Tip for Tantrums

The Happiest Toddler on the Block has a tip for dealing with toddler tantrums called the "fast food rule." The premise is that toddlers, just like all of us, want to know their feelings are heard, and that if we report their feelings out loud to them in "toddler-ese," they will calm down faster, because they know we understand . So if they are having a fit about something it often helps to speak their feelings out loud to them with the sense of urgency that they feel. It is called the fast food rule because when you go to a drive up window and order what you want, they tell it right back to you exactly as you ordered it.

Here's an example: A toddler grabs an unsafe item, and you take it away, telling him it's not safe. A fit ensues. You say, "You're mad, mad, mad. You want the scissors, and you're mad!" Usually this will help them start to calm down, and then you can say, "Scissors aren't safe for kids though," and hand them something else that is. It sounds silly, but when toddlers are having tantrums, I recommend using any tool that works, and this seems to.