Such big feelings in little bodies. My toddler is having some of the biggest tantrums of his life. He’s becoming more sure of what he wants, what he likes, and what he wants to be doing. Which naturally clash with how I see our day going. I try to talk to him, comfort him, let him get some feelings out

Toddler tantrums can be very challenging, remember to try and stay as calm as you can. Try and go down to their level and see if you can talk to them this way or see if they can express there frustration out by using card with pictures on them if you aren’t able to get them to verbally tell you otherwise, sometimes it is just best to let them work through it and then talk to them afterwards about trying to let you know when they are feeling overwhelmed.

Toddlers normally have a reason for a tantrum. What are they doing throughout the day? are they tired and over stimulated and could be playing up because of it? It is important to try and work out what the cause could be as it normally is one or two things. Once you have a better idea, you can work to change these as best you can.

Most important is for you o stay calm and take deep breaths; your calm helps to regulate your toddler. Help your toddler to give words to feelings by acknowledge their feelings and labeling them (for example “I can see that you are upset”). Stay close and let them know they are not alone and give a hug when they need it. No reasoning and no shouting and also don’t give in (when you initially said no then let your no remain no).

To help your toddler best it’s important to understand why toddlers have tantrums. Often you see lack of awareness of emotions, lack of ability to verbalise these and lack of ability to regulate their emotions. By tuning in with your toddler you can help them to co regulate. Most important for you is to stay calm

I love to distract the toddler when a Tantrum is happening. Lets play in water, lets turn on the hose! This works well at home as does lets have a bubble bath and walk off to the bathroom. I shout so they hear me over their tantrum. Another tactic is stunning them by calling out a sibling name or someone else’s name as if you are looking for them nearby. This usually confuses the child and they wonder what you are doing. This works great in public spots like the shops or parks.