is it normal for my 2 year old to whine alllll day long?

Question

I feel like I am on my last nerve! Is this normal? I don't remember my older daughter going thru the terrible twos. Is this what it is all about. I really need help understanding this.
Please any good words of wisdom and advise would be great!

Answer 1

Yes, in most cases it is normal. I have three boys that went through it and the best advise I can give is positive reinforcement. Reward your 2 yr old. when thye are good and let them know that bad behavour is not acceptable by ignoring or timeouts. Yelling doesn't help, because they still see it as getting your attention, even if it's negative. If you ignore it they will get the point that if they want your time they must earn it by behaving. When mine were small I made charts and rewarded with stickers, more time for TV or a board game. If they misbehaved, I took a sticker or TV time away. It killed them to loose something they had earned and soon got back on track. Also keep in mind that their attention span is not very long at that age, so when you so punish, don't do it for a long period of time or they will forget why they are being punished and they will end up thinking that you are just being cruel to them. Scarcasim is also a no no because children under 9 do not understand it and see it as you being mean to them. Patience and repitition are the biggest keys I think. It worked for me and I got through it unscaved for the most part!..*lol* Good luck :o)

Answer 2

I had to laugh when I read this, because I was about to post this exact questions about a week ago. My 2 year old daughter whines for everything too, atleast she used to. I started reading up on it, and I discovered some great advise. Just tell your toddler that mommy can't understand that tone of voice, and leave it at that. Don't give in to the demand, don't let on that you know what is being said, just simply ignore any requests that aren't made in a normal voice. It's been about a week of no whining in my house, and after the 2nd or 3rd day, she wasn't even interested in trying to get my attention that way because she knew I would not respond. Good luck!

Answer 3

I have a two and a half year old and she doesn't whine too much because we just don't put up with it. Ever. She used to whine a lot because she gets away with it at her Mom's (I'm step Mommy) but she knows not to try it at Daddy's house. It was hard in the beginning because she would just cry for "Mama" when we tried to disapline her, but here is what we did:

Whenever she whined, we explained to her that we could only hear/understand her if she talked like a big girl. If she tried to say it without whining, we would give her extra attention and "thank her SO much" for talking like a big girl. One day she said, "No whining!" with a big smile like she realized...oh, I get what I want when I don't whine and I get in trouble when I do....So now when she whines we slap a big smile on and say "No whining!" just like she did to us and she smiles, says soowy and tries again. If she doesn't stop whining, we put her in time out until she can say it like a big girl.

It seemed really hard and strict to put her little hiney in timeout everytime she whined, but it worked and now we have a super laid back, non-whining kid...for the most part :( She is two.

Hopefully this will help, it has a lot to do with the child's temperment and environment. Our little one doesn't have any other siblings to compete with so I don't know if that would make a difference or not. Good luck and stick to your guns! If you nip this kind of behavior in the butt now you'll save yourself a lot of pain because it sucks to have a whiny teenager! :)

Answer 4

I also have a two year old that has gone thru this. I figured out it was due to a few things..
1. Her older sister was driving her crazy! Although they get along and play nicely most of the time on occasion my oldest would just annoy my two year old to the point that she would "melt down" crying, whinning etc..
2. She wasn't getting enough sleep, she started to skip her naps and I thought she had just grown out of them but now when I make an effort to put her down and I tell her.. "You don't have to nap I just want you to rest" she actually ends up sleeping and being in a better mood afterward.

Also I have noticed it helps to just distract her when she starts whining, I tell her that behavior is unacceptable and then I point out a toy or ask her a question to change the subject.

Best of luck!!

Answer 5

No it isn't.

First check the basics. Is she getting enough sleep? Is she getting enough food, toddlers little bellies require frequent snacks. Is she getting enough time with other children? Is she just bored? Does she need for you to come up with a different way of dealing with her?

My daughter never whined until her first day of preschool. She came home and whined all night. She saw another child doing it and tried it herself. She was mature enough for me to tell her that if she speaks to me like a big girl I would be happy to talk to her.

My son is almost 3 and he tends to whine when he is bored or hungry or tired. My pediatrician tells me there is a reason for every behavior and so far he is right. Trial and error to find the problem ends the whining. It just takes work, hard work!

Answer 6

Oh yes lol, this is normal. It could be just a need for constant attention, the whining definatly gets your attention. Maybe come up with a project that you and him/her can just do alone. Coloring or watching a movie anything that makes them the center of attention for a good while.

Answer 7

aww, I remember those good 'ole days! Sometimes when my two sons would whine I would whine at them too, a dose of their own medicine always worked, you either will make her laugh or stop the whining altogether! Good luck:)

also this site has some real interesting facts about whining
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/0,19840,1608159,00.html

Answer 8

Try ignoring the whining as much as you can.

But when your child is talking calmly, go out of your way to acknowledge the "good behavior" with a hug, and a compliment. "I like the way you're talking."

Kids just want attention - and negative attention is better than no attention to them. So don't pay attention when they're doing something you don't like (as long as they're safe of course) and do pay extra attention when they're being good.

And always remember: "This too shall pass."

Answer 9

It is FAR from normal. It is abnormal. i think you should bribe the kid to stop whining. give him whatever he wants. let him watch more grown up cartoons, like aqua teen hunger force, or family guy. also, a shot of brandy (just a small shot) in his apple juice will assure he takes a nap without crying about it. trust me, i should know. when i drink brandy, i cannot wait to put my head on a soft pillow and pull the comforter all the way up over my ears.

Answer 10

OK....yeah, it is normal for them to whine at that age, my friends kid whines all the time. The best way to make it stop or at least for a moment is to maybe put in a kids cartoon, something like Dora that is exciting for them, or find something they would like to do to keep them occupied...dont baby them, it will make it worse, just kinda ignore it and eventually they will get the point that they arent getting their way. They will eventually get it and move on to something else.....just be patient!!!