the youngest and may just express himself that way at this time. My son is 5 and whines on occasion. I noticed, that when he hears me tell his sister that I am very proud of her regarding her school work, he tends to baby talk or whine. So now I have made him equal and give him work/fun things to do also. He loves that I am proud of him too.

Answer 8

You might want to invest in one of these:

http://www.babybjorn.com/TemplatesWeb/ProductDetails.asp?itemid=322

I bought one and carried my child around the house so that she saw what was going on. She stopped the whining after a couple months. When I had to make dinner I would tell her I would be in the next room if she needed me. It also helped that I kept within her view of me. Once she could not see me she started whining.

It is something a child has to grow out of and as you know every child is different.

Answer 9

That picture is adorable btw. My daughter started whine and she just turned 10 months. I hate whiners. My blood gets a boiling. If he doesn't need anything like food or diaper change try to play with him with some toys of his. Something that would get his attention. He needs to learn to play by himself. My daughter is good at it but as she is getting older she loses interest fast. Good luck and happy holidays.

Answer 10

Sounds like he uses you as his soul comfort object. You need to wean him off of you, and help him find new ways of comforting and entertaining himself.

He knows you'll respond in some way or another if he whines. Any reaction is better than no reaction in his book.