Did you celebrate the first birthday of your little one? Welcome to the toddlerhood of their lives! Shoutout for surviving the first year happily and finding it easy to handle a kid – I felt the same! Well, the best is yet to come! Children between the age of one and three are called toddlers. They are little curious atom bombs, may I dare to say? They are all over the house, your mind, and your body – and I mean it literally!

These years are a wonderful time of significant cognitive, emotional, and social development of the child and the parent, in a way! From unconventional running and falling to scribbling on the walls and making screeching, loud noises at home, you can think of anything, and they would do it all…

Toddlers begin to understand themselves physically now. They are curious about their bodies as well as the people around them. They are interested in jumping, exploring, running, touching, feeling, playing, and even talking! They mimic more often and throw tantrums if you do not understand what they want! Now, the good news is tantrums are normal in child development. The not-so-great information is tantrums are hard to manage and control.

Temper tantrums in toddlers vary from whimpering and hollering to screaming, booting, hitting, and breath-holding spells. They are common in boys as well as girls equally. Some kids may have tantrums often, and others have them rarely.

What can you do as parents? A LOT!

1. Reading a book to your toddler is one of the most satisfying things you could do as a parent. Your toddler will begin to understand the importance of concentrating while something significant occurs.
   
   
2. Be gentle as you try and teach them how to identify objects, body parts, and family members. This will increase their thinking ability and their memory power.
   
   
3. Play matching games with your toddler, like shape sorting and uncomplicated puzzles, enhancing their motor skills and rational thinking.
   
   
4. Please encourage them to explore and try new things. Only then will they become independent adults in the future.
   
   
5. Support to develop your toddler’s language by talking with them. For instance, if your toddler says “Bobo,” you can respond, “Yes, you are right―that is a bottle.”
   
   
6. Encourage their growing independence by letting them help with dressing and feeding themselves.
   
   
7. Inspire your toddler’s curiosity and ability to recognize everyday objects by bringing field trips together to the park or garden nearby.
   

Temper tantrums usually start at around 18 months and are common in toddlers. Hitting and biting are common, too. This may be the answer to why your toddler hits you or bites you in response to something they are trying to communicate. This may sometimes be frustrating, but you must be patient and handle it correctly.

One reason for increased physical tantrums is that they want to express themselves but find it difficult. They feel frustrated, and the frustration comes out as a tantrum – it may be crying, shouting, whining, hitting, biting, etc.

Once a child can talk more, they’re less likely to have tantrums. By the age of 4, tantrums are far less common. This is simply because they know how to communicate what they want verbally.

What can you do to reduce tantrums?

Find out the reason for the tantrum. Is it because they are hungry or sleepy? One of the biggest lessons you must learn as parents is to stay calm and positive. You do not have to give in to their tantrums all the time. Caress them and be gentle. They probably want you to stick around, hug and love them. Think about it.

Understanding and accepting that your child may be angry is critical to gentle yet powerful parenting. It is not just the adults feeling rage and anger. Kids feel those emotions too. They think feelings are as valid as adults – like anger, jealousy, possessiveness, frustration, sadness, and more. While adults have ways of dealing with their emotions, kids have their own. While their world rests on your laps as their parents, they come to you with all those built-up emotions.

1. Finding a distraction is vital. When your child is whining continuously about something, the best thing you can do is find a distraction. Find something to distract them with straight away. This could be something you can see out of the window. For instance, you could say, “Look! A dog”. Make yourself sound as surprised and interested as possible – and you will see the magic!
   
   
2. It’s alright to wait for it to stop on their own. Letting them let out all that emotion when nothing works is okay. Hug them as they cry and whine. Hold them close and tell them that it’s alright. I know it’s easier at home when no one is watching. However, even when outside, when your child is out of control, staying calm and healthily ignoring the tantrum is alright. Ignore not just the tantrums but also the glaring stares people give you – it is okay! It is way better than shouting back and getting agitated.
   
   
3. Do not give in – for your own and your toddler’s good! Giving into their tantrums will not help in the long run. The show is simply momentary, and it shall pass. Giving into their tempers when they throw one will allow them to think that crying too loudly can get them away with anything they want, and they shall begin to use that to their advantage. This is wrong teaching and will kill your peace in the long run.
   
   
4. Give them attention – one of the needs of a toddler is attention. They need all your attention. Talk to them and help them understand that being aggressive and crying too hard is useless. You can assure them with a hug and nice words. It would help if you were not aggressive with the child when they throw a tantrum because they will feel that is the right way of dealing with someone angry or upset. Instead, show them how else you could be calm. Show them that there is a lot of love in your heart for them, but not their behaviour.
   

Much as we love them, we must learn the art of sometimes ignoring them to stay sane and healthy! Truly!

Tantrums must be identified and handled differently depending on why your child is upset. At times, you may need to comfort them. If your toddler is hungry or tired, it’s time for a nap or a meal/snack. While at other times, it is best to ignore an outburst or distract your child with a new activity, as mentioned above.

If a tantrum happens after you refuse something to your toddler, stay calm and don’t explain why they can’t have what they want. Move on to another activity with them.

If a tantrum happens after they are told to do something they don’t want to do, it’s best to ignore the tantrum. However, ensure you follow through on having them complete the task after they’re calm.

Much as we love them and think of them as harmless, some kids are in danger of hurting themselves or others during tantrums. They must be taken to a quiet, safe place to calm down. This also applies to tantrums in public places like shops and malls.

If a safety issue is involved and a toddler repeats the forbidden behaviour after being told to stop, use a time-out by sitting the child on a designated chair or in the corner for just a few minutes to discipline them. This is more necessary than it may seem. Old school, but the key to a well-behaved child is discipline. Be nearby so that you can supervise, but only interact once they are calm. Be consistent. Never give in on safety issues.

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