What Every Parent Wants To Know: How Do You Tame Tantrums?

“Mommy I want this. Can I have it?” says the child.

“No darling. We have food at home,” says the Mother.

“BUT I WANT IT! WAHH!” says the flustered child.

Has your child ever had a meltdown in public? What did you do? How did you handle it?

Most of us can say, “I’ve been there!” It can be a frustrating stage in your and your child’s life because everything is just a little bit (or a lot) harder. But, trust us when we say they’ll grow out of it!

Every child is different, but their reactions to how you handle each situation can be the same. No tantrum lasts forever, but it may seem like it will. One important reason that children have tantrums is because they are trying to tell you something but don’t have the vocabulary to communicate their feelings.

According to Parent Magazine, there are ten tantrum fixes that both parenting experts and other moms swear by. They include:

1. Ignore your child – This may sound mean, but emotions are taking over -- overriding the frontal cortex of the brain, the area that makes decisions and judgments. Your child will eventually cool down on his or her own.
2. Know which kind of tantrum your child is having (meltdown, dramatic, public) – This will help you identify which way to respond.
3. Give your child space – This allows your child to get their feelings out, pull themselves together and regain self-control.
4. Create a diversion – This will allow the child to forget about the tantrum they’re having almost instantaneously.
5. Discipline without spanking – This allows you to show your child that there are natural consequences to certain behaviors.
6. Find out what’s frustrating your child – This is when sign language will come in handy! Or you can ask your child to point to something they want.
7. Give your child a firm hug – Hugs make kids feel secure and let them know that you care about them.
8. Offer Food or Rest – If your child’s tantrums usually occur before lunch, before naptime, and in the early evening, they are probably caused by hunger or fatigue.
9. Incentive to behave – The key is to give an incentive to your child before the tantrum happens. That way if you feel one coming on, you can gently remind him or her about the "treat" you discussed.
10. Speak calmly – Keep your cool during a child's tantrum. Otherwise, you may into a power struggle.

We’re sure there are many other ways you can handle your child’s temper tantrums, but these are ways other mothers swear by. We hope these tips will help you and your child communicate better and ease the number of tantrums.

Have you found a technique that gets your child to calm down?  We’d love to hear from you, please share with us in the comments!

Do you know of a parent looking for a quality daycare or preschool in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor or the surrounding areas? Please encourage them to contact us to schedule a tour of Little Angels Preschool & Daycare.

What Does Your Child’s Plate Size Have to Do With Obesity?

Do you force your child to clean their plate at dinnertime? 

Does your child eat more than one serving?

What size plate do you serve with at dinner?

All of these things can play a role in overeating. According to research, “one in three U.S. kids is now defined as overweight or obese.”  One way to solve this issue may be portion control!

You may ask, “How can I control my child’s portions?” According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the following steps will make it easier to minimize the extra calorie intake that you might not have noticed otherwise, including:

1. Offering the proper “serving” to each member of your family, and then putting the extra food away. You’ll then have leftovers for another meal.
    
2. Skipping the appetizers and splitting a large salad or main dish with one of your family members when dining out.
    
3. Ordering a small pizza instead of a medium pizza will make it easier for your family to avoid overeating because the pieces are usually smaller.
    
4. Watching movies at home or the theater while having a snack can distract you from noticing what you’re putting in your mouth and when. At the movies, share a box of popcorn, and avoid the free-refill tubs … and skip the candy!
    
5. Eating straight from the bag or box is never a good idea. Measure out snacks, including fruits and veggies, into appropriate portion sizes before giving them to your kids.

Obesity can lead to many health problems, such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. If you make a change in your child’s eating habits early on in life, your child may end up living a longer and healthier life!  

We hope this information will help you become more aware of the portions your child is eating at home and while dining out in the Ypsilanti area. At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare Ypsilanti, we’re dedicated to our students’ health and well-being. We want to ensure the safety of our students and their families.