5 Ways To Handle Toddler Tantrums Immediately
You can handle toddler tantrums immediately by understanding the reason behind their behaviors. Finding a quick distraction is another way of dealing with the situation.
Toddlers throw tantrums for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons for outbursts are hunger, tiredness, miscommunications, and frustration of not being to complete a challenge.
Whatever the cause of the tantrums may be, these 5 tips can help calm down the situation and give an opportunity for the parents to talk about the behavior with their little ones.
1. Find A Distraction
Finding a distraction quickly to help your toddler get out of the outburst can be the most effective immediate solution.
A distraction can be anything from a different scene or environment to a mere little favorite toy of your kid. Children tend to forget about their anger issues when presented with a new task or toy.
You can also distract your child by asking them to help you with daily chores. They are very likely to follow you around the house pretending to help you, don't worry about the added mess in the process as long as the trick is working.
Parents can also work with their kids to create 18 Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers.
2. Dig For The Reason
Understanding the reason behind the tantrums from your toddler can help solve them easily and quickly.
For example, if your child is having an outburst due to hunger or tiredness then feeding them or putting them to sleep can help eliminate the tantrums almost immediately.
Kids often do not understand their body needs which makes them irritated and angry. Paired with their inability to communicate their desires with their parents can add to their frustrations resulting in Tantrums. Little things like a heavy diaper can result in a full-fledged episode.
3. Let Them Cool Off
Giving your child (especially older ones above 3 years old) space to vent out their frustration and cool off can help handle the situation.
The older children often have frustrations resulting in outbursts due to their inability to perform seemingly easy tasks such as tying their shoelaces. They tend to get upset and angry after failing to perform the very challenge or task they thought would be easy.
Letting your child get their frustration out (be vigilant so they do not harm themself or others in the process) and talking to them or teaching them to complete the frustrating task will put an end to the chaos.
4. Give Them A Big Hug
Giving your toddler a big firm hug without muttering a word can help calm things down.
Although hugging your child might be the last thing you want to do during the chaos of the outburst, Dr. Levy explains to Parents, that giving them a hug will reinforce their feeling of security calming things down.
However, it is important to hold your child firm and not mutter a single word. If you start discussing with your child during the hug then you and your toddler will fall back to square one of the situation as disagreement will get the better of both of you.
5. Practice Time-Out Sessions
Choosing a time-out location and enforcing it every once in a while can help calm down your kids.
According to Mayo Clinic, sitting your child in a boring place like a chair or hallway during their tantrums and keeping them in the same position for 2 to 3 minutes can help them calm down.
You should bring your child back to their designated timeout spot if they start wandering off until the session ends, this will help your child understand the importance of good behavior. Not making any communication during the timeout session is also an important aspect.
However, once the session ends, it is very important to discuss the whole reason for the timeout and explain their irrational behavior. You can also have a conversation about the reason for the tantrum.