Tantrums in a toddler occur as they face many changes both physically and emotionally while they grow up.
Due to lack of expression of words, emotions burst out as tantrums.
Tantrums in a toddler are quite a challenging phase of parenting.
It is a learning space where children and parents can understand each other better.
We should not ignore paying appropriate attention to it.
When a child is showing tantrums is left without any care, they start growing with a wall surrounding them and do not expose any difficulties, which later becomes the problem when they grow as an adult.
Finally, they end up with wrong misguidance dealing with a worse situation.
How to deal with tantrums in a toddler
- Understand your child needs
- Figuring out the limit
- Helping the child to handle the tantrums
- Making ourselves calm
- A strict NO
How to deal with tantrums in a toddler
When a friendly bond is developed with our child starting from their younger age, it helps us deal with tantrums and support them to overcome effectively, as it gives a feel of secured relationship between parents and a child.
Understand your toddler needs:
The child can start showing tantrums as they need to possess the thing they want. It can be either basic ones or unwanted ones.
The basic needs that the child usually expect starts from warmth and affection, encouragement, how responsive we are to them, chance to learn and explore something new.
How to understand the child’s needs
- Sometimes when a child feels hungry, not well-rested, or needs to picked up, sickness, they start expressing it in the form of tantrums.
- So we have to make our bonding with children stronger to understand their needs and support them in attaining without any difficulty.
- Helping them with the usage of the right words to express their feeling aids them, as a toddler they lack to express their feeling and start showing tantrums.
Figuring out the limits:
By figuring out the limit starting from parents or children usually helps.
Focusing on behavior is vital, as it must be respectful to self, towards others, and the environment.
We should start setting boundaries as our child is around one year to have a clear idea of what is ok and what isn’t.
How to set the limits
- Be precise in setting a limit, as the child has an idea why the limit is set and express them in words. An example, Telling a child not to touch the glass of hot water as they will get hurt.
- Be consistent because they will get messed up with the limit. An instance, by setting a limit of screen time for 2 or 3 days and again allowing a child to have screen time on 4th day.
- Talk to them about the limits and consequences instead of following them blindly. Make them aware of those consequences, instead of shouting to a child not to play with a knife or gas stove.
Help the child to handle the tantrums:
Many times child faces a lot of trouble in handling things which later outcomes as tantrums.
Sometimes the situation may be the same, but we get two different answers (either Yes or No).
For example, Somedays when we inform the child that “We can’t go out for a play today because of bad weather,” they understands and replies with “Ok mom, we can go for play tomorrow .”
But On the Contrary, someday they doesn’t accept it and wants to play out, never minding consequences, instead gets angry, shouts, and even sometimes throws the toys.
By the time we either get tensed and start yelling at them for their behavior or remain calm by not responding to things.
All of us would have faced this situation in one way or another, but what makes things better, when we choose the second option to stay calm, which often works out well.
Some Tips to help a child handle Tantrums:
- Recognize the child’s feelings. Let the child feel their emotions, but never stop them from doing it either they are happy or sad.
- Use soothing words to change the ambiance by hugging and use a consoling tone like “I can understand how you feel awful as you were eager to go out.”
- Keep off the limit objects of their sight or reach.
- Compromising or distracting the child. For example, What if we play with clay at home instead of going out, what if we do some new coloring activity, and so on (Depending upon your child’s interest, you can go for compromises.)
- Make them feel comfortable by providing plenty of positive attention.
- Give them space to make their own choices or give a closed choice. An example, asking a child do they want to play in clay? or do some painting at home? as we cannot go out for play today.
Making ourselves calm:
The key solution to handle tantrums is to stay calm and react less.
When a child starts showing tantrums in public, getting angry or upset makes the situation even worse.
How to calm ourselves?
- Just remember as it is not the child’s behavior that makes them show tantrums.
- But it is because of feelings or emotions that they are dealing with inner(mentally) that gets exhibited as tantrums, where they need our help.
- Talking to the child with proper eye contact and explain things usually works depending on the child’s mood.
- If they ignore it, relax, stay calm, take a deep breath, remove yourself from the situation.
- Scolding, yelling, hitting a child makes things even worse.
- Meltdown works depending on the situation, the child is not in place of listening to what we say, a hug or kiss and soothing words like “I am here for you” can help them feel better.
A Strict “No”
- Some behaviors that the child shows should be given strict no without consideration.
- If our child making an issue with another child starts raising hands or hits another child.
- If children play with dangerous things
- But the strict No with reasonable explanations can help them out understand things better.
When a Tantrum in a toddler has presided appropriately, the child breaks the boundaries with their parents, as they feel more secured and comfortable with them.
In addition, after becoming an adult, they will be open to share out their feelings and ask for help when they need it without any hesitation.
If you are new to my blog, I am Asha, mom of a 3.5-year-old baby girl, where I write articles on parenting, homeschooling, and motherhood.
Do read my blog post on 17 Memory boosting activities for kids.
Join my community as we can grow stronger together in raising our kids.
You can also get access to my FREEBIE by clicking on the link in the smartbio.
Follow me on my Facebook and Instagram page to get more updates on homeschooling, parenting, and DIY activity ideas for kids.
If you found this post beneficial?
Then Like👍 and Share💞 , it will be helpful for others too and do share your review about the blog post and if you have any interesting ideas on how you deal with Tantrum in a toddler drop your comments 💬below.