Handling temper tantrums
Every parent worries about children getting upset and throwing temper tantrums, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the majority of us are at home. Understanding and finding solutions to these tantrums doesn't need to be tricky, as our experts share their tips in response to questions about temper tantrums and how to tackle them., Is a temper tantrum normal?, A temper tantrum is an unpleasant and disruptive emotional outburst. It occurs because children are not able to regulate the anger that arises when they are prevented from doing something they want to or are not given something they desire. Temper tantrums are considered a normal part of a child's behaviour from 1.5 to 5 years of age. They occur …, When is a temper tantrum not normal?, If these episodes are more frequent and are disrupting a child's routine and causing harm to a child, it is vital to seek professional advice and redress this behaviour. To provide an appropriate response to a temper tantrum episode, you need to understand the stages of a temper tantrum. A tantrum episode can be divided into three stages, and…, How do I deal with a typical temper tantrum episode?, Stage 1: For screaming, yelling, crying and whining Move: Take the child to a different place. Distract: Young children have a short attention span. Use it and try to distract the child and offer something else. Engage them in a different activity and take the child away from the environment of the tantrum. Negotiate: Provide an alternative to…, What are other things we can do to prevent such episode to happen in future?, We must adopt certain principles to help us respond/manage a child's temper tantrum behaviour. These include disregarding or ignoring the child's attention-seeking behaviour, comforting and soothing and nurturing/comforting the child after the tantrum subsides. Intervening early by distracting and negotiating is also key. As a parent you need to:…