What to Do About Your Toddler's Whining

👉🏼If you have a young child, you're no stranger to whining.

💛Whining is developmental. Young children can't independently regulate their big feelings and often lack self-control and advanced self-direction skills.

🔑I've found the most effective way to support a child through the whining phase is to be predictable in how we respond to the whining.

👍🏽We model for M how we'd like him to communicate. This gives him enough direction to calm his body and try a new way.

🗣"In your brave voice, tell us: I need my stool please."

👏🏼New babies, separation anxiety, big transitions like a new home or new school, can all trigger whining.

🔥If we can speak to the feeling, hold space for it, sit with the discomfort of it, and offer some loving guidance for what to do with it, we'll feel a little more successful.

🔥And if it ends up being a mess, don't take it personally. It's part of the process. Sometimes the big feelings are meant to be felt and our job is to be the container.

🔥I know it's messy having to hold it all for our kids. Trust me, I did not have a reliable adult to do that for me as a child. I had to learn in adulthood how to do that for myself.

💜And my whiny kiddo has taught me how to do it for him.

💜I'm a better parent for it.

💜And so are you.

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