I can usually stop it at that moment, by asking him to repeat himself in a big boy voice, or if it's really bad, whining back at him until he laughs and stops. But no matter what I do, he'll just start whining again an hour later or the next day. Will he ever grow out of this?

I'd love to hear anything you've done that's been successful.

Thanks.

I think it's habit forming behavior. Does he need a little snack? some extra fruit juice? Just something to give him a little extra spurt of energy might make a difference. Of course, if he is whining for a snack and it's almost dinner time, you don't want to cater to that whine.

It's too bad when someone manages to grow up with whining as part of their personality. It happens. Punishment just doesn't seem to work.

Hang in there...anything you try might work.. for a while. But if you can get him to laugh you have gotten one step ahead of the problem.

Only one of mine did this. He would start late in the afternoon just as I was trying to start the evening meal. I found that the best thing with him was to just sit down on the floor with him in my lap and hug and sing to him for a minute or two. Then he would just rest a little, calm down and then get up and go about his business. It took a little time, but in the long run, it was easier to do it and get it over with. Funny thing, HIS son did the same thing. His mother never caught on that this is what he needed. When ever I was over at the house, I would sit down on the floor, gather him up, and in just a little while, he would be OK again.

Be clear about what you want. Things that can interfere with success in this area are inadvertent rewards or intermittant reinforcements. He learns that if he whines 'enough' it turns into a game and you act silly and make him laugh and he feels better (everyone does with a good laugh). You can replace that pattern with one where, when he speaks well he gets not only a more timely response to his requests but also a hug (or you could act silly then, because he probably really likes that and if it gives you both a laugh then you both will feel better).

It's hard because even though he's young, 'you' cannot stop his whining. He has to stop his whining. You can do things that will encourage it, and you might feel somehow responsible for it (his behavior) but it is not yours to control. You can change your behavior and maintain consistency so that his behavior will then change.

And then if he's still whining, I can't understand him. Even if I wanted to.

But I'm lucky, he doesn't whine a lot. Just a little, now and then.

And I work w/ a grown-up whiner, so it's not a bad idea to try to eliminate it now.

Yesterday, the whining was a 7.5 on the richter scale. I dismissed nap-neediness because she had gotten a full nights sleep. But I put her in my lap and she fell asleep on my shoulder. (guys, she's 4, she NEVER does this any more). I was shocked but I think when they are going thru a growth spurt, or for whatever mysterious reason, sometimes they need an extra snooze). She only napped for 40 minutes - a deep snooze, and then she was completely ok the rest of the day.

So next time the whine rears it's ugly head, I'm going to check the tummy first, and the nap second.

By the way, I took my other 2 younger sons to the dentist at age 18 months for their first check-up. I wish I'd been more agressive with the first one!