Understanding Toddler Meltdowns

Temper tantrums are not unusual or unusual embarrassment amid attending kids. These may be minor temper tantrums to major crankiness Depending on the child, these may just be fussiness to full blown temper tantrums. As much as they are terrible, children’s meltdowns are a typical occurrence during childhood. – Mindful Meltdown Recovery

Why do toddlers throw temper tantrums?

Preschool children are not yet capable of managing their emotions and failure and saying what they want properly. They may have meltdowns due to a variety of reasons, including:

• Frustration: If a toddler fails to acquire what he or she desires or fails to perform what he or she wants, the toddler may become annoyed.
• Tiredness: Exhausted children have a difficult time regulating their feelings and this appears to be especially true of toddlers.
• Hunger: Hypoglycemia can cause some form of aggression and crankiness.
• Overwhelm: When young children are overload with stimulation or demands, it usually becomes negative for them.
• Sensory Overload: Some patterns of sounds, vision or touch might work the child’s nerves and thus, cause meltdowns.

What parents need to understand is that these cases are far from meaning that a child is misbehaving or undisciplined. They are just a means of children to show how they feel at a particular moment.

Normalizing Meltdowns

Arguably, one of the critical things that parents should do is to ensure that meltdown is not a big deal. Make sure your child understands that being frustrated or angry is alright. Knowing these emotions makes them feel valued since you can accept and support them.

Just bear in mind that you’re not the only one going through this. Every parent loses temper with their kids at one point or another. As any parent knows, tantrums are no fun; but when you understand why kids have meltdowns and then learn how to more calmly parent during these episodes, you’ll get through the rough times a lot more easily.

Mindful Parenting Techniques

The Power of Mindfulness

The definition of mindfulness is simple: it is about being aware of the present period and not passing any moral judgement. However, the ability to hypothesize is not the only benefit of practicing mindfulness that can assist parents in controlling their stress levels and defusing their own anger to make amends for a child’s melt down.

How might mindfulness be of certain help during meltdowns?

• Staying calm: Particularly, raising a child with the autism spectrum disorder can lead to you experiencing stress or argumentative feeling when your child is having a meltdown. It helps to be ‘present’ and be able to remain composed.
• Understanding your child’s emotions: Also, practicing mindfulness can allow for providing better understanding of child’s emotions and needs.
• Responding with compassion: If you follow this way of thinking you will likely to behave differently towards your child in a more positive way.

They will then showcase poor examples of effective communication techniques or strategies.

This paper also shows that communication is a major determinant in dealing with meltdown situations . He listed various methods in the article, which will support a child in need to feel a listener and therefore feel heard.

• Active listening: Giving your full attention to your child when they are speaking. You should look into the person’s eyes, tipped your head a few times and make us of verbal acknowledgments such as ‘I get it’ or ‘I see’.
• Validating feelings: Do not scold your child for feeling the way they do. You might say things like, ‘You must be so annoyed at the moment’; ‘It seems like you are really annoyed now’.
• Setting limits: Set examples of acceptable behavior and demonstrate a well-defined set of lines that cannot be crossed. Be quite concise and straightforward when communicating your expectations to the audience.
• Using “I” statements: Release your emotions out to your child but do not take out on them. For example and do not say – You are bad or You have been bad today, it is better to say– I get upset when you throw your toys.

Creating a Calm Environment

One of the ways that will assist in reducing common behaviors or episodes of meltdowns is setting up a environment that is as serene as possible.

• The importance of routine: Children thrive on routine. Staying on a tight and fixed schedule throughout the day does prevent anxiety and stress from arising.
• Creating a peaceful space: Choose an area of the house that is quiet and comfortable for your child when she needs a break.
• Minimizing stressors: Alone it is good to avoid or avoid contact with noisy places, polycyclic lights as well as other activists, which help to bring about upset.

Specific Strategies for Common Meltdown Triggers

Babies and toddlers have tantrums as a reaction to a particular stimulus or aggravation. Here are some strategies to help you manage these common triggers:

Dealing with Tiredness

• Establishing a consistent sleep schedule: Try to get your child to sleep at the same time every day, including during weekends, and get up at the same time as well.
• Creating a calming bedtime routine: Plaguing your child with a bedtime routine can help the child understand that it’s time to go to bed.

Coping with Hunger

• Healthy snack options: Stock some healthy foods for the family to prevent cases of hunger temps that lead to undesired outcomes.
• Regular meal times: Avoid skipping between meals in order to avoid instances of low blood sugar.

Handling Frustration

• Teaching problem-solving skills: Be pro-active and help your child also in problem solving by especially asking questions which have more than one answer and also make suggestions.
• Offering choices: Allow choices in order to make your child feel in charge. For example, a question such as do you wish to rock the red shirt or the blue shirt?

Responding to Overwhelm

• Creating a sensory-friendly environment: Minimize the amount of noise that is around you, do away with clutter and avoid places that have bright lights.
• Taking deep breaths together: Make sure your child learns how to hold his/her breathe until he/she becomes calm. This you can do together to give a model of the behavior expected of the child.

Additional Tips for Mindful Meltdown Recovery

The Importance of Patience

Another hint when contending with toddler meltdowns is that one has to be very patient. That is why they are still complex to manage their emotions as compared to other age groups of people. Do not punish in most cases because it only aggravates the problem which also degrades the child’s self-esteem. Far from this, the concentration should be placed on how to comprehend and encourage the child.

Positive Reinforcement

Reward may be one of the most effective in influencing positive behavior change. Reinforcement should be provided on the times your child will show positive behavior such as, when playing, sharing toys. One of the ways that parents have used is the use of rewards and positive reinforcements, for instance dressing without complaining or eating a new food.

Seeking Professional Help

If you are having a hard time controlling your child temper tantrums don’t hesitate to consult a professional. The child psychologist or pediatrician should be consulted for help and advice.

A Final Word on Mindful Meltdown Recovery

It’s important to note here that parenting is a process not an event. There will be joys and sorrows and it’s okay to forgive oneself. So, there are some helpful tips to maintain the relationships with your toddler: Being mindful, being clear, and being patient.

In Conclusion

Overcoming the challenges of the tumultuous period that is associated with toddler age is quite difficult. But in fact, through learning the causes of a tantrum and using the principles of conscious parenting, many of these difficulties can turn into a positive change and a means of rapprochement.

To summarize, let me repeat that no child is like any other, and therefore, one’s successful approach may in no way be applicable to another child. Stay faithful, stay friendly, and, to the utmost degree, stay mindful. When all members of the household pay attention on what they are doing at the moment, the household will become to be more of peace and harmony.

With parenting, parenting comes a new bundle of joys, let us enjoy being parents one mindful minute at a time.

References

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): A leading organization providing expert advice on child health and development.
• Child Mind Institute: A nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
• Verywell Family: A comprehensive online resource offering expert advice on parenting, child development, and family life.