Without fail, toddler tantrums are most likely to take place at the most inconvenient times — in line at the grocery store, on a cross-country flight, when you're trying to leave the house and you're already 20 minutes late. Who am I kidding — there's never a good time to listen to those uncontrollable, ear-piercing cries. Being on the receiving end of a toddler tantrum can leave even the most patient parent wanting to have a tantrum of their own. If you're on the verge of your own mommy meltdown, you need to know the best way to respond to toddler crying.
Before I start, I should admit that there have been times that I've raised my voice at my children out of frustration at their poorly timed tantrums. But I slowly began to realize that my behavior did nothing but make my children more upset and me feel absolutely awful. As Parents mentioned, children between the ages of 1 and 4 aren't equipped to deal with disappointment. Unfortunately, this is also the time when they begin trying to push boundaries and assert their independence. Toddler outbursts are generally the result of them being unhappy about not getting their way and not having the words to express themselves.
If you think your wailing wee one is out of his mind when he's in the middle of a tantrum, you're absolutely right. As pediatrician Dr. Jay Hoecker told Parents, reasoning with your toddler mid-meltdown is a waste of time because the reasoning part of his brain isn't working. Your attempts to talk him down will fall on deaf ears, which is why the best thing you can do during a toddler tantrum is wait it out.
As parenting expert Dr. Sears told Parenting, when your child is in the middle of a tantrum, take a few minutes to identify the cause. Once you've ruled out being tired, hungry, or sick, you can be assured that there's no reason to intervene immediately. If there is no emergency, you can feel free to give your child the time and space to work through his feelings on his own, while you watch to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. This will help your toddler begin to realize that his outbursts will not get you to bend to his will.
It won't happen overnight, and it might be tough to ignore your toddler's tantrums — especially if she's screaming your name at the top of her lungs — but teaching her more effective ways to manage her emotions while she's young will save the world from a series of angry Twitter rants when she's older.
