They don’t call it the terrible two’s for nothing. Dealing with precocious toddler who’s testing boundaries and expressing himself can frustrate any mom. Check out these 5 tips to help tame your toddler’s temper tantrums and keep your sanity.

 By Annie Friedman

They don’t call it the terrible two’s for nothing. Dealing with a precocious toddler who’s testing boundaries and expressing himself can frustrate any mom. Check out these HOW MANY tips to help tame your toddler’s temper tantrums and keep your sanity.

              Let’s face it, temper tantrums are embarrassing. No matter where you are, your child can have one at any moment. It’s important for you as the Mom to know how to diffuse the tantrum while still letting your child know that you are in charge. Check out these tips to calming your child, getting rid of the situation and remaining a “Momma-in-control.”

1. Acknowledge the tantrum. Position yourself at your child’s eye level and talk to them directly. By talking to your child directly, they will appreciate that you are acknowledging their frustration and taking the time to deal with it. Your child will probably still be angry, but won’t feel ignored. Older children tend to respond better to this than toddlers but depending on the toddler, it should work since children just want to be heard.
 
2. Talk about their behavior. By talking to your child about what just occurred, it will let improve your child’s communication skills. In turn, it will be easier for you to understand what they want and help everyone remain calm. Your child needs to understand that tantrums will not get them what they want, so they need to communicate and respect Mommy. Talking with your child is a great way to teach them how to speak to someone and teach them about respect and understanding. 
 

3. Try different strategies. Ignore your child’s tantrum to see the tantrum will stop. First, make sure that your child is safe and walk in a different direction from your child. Stay nearby, but make it clear to your child that you are not paying attention to them and that their actions don’t have any affect on you. Do not make eye contact or talk to them. Doing this will let them see that they aren’t getting a reaction, so they will probably stop.
 

4. If ignoring them doesn’t work, soothe them. Rub your child’s back and speak softly to them so they are comforted. Repeating phrases such as, “You’re OK,” calms children down and diffuses the tantrum. Also, try making your child laugh by making a funny face or telling a joke.
 

5. DO NOT yell back at your child or try to reason with them. If your child is having a temper tantrum, yelling at them will only create more negative emotions and upset the both of you further.  It’s important for you as the Mother to be the one in charge and gain control over the situation without having an emotional outburst of your own. If you reason with your child during their tantrum, this will send a message to them to throw a tantrum every time they want something. For instance, if you say, “No,” when your child asks for a cookie, they’ll throw a tantrum so you give them the cookie. If you do give them what they want, they know exactly what to do to get what they want.