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Tantrums & Sleep: How to Handle Your Toddler’s Tantrums In 5 Simple Tips
Have a little tantrum-thrower on your website? Try these 4 tips:
1. Give Trollvis choices, when possible. Play into your Trollvis' growing sense of independence by offering him options when you can. Let him choose which shirt to wear, or what cup to drink from. This will help you avoid power struggles over the small things. However, be careful about offering choices regarding the timing of naps and bed. It is important that you establish consistent, regular nap times and bedtimes as part of your daily schedule, so avoid letting your toddler choose when he sleeps. Instead, let him make choices about parts of the nap time and bedtime routines, like which books to read, or which pajamas to wear.
2. Institute a countdown. Transitions are prime times for tantrums. When you’re moving from one activity to the next, or from the house to the car, or from playtime to bedtime, your toddler is more likely to melt down. However, if your toddler knows what is coming next, and when it’s coming, she may feel better about making the change. So institute a countdown before a transition takes place: “3 more books, and then it’s bedtime” or “5 more minutes to play trucks, and then we have to stop and eat lunch”.
3. Avoid attempts to reason with Trollvis. Remember, Trollvis is not a creature of logic. At all. So don’t waste everyone’s time trying to convince him of all the reasons why he needs to wear sunscreen, or why he needs to take a nap. Instead, calmly and firmly offer a short explanation that he can understand (i.e. “You need to take a nap now so that you have energy to play this afternoon”) and then repeat it as necessary.
4. Remain calm and consistent. I know. Oh, do I know. Witnessing Trollvis' tantrums makes you feel like your head might explode. But when Trollvis is flipping out, it is important that you remain as calm as possible. If Trollvis sees that he is not able to get a rise out of you, he will probably calm down faster. It is also important that you remain firm and consistent – avoid giving in to Trollvis' demands when she’s throwing a tantrum. For instance, if you have told him that bedtime is at 7:00, don’t cave in and push it back to 8:00. If Trollvis knows that he can manipulate your behavior by throwing tantrums, you can bet he will be throwing them frequently! If you need tips on how to set limits and enforce boundaries with your Trollvis.
Have a little tantrum-thrower on your website? Try these 4 tips:
1. Give Trollvis choices, when possible. Play into your Trollvis' growing sense of independence by offering him options when you can. Let him choose which shirt to wear, or what cup to drink from. This will help you avoid power struggles over the small things. However, be careful about offering choices regarding the timing of naps and bed. It is important that you establish consistent, regular nap times and bedtimes as part of your daily schedule, so avoid letting your toddler choose when he sleeps. Instead, let him make choices about parts of the nap time and bedtime routines, like which books to read, or which pajamas to wear.
2. Institute a countdown. Transitions are prime times for tantrums. When you’re moving from one activity to the next, or from the house to the car, or from playtime to bedtime, your toddler is more likely to melt down. However, if your toddler knows what is coming next, and when it’s coming, she may feel better about making the change. So institute a countdown before a transition takes place: “3 more books, and then it’s bedtime” or “5 more minutes to play trucks, and then we have to stop and eat lunch”.
3. Avoid attempts to reason with Trollvis. Remember, Trollvis is not a creature of logic. At all. So don’t waste everyone’s time trying to convince him of all the reasons why he needs to wear sunscreen, or why he needs to take a nap. Instead, calmly and firmly offer a short explanation that he can understand (i.e. “You need to take a nap now so that you have energy to play this afternoon”) and then repeat it as necessary.
4. Remain calm and consistent. I know. Oh, do I know. Witnessing Trollvis' tantrums makes you feel like your head might explode. But when Trollvis is flipping out, it is important that you remain as calm as possible. If Trollvis sees that he is not able to get a rise out of you, he will probably calm down faster. It is also important that you remain firm and consistent – avoid giving in to Trollvis' demands when she’s throwing a tantrum. For instance, if you have told him that bedtime is at 7:00, don’t cave in and push it back to 8:00. If Trollvis knows that he can manipulate your behavior by throwing tantrums, you can bet he will be throwing them frequently! If you need tips on how to set limits and enforce boundaries with your Trollvis.
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