Temper Tantrums - Madison, AL

Whack a Mole! It's a game we bought for our daughter. She gets to hit this mole as hard as she wants, and doesn't get in trouble for it, it really seems to help. At that age they really don't know how to voice the frustration they feel, and do it in some very self destructive ways. I found one of the best ways to deal with a major tantrum is to hold them on your lap, cross their arms, and tell them they are in time out. This really worked with my girls, cause they were getting the attention they were looking for, but could not move or talk during this time. At first they get really mad because they can't move (you need to hold their hands in position for the entire time out), but then they are able to take the rest of the time to calm down.

I don't believe it would be a bad thing to just pop him on the bottom when he starts to pitch a tantrum. Although I know some people don't believe in spanking, I do. It doesn't hurt the child, it just let's them know that you are in charge and will not stand for that behavior.
L. S.

The biggest thing is for you not to lose your cool, and to be consistant. If you say 'No', ALWAYS stick to it! Don't ever let his temper fits change your mind. Just put him in a safe place: like a stack of pillows, till he finishes his fit then you can talk to him again. Even at that age they understand most of what you say.

My friend's son did the same thing at that age! When he started banging his head on the floor, she picked him up and took him into his room and put him in his crib. After he settled down (which took a while sometimes) she would go back in and talk to him and bring him back out to play. She was very consistent and he finally stopped. Good luck!

My son did the same thing. The first time he did it, I gave in and that made them get worse. I realized after the third or fourth tantrum that it had to stop. When he would have a fit I just walked away and didn't give a reaction. He soon realized that he was no longer going to get his way when he had a tantrum. It was hard to be consistent because I was also worried about him really hurting himself; Good luck!

C.,
He's using it as a way to communicate with you because it gets your attention quickly. With that said, I'm not sure if my way is even a good way but when mine went through that stage, I'd fall right to the floor with him and throw a bigger fit than he could - he'd start giggling and give me a hug. We still have problems with No but I just try to turn his attention to something else - like telling him to go hug the dog because the dog looks sad (we do that about 18 times a day) and he forgets that he was crawling on the top of the dishwasher. I also give him little chores, like go get your shoes for mommy (he's a little older, 20 months) and that way he feels like he's helping me.