Temper Tantrums Advice

Has your child ever thrown a temper tantrum right in the middle of your grocery visit? If you’re a parent, we’ve all had this happen to us at one point. Here is some practical advice on how to overcome those temper tantrum episodes.

1. Don’t threaten. Sometimes a child needs to see action from you. Don’t threaten to do something, but take the action you are promising. (ie. Taking them to the restroom until they calm down, etc.)

2. Let them cry. Unless your child is hurting themselves, sometimes it’s ok to let them cry it out. It’s not always an attention cry, but a battle of the wills. Your toddler may want to test those boundaries with you.

3. Follow through and be firm. Being firm and fair is the essential thing here. Listen to your child and take a fair action – following through with your decision and explain it to your child.

4. Shift their attention. Try and shift your child’s focus to something positive. Whether it be to your surroundings or in a slight reminder of how well they behaved that last time you went grocery shopping.

5. Be consistent. Children need consistency. It may be hard to diffuse that tantrum situation, but be sure to act in a consistent manner every time it happens. Before long, your child will understand your reaction to his/her tantrum is always the same.

Above all – remember your child is simply testing boundaries and learning the cause and affects of life. Your reaction should always be in love and lots and lots of patience. Before long, those tantrums will be long gone. We promise.