- Keep your cool – The tantrum will escalate if your frustration sets in. Take deep breaths and think clearly.
- Set the example – Have enough self-control for both of you, your child relies on your example. Using force and physical punishment doesn’t help.
- Be comprehensive – Try to understand where your child is coming from. Tantrums should be dealt with differently depending on the cause.
- Redirect attention – Distraction works wonders because of toddlers’ short attention lapses so change the focus to something more positive!
- Comfort the victim – If there is a victim to the situation first direct your attention to him or her instead of the wrong-doer to avoid reinforcing the notion of getting attention after biting or hitting.
- Keep it simple – Avoid lengthy explanations for now and keep it simple and easy with a firm “no biting” or “hitting hurts!”
Books can become very useful to help your child identify and understand different feelings, like anger and frustration. Through the distinctive situations the characters go through and their colorful images, parents can teach children how to deal with difficult emotions and circumstances. Reading a good children’s book that was especially designed to tackle a specific subject, and then talking about it with your toddler afterwards will certainly help him or her begin to distinguish between different emotions.
There are a lot of great books that deal with the feelings of anger and frustration. Here are two I highly recommend!
Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney tells the classic story of a child that does not enjoy going shopping and before your know it, he’s having a full-on tantrum! Find out how Mama calms him down and finds a way to make shopping fun for both of them.
Hands are not for hitting by Martine Agassi and Teeth are not for biting by Elizabeth Verdick are part of a behavior series books that give reasons why children might want to hit or bite, but ultimately suggest positive things that they could do instead. These colorful books also include helpful tips for parents!