Whether you’ve witnessed another exhausted parent trying to remain calm as their child speaks to them in a whining tone of voice or if you’ve been that parent yourself— it happens! Kids can have a rough day, they might be sleepy/ hungry, or they can feel sick and be less likely to tolerate things they usually do during that time. Those instances are normal and you shouldn’t worry about them.

If, however, your child starts to talk using a whining tone of voice often and in instances that don’t make sense and then continues to do so for a couple of weeks, it may be time to intervene.