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Whether your child is going through their “terrible twos” or simply expressing their frustration through temper tantrums, it can be stressful to deal with as a parent. But knowing how to handle tantrums and outbursts from your child can make things easier for your family. Firstly, it’s important to understand why tantrums happen. Tantrums and meltdowns are triggered by certain emotions such as discomfort, overwhelm, or anger. Toddlers throw tantrums as a way to communicate how they feel because they do not have the words yet to articulate themselves. So instead, they might scream, cry, or throw things. 

 

During a tantrum, it’s important for you as a parent or caregiver to remain calm. Children are likely going to match your behavior and if you raise your voice, they are likely to yell and be even louder. Speaking to them calmly can help your child calm down and ease their temper. It might be tempting sometimes to give in to your child when they’re having a meltdown, but this only reinforces their behavior. Your child will learn that by throwing a tantrum, they can get what they want. What might be more effective instead is to offer them a small level of control. For example, say it’s time for your child to stop playing a game because they need to eat dinner and take their bath. If they get upset, firmly let them know that their time limit is up, but perhaps offer them a choice on whether to take their bath before or after dinner so that they can have some say in their situation. Another great strategy to use is to offer a distraction. Outbursts are usually triggered by a situation happening currently. Giving your child something else to focus on or even changing their environment by moving them to a different room can make a difference.     

 

Even though it might seem like a good idea in the moment, avoid trying to reason with your child during a tantrum or meltdown. Your child is upset and is not in a place where they’re ready to take a rational viewpoint. Wait until they’ve calmed down and get their behavior under control before discussing what happened. Once your child is calm, they’ll have an easier time learning how they can better communicate, work through their problems, and accept that they can’t always get their way.

 

To prevent your child from continuing to express themselves through outbursts, provide negative consequences for their behavior. This could be simply ignoring their tantrum until they’ve stopped so that your child learns that throwing a fit is not going to get your attention. You can also put them on a timeout or take certain privileges away from them so that they understand that tantrums will lead to undesired outcomes. And when your child is behaving well, make sure to give them praise to reinforce the positive behavior. Let your child know when you feel proud of them and how their behavior serves as an example on how to act. Pointing out good behaviors is just as important as pointing out negative behaviors. 

 

If none of these strategies work and you believe your child’s behavior is out of control or not improving, call our office. Certain behavioral issues may need to be examined and our pediatrician can provide guidance. 

Kid loves playtime and feel joy while playing! But the benefits of play go beyond just having fun. Play teaches children important skills to help them develop and thrive. By playing, children learn planning, organization, creativity, how to build relationships with their peers, how to get along with others, and how to regulate their emotions. They also develop language, mathematical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Play can also help kids practice concentration and build longer attention spans.

 

The essential life skills developed by play evolve over time and as a parent or caregiver, you can promote healthy play habits in your children. Firstly, it’s important to keep a safe play environment and teach your child not to engage in any aggressive behavior. This can take some time to master as conflicts can rise between kids playing together. But, it’s an opportunity for your child to learn how to solve problems and cooperate with their peers. You can guide them by teaching them how to view things from others’ perspectives and practice empathy. As children begin to master these abilities, they also learn how to form friendships.

 

Play activities should be selected based on the child’s age. For infants, starting tummy time is beneficial as it strengthens their neck, back, and shoulder muscles and advances their sensory, visual, and motor development – all of which will be important for them when they learn how to crawl. There are many ways to engage in play with your baby such as movement activities like using puppets which help babies develop visual skills, and using rattle toys which can grow your child’s reflexes as they reach out to grab them. It also helps them explore sounds. 

 

During the toddler years, you can enhance your child’s understanding of shapes, colors, and textures by giving them toys like blocks and puzzles. As they get a little older, provide them with opportunities for make-believe play. For example, they can pretend to bake something in a toy kitchenette or play doctor with their dolls. Make-believe play introduces kids to life concepts, helps them explore multiple perspectives, and stimulates their imagination and creativity.

 

Be careful of not letting your child spend too much time using screen devices, including video games. Balance media use with activities like sports, board games, playing with toys, or engaging in make-believe and role-playing. It’s important for kids to get real-life interactions and to also get physical activity when they play sport games or other recreational hobbies.

 

Play is not only beneficial for children’s development in life skills and their physical health, but it also improves mental health. Play can reduce stress and anxiety as it releases the endorphins in the body, which boost mood. It can help your child get in touch with their feelings by providing an opportunity for kids to express their emotions when they might not have the words to explain. It’s why it’s often used as a practice in therapy. 

 

Encouraging your children to play will have a significant impact on their growth, development, and physical and mental health. It’s one of the best ways to ensure that your child grows up into healthy, happy, successful, and empathetic adults. 

March is National Nutrition Month and an important thing to consider for your child’s diet is how much added sugar they’re consuming. Sugar is found in a variety of food, drinks, and snacks. It can even sneak up in foods and condiments that people wouldn’t expect such as crackers, breads, ketchup, etc. Because added sugar is so commonly found, many children consume more sugar than what is considered safe and healthy. Excess consumption of added sugar can lead to conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease, and it can weaken the immune system as well. Limiting your child’s sugar intake is a key part to maintaining a healthy diet.

 

Keep in mind though that not all sugars are the same. Natural sugar, which is found in whole foods like fresh fruits, starchy vegetables, whole grains, and other complex carbs, is safe to consume. In fact, foods that contain natural sugar are beneficial because they’re rich in nutrients and fiber, which slows down the digestion of sugar. Natural sugar is also important to prevent hypoglycemia, which occurs when the blood sugar level is too low, leading to fatigue and dizziness. Consuming natural sugar from fruits and other whole foods provides your children with energy. But unlike natural sugar, added sugar and refined sugar are added to foods that don’t naturally have them. These sugars come in various names and types, such as high-fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, honey, malt syrup, and raw sugar. Processed sugar in particular is the most harmful and should therefore be the most limited. This type of sugar is typically found in soda, candy, packaged snacks, and baked goods.

 

We recommend looking out for packaged foods advertised as “healthy,” including breakfast cereals, as these can contain a significant amount of added sugar. No more than 25 grams of added sugar (about 6 teaspoons) or more than 10% of calories should be consumed on a daily basis. The best way to ensure that your child is not going over these limits is to read the list of ingredients and nutrition facts labels carefully. For tips on how to read labels, check out this resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children under 2 years of age shouldn’t consume any added sugar.

 

Another important thing to be aware of is that sugar-containing beverages like soda and juice, as well as candies, tend to be more harmful than many sugar-containing snacks. The reason for this is because they’re known as having “empty calories” without any nutrients or fiber to aid in digesting the sugar. Treat these as treats for special occasions so that your child doesn’t develop a habit of consuming them. If your child has a strong sweet tooth, the best option to satisfy it is by giving them fruits like bananas, apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, plums, etc.  

 

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s diet, please contact our office. Our pediatrician can guide your family on healthy eating.