Toddler Tantrums

 It is said that a child starts listening to their mother by the 35th week of gestation and stops listening to her by two years of age. I am a practical witness to this statement which might have started as a joke.

Since toddlers are free and have nothing to do and their brains are rapidly growing, they try to adapt with their environment and side by side maintain their individuality. They have a lot to communicate but they are unable to do so as their word library is less so they resort to being cranky, angry and impulsive. Parents experience bouts of crying, hitting and other destructive behaviors like breaking the toys etc. When there are other people around and the mothers are purely dedicated housewives, its easier to cope with them but if you are a working mom and your family is far away it becomes an even bigger challenge. Some mothers nowadays resort to giving screens to their kids to get rid of these behaviors and they become successful for the time being. But in the long run, they are converting their kids into screen zombies which severely impact their future mental and physical health. So lets take a look at some parenting tips to cope with this situation.

Keep Calm

The best strategy to prevent unwanted behavior by the kid is to be a model parent as toddlers tend to imitate their environment and tries to copy the one who is around. So when the toddler is throwing a tantrum or having a melt down, the best strategy is to remain calm and composed. This would not only reinforce good behavior in the future but also be good for your own mental health.

Sometimes ignore if they are unreasonable

Sometimes toddlers behave like that to judge their importance in your life and test your limits so that they can get what they want in future. If you give in as a parent to the unjust demands of your toddler, you will end up in getting a spoiled brat in future who will be My way or High way type of a person. The best policy to adopt is to ignore them. They will cry, be cranky, impulsive and do unreasonable things but when they feel you are not responding, they will eventually stop. Personally tried and tested.

Talk out with your toddler

At times what we feel like a tantrum isn't actually one! I myself have experienced it many a times. The kid is fussy and crying because it has an earache but you are ignoring and taking him for granted. Sometimes my little one is too grumpy and then I realize that its a hunger pang which he is unable to communicate to me. So i quickly get food. Despite of the fact that they can speak, but sometimes they are unable to form words or sometimes even they themselves don't know what they want. So if you talk out with them calmly and ask them what's bothering them, it wont only help you bond better but also makes you a better parent for them.

Distract the kid

When the aggression or crying doesn't subside after sometime, another strategy is to distract the kid. Show them their favorite animal or talk about it, say that your cat is running, where is it going etc. Or take them for a walk outside, give them a toy they love the most or give them some new toy or clothes or something your kid loves to eat. This has been the best strategy for me so far.

Be an understanding parent and try to eradicate the root cause of the behavior

Not all tantrums are because of the kids bad behavior. There might be a stressor like the kid is afraid of something, some other kid did something wrong or there is a solid reason, especially with repeated behaviors. Try to understand your kid's problem and solve it. This would end the trouble for both of you.

Reward wanted behaviors and praise your child

If your child listens to you soon praise them and reward them with a sweet treat or their favorite toy. This would make them happy as well as compliant. If a day passes by and the child doesn't throw any tantrum, this should also be praised and rewarded.

Healthy snacks for kids

You might not believe me but foods have a significant impact on a child as well as an adult. So instead of giving fast foods and junk, try healthy alternatives. Like fresh fruit chunks, cheese delights, healthy cakes (I will share my recipes soon) Try to cut their sugar and salt consumption as it makes kids hyper.

If you are burnt out, take time out instead of shouting on them or hitting them

Normally if kids don't listen to their parents, they intend to hit them. We have been through this in our childhood and I call this t**rorism of parents. I pledged to myself I wont do this to my kids. Its very difficult though, after becoming a parent. But when my kid is very unreasonable and I feel compelled to shout and hit, I take time out and go somewhere else, leaving my kid alone. This causes the kid to reflect upon themselves and also helps me calm down.

Though there are many more but these are my best hacks on positive parenting and I hope to see you again soon in another blog. If you are reading it, I thank you for your support. Your support makes me want to write more.