Hi Everyone,
I am having a very stressful time with my two boys right now. I am hoping for some advice on the best ways to deal with this. My 8 month old is a constant whiner. He whines and cries all day long. I thought it would get better when he began to crawl, but it hasn't. It actually seems like it is getting worse to me. And my patience is starting to wear thin. But that isn't my problem right now. My 3 year old has decided to start crying and whining everytime his little brother does (which is all day). This is what I am having a hard time dealing with. Has anyone else had this problem? Why is he reacting like this? And how can I get him to stop? My stress level is over the top and I actually find myself yelling at my 3 year old all day long. I do not want to do this to him. How can I handle my stress as well without yelling at him. I feel so guilty after I yell. Any advice or trips would be greatly appreciated.
Hello everyone. Well, my 8 month old has become a different baby in the last month since I wrote about my little problem. He is not as whiny. I am afraid to say this out loud though b/c I don't want to jinx myself. He is a happy baby, but I still don't know what his problem was. He still has no teeth. And needless to say, my 3 year old doesn't throw his fit in the car anymore. He is still mean to his little brother, but I am not sure there is much I can do about that. Thank you for all the suggestions. It is nice to know that I am not alone in my times of stress.
i have only dealt with this with a little girl i babysit and she does it when the baby crys so i tell her we dont cry and i put her in the corner she stops right away
i only have one 4 yr old girl and i have been dealing with that from the first day home from the hospital. my mom actually stayed up all night cause she wouldnt stop crying if you put her down. i had to get some sleep. now instead of just whinning and crying i have not listening and dirty looks like im talking to a brick wall so i feel you on this one 100%
Hello! I'm not really sure what to tell you about the 8 month old. Maybe he's teething, or frustrated, OR...what do you do when he whines?? Do you pick him up right away?? Does he always get a reaction from you? Maybe it's something like that and he needs to be ignored when he's whining. I know we're never really sure how much they understand at that age, but after having my second (who is now 1 1/2) I realized they understand much more than we give them credit for. Talk to him when he starts up maybe. Try to give him a drink, or change or a toy...if it's nothing, explain that he needs to stop crying and ignore him.
As far as the 3 year old...My older son has done this. I think that the whining and crying actually annoys them as well and they just start copying them. I've found my son doing this and explained that he's the big brother and mommy's having a hard time teaching his brother that he can't whine. Ask him to help you by showing him not to cry, or try to get the older one to play with the younger one. These are things that I've tried. Some days they work...some days they don't. I'm sure you know how that goes. :)
Good luck to you. Hope your future days will be QUIETER!! I know how frustrating that noise can be and how it wears on you. I have a tendency to yell in those times and it's something I always try to change in myself. I was yelled at a lot as a kid...although my parents were great, I did hate that about our household. I guess it just carries on with me and I try my best to stop cause I know I hated it as a kid. We all run out of patience sometimes. Hope some of my suggestions will help you!
God bless!
Hey N.,
Your request is similar to what I experience with my (almost) 3 year old son and my 10 month old daughter. My daughter is very 'vocal' to put it nicely, and many times when she is crying and whining my son will start to do the same. There are times when I just yell and that ends up making it worse. I think the kids pick up on my frustration and it only escalates things. What I've been trying to do - and it seems to work most of the time - is calmly tell my son that he is a big boy and the baby is crying b/c she doesn't know how to use words like big kids can. It's hard sometimes b/c I'm frazzled and so sick of hearing the whining but I try to take a deep breath and keep my head on straight. I feel my son behaves this way because he sees the baby is getting attention from it, so why not give it a whirl? I also try then to give him a little extra one on one time when the baby is napping or something. I'm so sorry you are stressed out. I know it's hard being home with the kids, especially when they are whining and crying so often. Have you checked with your pediatrician about your little one? It seems unusual that he would cry all day. My SIL's son behaved similarly for many months and then they figured out he was having ear problems. Once they got that taken care of he was ok. I hope you find some relief! Don't be too hard on yourself you certainly have your hands full. Good luck!
