How to Handle Temper Tantrums
Dr. Katy Gibson is a mom of four who decided to leave her clinical position as a pediatrician to raise her children. When she made the transition to a stay-at-home mom, she joined several online mom groups to connect with others where she discovered other moms giving each other all sorts of advice. Some of that advice was great and some not so much. Being called to continue helping people she decided to start her own online education website and Facebook group to help make sure moms were getting the right advice from a qualified source. Today she speaks with us about many things, including how to handle temper tantrums.
There is no shortage of topics when it comes to questions moms have for Dr. Gibson. Being a mom can be overwhelming whether you’re a first-time mom or have multiple children. Each child brings unique qualities and characteristics to your family life. One topic that comes up often is tantrums and how to handle temper tantrums.
Reasons for Tantrums
During the holidays tantrums can seem to go into overdrive and according to Dr. Gibson there are several reasons why this occurs.
- Most kids thrive on routine but during the holiday season families travel, they go to celebrations and have more activity in general which throws kids off their schedule.
- During all this, kids aren’t eating their normal food and generally consume extra goodies.
The biggest way on how to handle temper tantrums during all of this is to know what your child’s triggers are. Pay attention to and identify the triggers that can cause a meltdown.
All children are different so for one child missing nap time isn’t a big deal but for the next child it could mean the whole family suffers. Dr. Gibson says if that is the case then it is 100% ok to schedule your activities around naps to make everyone happy. For some children food can be a trigger. Too much sugar can affect children’s overall mood including causing them to be hyperactive which can turn into them losing sleep. Another thing that can affect children during the holidays is their parents’ level of stress. If families are traveling, preparing big meals, shopping for gifts and wrapping presents they undoubtedly can feel more stressed, and children can pick up on that. Remember to take a moment for yourself so your stress level won’t cause you to be short tempered with your children.
Prevention first
Dr. Gibson suggests preventing tantrums in the first-place parents need to pay attention to how their child is acting. If the child starts saying no or gets whiny those behaviors could be the beginnings of a full-on meltdown. If you can intervene at that point, you will most likely prevent a full-blown tantrum. We don’t always catch those cues so what happens when the tantrum is in full swing? That is when you try a few things to see what works. Give them something that will distract them like a favorite toy or book or a snack. Take them to another area to give them a moment to calm down. If a full-blown meltdown is happening sometimes the best option is to take the child to a safe space like a bathroom or car if you’re out and about so they can calm down.
During my podcast with Dr. Gibson we discuss many common childhood issues including how to handle night terrors and the differences between night terrors and nightmares, the new rules for screen time and the best ways (and not so best ways) to treat common colds in children. Listen to episode 33 to hear all of the wonderful information Dr. Gibson shared with me.
Learn more from Dr Katy
For free tantrum survival tips below is a link to a free guide Dr. Gibson has on her website.
Freebie: Tantrum Survival Tips Every Mom Should Know: www.drkatygibson.com/tantrumtips
To join Dr. Gibsons Facebook group click the link below:
FB Mom’s Group: Unfolding Motherhood with Dr. Katy
👩🍼Unfolding Motherhood – with Dr. Katy
