Inside: Discover three powerful secrets for calming big emotions during toddler tantrums.
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Toddlers are awesome little humans with an enthusiasm for life that is contagious. They explore the world and experiment with their surroundings. In this phase of life, little ones are testing everything, including their relationships limits and boundaries. With all of this excitement, often comes big emotions. This is why the toddler years are branded with nicknames such as the “terrible two’s.” Parents dealing with toddler tantrums will find powerful secrets for calming big emotions here.
Related: Disciplining Toddlers: How to Handle Challenging Behavior
Toddler Tantrums
Toddler tantrums take on all kinds of shapes and sizes. Big emotions are exerted and are typically accompanied by yelling, crying, or some kind of physical outburst. These toddler tantrums can be both frustrating and embarrassing. Thankfully, there are three powerful secrets for calming big emotions.
Related: Empower Your Child With These 7 Simple Parenting Tips
Powerful Secrets for Calming Toddler Tantrums
1. Be consistent
The first secret for calming toddler tantrums is to be consistent. This sounds so simple, and yet it can be incredibly challenging. If we can master this tool alone, we will increase our parenting success tremendously. As a parent, if we say something to our child, mean it. Many times we use threats or bribes to get our children to do what we want.
Instead, we can be effective in taming toddler tantrums by being consistent. If your child knows that every time we say we will do something, we follow through, then we will not need to use threats.
Related: Why Disciplining Toddlers Doesn’t Have to be Negative
2. Pick Our Battles
If our child is having a tantrum but is safe, we can take a moment to inventory the situation. Is this a behavior they do repeatedly or is it a one-time thing? Are there other factors influencing the child’s behavior? Is she acting out because she is hungry, tired, hurt, etc?
After we survey the situation, decide if this is a “battle” or a situation we want to address. If it isn’t, we can try to distract the child, ignore the behavior, or de-escalate the situation. If it is a situation we want to address, we need to be consistent. Like the quote says, “Say what you mean and do what you say.”
Related: Simple 30-Day Parenting Challenge to Maximize Your Time With Your Children
3. Plan Ahead
Think about our child’s day. If we know we will be entering into a situation that is typically difficult for our child, plan ahead. Think of ways you help your child to be successful in that situation. Examples of tantrum inducing situations can include: missing a nap, long appointments, special events, or places that are not child-friendly. Brainstorm ways we can help to create a successful experience for our child, when we know they might face a difficult situation. This will decrease the number of tantrums that could occur.
Parenting Resources for Calming Toddler Tantrums
There are four more powerful tools for calming toddler tantrums in the ebook Disciplining Toddlers: How to Handle Challenging Behavior. Inside this book, you’ll discover how to:
- De-escalate out of control emotions
- Reinforce positive behavior
- Create a custom positive reinforcement plan for your child
- Say “Yes” to your child and still get your desired outcome
- + 4 more powerful tools for taming toddler tantrums
- AND two free assessment and analysis worksheets are included to help you get started
Tap here to learn how to redirect your toddler, all while keeping your cool. You can start fresh today!
Your Turn
What is the most challenging behaviors you face when taming toddler tantrums? Share in the comments below.
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