Temper Tantrum Tips

[FreeThinker]

I've got 5 kids. The littlest one is 2 now, and I do worry about tantrums in the park! I think the key is to pace yourself at the littlest one's pace. Be aware of the signs before they are hungry/thirsty/tired and fix the problem before it turns into a tantrum. Also my family does not do good with eating out all day everyday, so we eat out just 1x per day and make the rest of our meals at the condo. Fresh fruits and veggies are MUST everyday. Even my DH will get cranky from not eating well. We also need to eat on a regular schedule, and try to stick to regular bedtimes if possible. We plan our late nights to coincide w/ late mornings.

And if you do have a temper tantrum, just pick up and leave. Go back to the hotel and cool off, rest, relax. So many times people want to be in the parks all day long, but a nice 5-6 hours is more enjoyable than 10 hours with a cranky kid. I refuse to deal with cranky kids, so mine know if any one of them is cranky they all go back to the condo for a nap. DH is the only one I baby :LOL

I've just had one fit in the parks. One of my 4 year olds didn't want to sit inside the line at Crush. The attendant told him he had to sit inside the line and he refused. I told him in the line or with me. He refused (think hands across chest, shaking his head 'no'). We walked out and he had to sit quietly by me in a quiet corner while the rest of the family watched the show. First and last fit. It never escalated to a tantrum or anything, he was just in the defiant mood and wanted to see how far he would get. Obviously not far Not minding wasn't an option, but he was 4 and able to see that. 2 is a different matter all together!

 

[delyrium]

I disagree with "pick your battles" because this lets the child "win". This teaches the child that if a tantrum worked once, let's try again next time!

Instead, I recommend "1, 2, 3 Magic" which teaches methods for consistent discipline and avoid being back into a corner.

http://www.123magic.com/


-Paul

Pick your battles doesn't mean giving in to a tantrum. I means making a calculated decision (knowing your own child), that a storm is brewing and that you can head this one off at the pass. Like, the other day, my son wanted to wear his rain boots out to the car, and I said no. While i was saying no, part of me knew I should have said yes, and that it would only take ten seconds to get the boots onto his feet. But then the tantrum started, and since I can't teach him that tantrumming is a good strategy, I had to be in it for the long haul at that point.

 

[livndisney]

There are 'baby care' areas sprinkled around each park. A nice AC break, some with videos playing. Might want to know where some are at each park. Just a thought.

This is not correct information. Each main park has 1 Babycare center.

DHS-at the entrance
MK-at the end of Main Street next to Casey's
AK- on the way to Safari (Past Pizzafari).
Ep-Past TT in World Showcase.

 

[adc]

We said from the beginning of the trip that the last day was souvenir day.

I always had a drink, a snack and some sort of little toy for him to play with.

Much of the day he knew what was up next so that there was always something to look forward to.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I disagree with "pick your battles" because this lets the child "win". This teaches the child that if a tantrum worked once, let's try again next time!

Instead, I recommend "1, 2, 3 Magic" which teaches methods for consistent discipline and avoid being back into a corner.

http://www.123magic.com/


-Paul

Picking your battles has nothing to do with letting the child win. Picking your battles means, like the previous poster eluded, does it really matter if your child wants to wear rain boots and it's not raining? Does it really matter if this morning your toddler wants to eat his cereal out of a cup instead of a bowl...etc.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I've had one tantrum in all is our trips. And we weren't in the park but at the resort. I went to fill my cup one am and my ds5 wanted pop - ok we are on vacation. I came back and gave him his watered down coke. He flipped out that he didn't want coke he wanted pop. We stayed in the room while the rest of the group headed to the park.

 

[Gracie09]

I disagree with "pick your battles" because this lets the child "win". This teaches the child that if a tantrum worked once, let's try again next time!

Instead, I recommend "1, 2, 3 Magic" which teaches methods for consistent discipline and avoid being back into a corner.

http://www.123magic.com/


-Paul

We use 123 magic and pick our battles. Right now one dd only wants to wear black sparkley shoes to school. Her teacher doesn't care as long as I send sneakers for gym. It's not a battle worth fighting.

 

[Pesky]

Prevention is the key.

Be sure:
You keep him hydrated. Plenty of water or diluted juice
You keep him comfortable. Dress for comfort, not cute pictures
You keep him fed. Limit the junk and try to feed him on his regular schedule
You keep him rested. There will be other trips for the night time shows.
You don't over stimulate him. watch him. If you see he has had enough, escape to a quite place for a bit.
Let him run! Find a playground or just a open area like Tom Sawyer Island and let him run a bit.
Give him some control. does he want to ride the red or blue horse.

Sometimes it will still happen. Just isolate and comfort and calm him down as much as possible. dont worry about what others think or say....they have either been there or have no clue.

AMEN. This 200%. I also made sure to keep a little lunch bag with healthier options -- apples, baby carrots, big bag of cheerios -- plus a refillable water bottle for him. One of DS's favorite times was when I took him aside (he was getting whiney) and we sat and ate cheerios and fed some to the ducks and birds. It was a quiet moment in a crowded park and just what he needed. I found we fell into a pattern. First thing in the morning we could go for maybe 1-2 hours and then DS hit a wall and needed a snack and break. It pretty much followed that pattern with a larger mid-day break. Just watch and the first time you get the pout or hesitation, just realize that a break is probably needed soon enough.

 

[SEA333]

I disagree with "pick your battles" because this lets the child "win". This teaches the child that if a tantrum worked once, let's try again next time!

Instead, I recommend "1, 2, 3 Magic" which teaches methods for consistent discipline and avoid being back into a corner.

http://www.123magic.com/


-Paul

I agree with your sentiment - and understand what you are saying. I think the PP had something else in mind with what she meant by "pick your battles", but what you are saying is completely worthwhile as well.

We have our expectations for our kids' behavior (or rather...did, until they became teens/tween and think they are smarter than us now LOL) We expect them to behave the way we have taught them no matter where we are. We are all about the big picture, and see discipline as a way to teach them how to become adults who can handle themselves in less-than-desirable situations.

Where the "pick your battles" comes in, however, is having to remember that they are little and are still learning. So, if we were in a restaurant and DS was tired and only wanted strawberries, we would probably have let him. (coupled with the fact that as long as it is healthier than the fried chicken nuggets that are the other option at most places, I would be completely happy with strawberries LOL, but I digress....) And we would not have made it a big deal, so it wouldn't have become a power struggle.

So, to the OP, a lesson here is to pick the battles without your little one know that is what you are doing. If you cringe at the thought of them eating strawberries for dinner but know that it's a hopeless task to make them eat anything else and you are OK with it at one meal, just let her/him eat the strawberries!

I have read 1,2,3 Magic, and it still works with my 13- year old LOL (and the 10 and 8 year old too!), and the biggest take away from that book is STAY CONSISTENT. It works!

 

[dvczerfs]

geez I hope my wife don't see this thread.

she tells me if I don't stop, im going back to the room by myself while the rest of them stay in the park and have fun.(as she smacks me on the back of my bald head ) so what will it be?

op, don't worry about a little one having a temper tantrum. I have seen more adults throw them at wdw then little kids.

 

[crisi]

I agree with your sentiment - and understand what you are saying. I think the PP had something else in mind with what she meant by "pick your battles", but what you are saying is completely worthwhile as well.

We have our expectations for our kids' behavior (or rather...did, until they became teens/tween and think they are smarter than us now LOL) We expect them to behave the way we have taught them no matter where we are. We are all about the big picture, and see discipline as a way to teach them how to become adults who can handle themselves in less-than-desirable situations.

Where the "pick your battles" comes in, however, is having to remember that they are little and are still learning. So, if we were in a restaurant and DS was tired and only wanted strawberries, we would probably have let him. (coupled with the fact that as long as it is healthier than the fried chicken nuggets that are the other option at most places, I would be completely happy with strawberries LOL, but I digress....) And we would not have made it a big deal, so it wouldn't have become a power struggle.

So, to the OP, a lesson here is to pick the battles without your little one know that is what you are doing. If you cringe at the thought of them eating strawberries for dinner but know that it's a hopeless task to make them eat anything else and you are OK with it at one meal, just let her/him eat the strawberries!

I have read 1,2,3 Magic, and it still works with my 13- year old LOL (and the 10 and 8 year old too!), and the biggest take away from that book is STAY CONSISTENT. It works!

Yep, because once you decide to have the battle - someone has to win and it had better be you - which resulted in a completely avoidable situation for our family - we COULDN'T give in and teach her having a tantrum got what she wanted, so as long as she tantrumed, we were stuck. We couldn't remove her because she was in full blown kicking and screaming meltdown in a restaurant - only restraints could have gotten her out of there safely for herself and others (and if your toddler has never thrown one of these, you are lucky - for those that have seen it, you know what I'm talking about).

The sad thing is that I could see it in slow motion as it was happening - my husband taking a position that was going to result in the meltdown - but once he took it, we had to see it through. And it was strawberries for dinner - not even a girl who wanted nothing but chocolate cake for dinner.

 

[BeckyEsq]

1. Early bedtimes like we have at home. By 8:30 she was asleep and we were relaxing with our kindles, resting our feet and ready for an early rise the next day. The only late night we had was the last night there when it didn't matter so much if we were tired the next day.

2. Lollipops.

 

[ashleymrush]

Thank you everyone for your excellent tips! I know they will really help. I especially liked the tip about protein rich snacks. I looked back at my snack list and realized they were ALL carbs. I'm going back to remedy that now.

I'm sure we will not be able to go the trip without a meltdown but I feel better about it now. I worry too much about what other people think (always have) and I'm hoping to be able to put they aside on the trip. Kids will be kids after all. Thanks again!

 

[blackpearl77]

M&M's!!! The only time we had a full out tantrum was on the airplane going home. He didn't want to get in his seat to take off and the flight attendant was scolding us! I ended up just giving him the whole bag of m&ms and that worked.