I want to just walk out the door

[Adaline'sMama]

Thats my honest opinion about how I feel right now. This whining is killing me. I feel like it will never end. We are going on week 2 of near CONSTANT whining. She whines if I eat something, she whines when I give her a bite and then she swallows it and wants more, she whines when I sit down to pee, she whines when I walk across the room.

Seriously, all I can do to keep her from whining is hold her on my lap. Doesnt want to be in the sling, high chair, at her desk thing, on my shoulders, on the floor, on the bed, in the playpen, in the bathtub, or ANYWHERE except for on my lap. Nurse, Nurse, Nurse. Whine, Whine, Whine. All day long. Its so loud I cant think! I seriously gave her a pink lemonade popsicle just so I could have 10 minutes peace

:: I feel so guilty that I dont want to hang out with her::

[waiting2bemommy]

I feel your pain! I'm going on YEAR 2 of near constant whining, lol, between my 3 year old and my 1 year old. It is absolutely maddening, I know.

I'm sure you've covered all your bases, but is it sleep related? Tooth related? Molars can be painful and/or cause general irritability long before you can see them. If you haven't tried it yet give her a dose of Tylenol and see how she reacts.

Being pregnant again on top of nursing dd constantly I feel touched out a lot and I simply am not down for holding her 24/7. I do starfall.com a lot with her because it is entertaining without being pure "junk" screen time and she loves it and it's a way I can let her sit on my lap and be sufficiently distracted that she doesn't start those annoying behaviors (scratching me, pulling my shirt off, practically breaking her neck trying to connect mouth to nipple). As an added bonus now she knows the letter A, lol.

Getting outside helps a lot too. Also being around other kids, like at storytime and other library events. The incessant nursing and whining seems to be worst in our own house, when I sit down on the couch and try to relax. I also involve her in my chores....when I'm cleaning the kitchen I give her a bowl of warm water and a rag and she makes a glorious soapy mess on the floor. By the time I'm ready to mop it's all destickified! When I do laundry I give her little errands to run (go put this sock in the basket, give Mommy the towel, etc). She never gets it right yet but it keeps her out of my hair.

Also since I have an older child we have a daily schedule that we follow kind of like homeschooling but on a preschool level. We do occupational therapy activities for him so I include her in those....playdough, pipe cleaners, cotton balls/pompoms, etc  and that seems distracting. When he does his "schoolwork" I give her crayons to color with. We do paint or some other kind of creative art almost every day.

And...even with all those things, many days I still find myself praying for naptime to come quickly! I feel your pain!!!

[LadyCatherine185]

Looks like she just turned a year old in March? is she about to hit some big developmental milestones? Walking? Talking? Getting some molars in?

One thing that REALLY helped us at this age with whining was teaching a few signs. we taught "please" for when he wanted something, and "all done" for when he wanted to get down or was finished with something. This made a HUGE difference for us. At this age, they are becoming so much more aware of things, and wanting things (sometimes very specific things!) and have a hard time communicating that. I highly recommend the book "happiest toddler on the block." And maybe post in the Toddler forum since she is over a year old and this is more of a toddler type issue.

Also, get outside as much as you can! Both of my boys are SO much happier when outside!

hang in there! my absolute favorite age with DS1 was between 12-18 months.. he was still a "baby" but could walk and talk some (he was pretty verbal for his age-- 150 words by 17 months) and we had SO much fun together.

[Snapdragon]

can you just take her out? Do you have a car or somewhere you can walk to where you can distract her w- other people? My ds is the same age and often times the best thing for whining is just to get him out into a social place, he gets distracted by all the excitement of people all around and stops whining!

[McGucks]

This is enough to drive anybody mad.  Don't feel guilty.  My guess is that it is related to something like teething (possible ear infection?) and you may look back and say "Oh, THAT'S what it was!"  I agree with PP about trying to get out of the house.  That is what works for us most often when nothing else does.  A bath is also a good trick sometime.  Could it be a growth spurt and that's why she's hungry so much, or do you think it is comfort nursing?  I can't get groceries with my LO (13 months) anymore because, for whatever reason, he just whines the whole time and I go crazy with it.  In any case, hang in there and much good luck to you!

p.s.:  Our LO went through the high-pitched screeching phase for a solid couple months.  In addition to wanting to walk out the door, I found that I was often mad at him and I admit I even hollered at him a couple times (which, of course, didn't help and made me feel wretched--but I am human!).  I felt awful for feeling that way, but it was completely maddening.  It also caused stress between DH and I.  It eventually just went away for whatever reason.  Parenting can be an endurance test sometimes, I think.  Whew.

Edited by McGucks - 5/7/11 at 1:40pm

[whozeyermamma]

Stock up on pink lemonaid popsicles!

Seriously! I ascribe to what me and DH call "the Malcolm X method of parenting," _ "by any means necessary." That means you do whatever it takes to get you through the minute/hour/day/week/year.

I also agree with the "get outside," advice - I find that 9 times out of 10 when we get out and do something - anything - the park, Target, a walk, whatever - DS's mood improves. (that 10th time out of 10? He'll explode with rage/exhaustion/whatever - but those are pretty good odds by me.)

Hang in there. Yes, it is incredibly annoying. Call a friend and joke about leaving the kid at the fire station. Ok maybe that last one was just me who jokes about that. But give her as many popsicles as it takes for you to get a break when you need one! 

Hugs!

[Adaline'sMama]

Thanks for all the replies. She isnt really getting any teeth (she only has 5, so I doubt the molars are coming yet), she doesnt have an ear infection, and she is in good shape as far as food, temperature, clothing, ect. Ive been making sure she is very comfortable.

ITA with this "malcom x parenting." We pretty much do whatever is needed, but Im getting uncomfortable with the amount of sugar she is getting.

It cant just leave, because I run a business, and I have to stay here to keep it open. Also, we live in the country, so the nearest grocery store is 14 miles away, and gas is almost $4.00 a gallon. We are outside most of everyday though. I have been taking her out almost every day (before or after business hours), but the whining is really bad during the middle of the day.

Thanks!