5 Ways To Deal With A Toddler Meltdown

There is no escaping this one. The moment our babies become toddlers they seem to acquire an ability to lose their temper at the simplest of things. This skill usually comes with an ability to spring it on us parents at the most unexpected times. Raging tantrums usually come our way at the most inconvenient times. At the supermarket check-out, in the waiting room at the doctors office or in the middle of a funeral (I speak from experience). They are scary moments where you genuinely want the ground to swallow you up.

We spoke to some seasoned parents about how they choose to deal with these dreaded tantrums. These are the things that help –

1. The only thing that works for me is to ignore my kid. It sounds cruel but every single word I send their way adds time on to the already dreadful tantrum. My daughter needs to have her moment in peace….

2. “This child? I’ve no idea who she belongs to….” – Yep, Pretend the child isn’t yours. It’s surprisingly effective actually. They will forgive you eventually….

3. Try time-out. For YOU. You know that chocolate covered wafer bar? Eat a time-out. Chocolate fixes everything.

4. Don’t give in. I know your child is hysterically crying but you simply cannot let them sleep with the pet hamster. Life is cruel.

5. I show my son the fun in everything. It is a really useful way of helping them do they things you need them to do. Putting his shoes on is now a ritual of putting on his “magical feet” that help him run really fast. Putting his plate in to the dishwasher is a race every single day. The “I bet you can’t put that in the dishwasher before I count to 10” works every time. It is a far cry from the days where asking him would end in a meltdown.