How to Take Care of Naughty Kids

Life

Part 2 Dealing with Tantrums

1.Walk away from the behavior. If your child is throwing a big tantrum (e.g. yelling, screaming, crying, banging fists, etc.) the best thing you can do is remove the audience that they are performing for. This may only be you, but it may also be your other children, friends of your child, grandparents, etc. If you are at home, and your child is not in danger of hurting themselves, then suggest that everyone go do something else in a different room for awhile.

If you are not at home, then remove your child from the public place as quickly as possible. For example, if you are at the grocery store, take the child to the car.

2.Let them know you understand that they’re upset. If your child is under four years old, you can let them have their tantrum alone, in a safe place. Check on them every few minutes, and tell them that you are aware that they are upset, and that you can talk with them about why they are upset when they are finished with the tantrum.
If the child younger than four reacts violently to you, either by hitting, kicking, scratching, or biting you, you should immediately put them in a time out. Tell them very clearly, that such behavior will absolutely not be tolerated.
Once the child has calmed down, and you are able to talk with them, listen to what they have to say, and tell them that throwing a tantrum is not the best way to deal with their problem. However, don’t fixate on this point. Explain a better way to deal with it, and move on.

3.Remind them of the rules. If the child is over four, and they are throwing a tantrum, gently remind them of the rules. Explain to them that they have two options: they can either choose to stop the behavior, and do something that is within the rules, and that they would like to do, or they can continue with their behavior, and not have enough time to do something they would enjoy.

Once they have calmed down, discuss better ways that they can express their feelings in the future. Ask them to make suggestions about how they think they could have reacted better.

4.Distract them. Sometimes tantrums can be so severe that no amount of reasoning seems to do any good. In this case, you can try to distract them with a favorite book, or pacifier, if they use one.