Toddler Tantrums

Toddler Tantrums occur at least once a week in 50-80% of pre school children.
The most common cause of toddler tantrums is conflict with parents ;-

1) Over food and eating (16.7 per cent),

2) Being put in a pushchair, high chair or car seat (11.6 per cent

3) By getting changed or dressed (10.8 per cent).

There are peak times for tantrums – more tantrums occur in the late morning and early evening, when the child is probably hungry or tired.At this stage in a child’s life, what may seem weird, irrational or just plain naughty is perfectly normal. It does not help – you or the child – to get stressed about it.

Of all the challenging types of toddler behaviour –for example, getting into everything, asking endless questions or refusing point blank to get into the buggy/car seat – it’s the tantrum that gives toddlers a bad name and provides parents with the most headaches.

Coping strategies.
There are times when nothing less than a miracle will stop your child kicking off – like the moment you realise you’ve left their favourite teddy at the supermarket and it shut two hours ago. You can employ some tactics to ward off trouble.

At home
‘Toddler-proof’ your home so you don’t have to keep taking things away from your child. Look around your home and put away breakables or things children can hurt themselves on. Your house may not look as pretty, but it’s better than shouting at them all day.

Out shopping
When you have time get your toddler to help by picking out objects you want to buy. Choosing which colour of toilet roll, bubble bath or soap to buy.

Visiting
Visiting friends or family, take a goodie bag with you with toys, books, colouring pencils and chewy foods to keep your child amused, particularly when visiting elderly relatives or friends who have no children.

If you would like more information about coping strategies or parenting;-

Contact Dream-Angus.com

Loss of a pet or a relative

Grief and loss in childhood is a very specialist subject. Some families have pets to teach their children a sense of responsibility and caring. The loss of a pet is a lesson in life. It teaches the child that life is precious and not permanet. Learning to accept that loss is helpful in later life but explaining that loss to your child can be difficult.

There are a number of books written for children of different ages which can be useful in helping them to cope with the grief and loss of a relative or friend. These are books which should be read together, child and parent, and offer opportunites for discussion afterwards.

The level of understanding about grief and loss is also a part of the general development of a child. Even a baby will pick up on parental distress without any understanding of the cause. We often try to hide out fears from our children so that they do not experience the same fears, fear of spiders for example. We should be able to find a balance in sharing grief without overloading children. Loss is part of life, and if we want our children to be well balanced and confident, then we also want them to have an understanding of the many changes in a lifetime. This involves learning coping skills to help them deal with the many experiences they will have.

If you would like some titles of books to help you broach this subject with your child contact Dream-Angus.com