Temper Tantrums

[Laura]

Does any one have suggestions on how to tame temper tantrums on children under the age of 2?

[spud]

IGNORE whenever possible, never laugh or make huge deal of it, simply be plane -shake your head "No, thats not ok" and help put words out there for the toddler to use...you seem mad - you want that toy, you can have it when he is done... can you  say "please have it? " please"  help repeat words to help form them and say them, encourage use of words always.
The best thing t o do is redirect the child to an acceptable activity. HEre you play with this until shes done..or we are going now..

[CareDC]

Is raising voice helpful or is it actually detrimental in those situations?

[spud]

I raise my voice only to the level that seems stern/clear.
I slow my words down and speak matter of factly. IT is a slight raised voice but definatly not yelling or seeming angry..The parent should always seem in control.

[Laura]

I came across an interesting article by Dr.Sears that i thought i would share with you:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/t063300.asp

Very interesting ideas provided by Dr.Sears in how to tame the temper tantrums and what you can do to avoid them.

[Laura]

IGNORE whenever possible, never laugh or make huge deal of it, simply be plane -shake your head "No, thats not ok" and help put words out there for the toddler to use...you seem mad - you want that toy, you can have it when he is done... can you  say "please have it? " please"  help repeat words to help form them and say them, encourage use of words always.
The best thing t o do is redirect the child to an acceptable activity. HEre you play with this until shes done..or we are going now..

I like this suggestions, however, i find that when a child is in a tantrum that it is very difficult to even talk to the child. The child is beyond the point of listening to what you want to say to them.     I've tried redirecting the child to another type of activity, which sometimes works and other times it just backfires. Any more suggestions in regards to these tantrums?

[Christine]

I have a child like this in my care, who will just scream really loud- I mean LOUD! and she can't be spoken to or redirected. I have also experienced this is childcare/preschool settings from children who are 3 + older.

I have told the child that when they are ready I can help them, but right now they are to loud. Usually other children will comment about how loud it is, which I say they are right it is loud, and I try and offer another area/spot for the non-tantrum children almosting leaving the crying children away from the group. It is not exclude the child, but to help the other children so that they aren't bothered by it. Almost within 30 secs- 1 minute the crying child will notice this and want to come with us, but I will tell them if they want to join they need to stop screaming/crying because the other children can't enjoy themselves.

Also taking notice to what sets off tantrums, and being aware of what are appropriate expectations for that age group. You can't expect a group of even 2 children under 4 to be able to problem solve how to share toys, that is unrealistic. That is when you want to offer help when you see the situation escalating BEFORE it becomes a scream-fest for toys.

I have done this method 2 times with the child in my care and haven't seen it again in a while.
With my own children, once in a while it happens, but only once that day.