On the 7th of December a support group for moms of children from one year to two was held at the Life Care Center of Izmail Ukraine. This time we have discussed a topic “How to hold the line on tantrums”

Frustration, anger, and an occasional tantrum are inevitable for all two-year-olds. As a parent you should allow your toddler to express his emotions but, at the same time, try to help him channel his anger away from violent or overly aggressive behavior. Here are some sug­gestions:

1. When you see your child starting to get worked up, try to turn his energy and attention to a new activity that is more acceptable.

2. If you can't distract your toddler, ignore him. Every time you react to one of his outbursts in any way, you're rewarding his negative behavior with extra attention. Even scolding, punishing, or trying to reason with him may encourage him to act up more.

3. If you're in a public place where his behavior is embarrassing you, simply remove him without discussion or fuss. Wait until he's calmed down before you return or continue with your activities.

4. If the tantrum involves hitting, biting, or some other potentially harmful behavior, you can't ignore it. But it still won't help your child if you overreact. Instead, tell him immediately and clearly that he is not to behave this way, and move him off by himself for a few minutes. He can't understand complicated explanations, so don't try to reason with him. Just make sure he understands what he was doing wrong, and dole out your punishment then and there. If you wait an hour, he won't connect the punishment with the "crime”.