When your baby becomes a toddler, you really start to notice some of the milestones they hit as they develop into a little person. Walking, babbling, and trying to communicate, as well as starting to show their personalities. However, as a toddler is still learning about who they are and their environment, one of the tricky things to handle as a parent is a toddler meltdown.
These occur because your child is still likely finding it difficult to communicate what they want or how they are feeling. If you don’t understand what they are trying to tell you, they can get frustrated leading to a meltdown. This usually involves tears and tantrums. However, as a parent, you need to try and remain calm in this situation. Which I appreciate is easier said than done. So here are some of the ways to stay calm when your toddler is having a meltdown.
Breathe
As a parent, a toddler meltdown can be just as much of an ordeal for you as it is for your child. It doesn’t matter whether you are home or in a public place, you feel frustrated for your child as you try and understand what is causing them to feel this way. The last thing you want to do is let emotions such as frustration, anger, and overwhelm creep into your reaction. Instead, take a moment to breathe and count to five. Taking deep breaths enables you to calm your thoughts so that you can see clearer and tackle the situation calmly, which will only help your little one to feel better.
Positive attention
There is no doubt about it positive attention will help in this situation because, at the moment, all your toddler is feeling is negative vibes. Positive attention can be given in many different ways including praise and focusing on good behaviour or good points in the citation that you find yourself in. Try getting down to your child’s level and offering them a hug or embracing them in a positive way. This can help you and they feel more at ease and can quickly calm the situation.
Look out for the ways they are trying to communicate
Staying calm is crucial, but if your child is prone to a toddler meltdown then you may want to start trying to observe some of the ways they are actively communicating with you. Are they trying to say a word, are they pointing or looking ats something specifically, is there a place or citation that encourages a toddler meltdown more so than others. Look out for these triggers and ways to communicate with you so that you can calmly diffuse the situation ahead of time.
Distraction
Finally, if you want to stay calm don’t antagonise the citation instead look at ways to distract your child. Grab a toy, get a snack or drink, or calmly remove them from the situation. The more you look to distract your toddler, the easier it will be for you to stay calm.
Hopefully, these tips will help you to stay calm if your toddler is having a meltdown.