Ways How To Manage Tantrums In Toddlers

I am worried about my daughter since 3 days now she is showing her temper tantrums. Yesterday was the worst day, when we went to clinic to get her flu and cough medicines. She was so angry that we always stopped her from sitting on the floor where her feet was so dirty. She was screaming like nobody's business, kicking and jumping and insisted on bare foot. Was so ashamed with other patients looking only at me and my daughter. So this morning i browsed on the net and found these article by Cecilia Stewart on ways how to manage toddlers tantrums.

Temper tantrums in toddlers can range in severity from mild crying and rolling around on the floor, to severe screaming, kicking, vomiting, jumping up and down, and sometimes aggressive behavior.

"Researchers think that these emotional explosions are part of children’s normal efforts to establish a sense of autonomy - a sort of declaration of independence from mom and dad," says the PBS parent article "Early Learning: Focus on Birth to Five, Tips for Raising Your Baby and Preschooler."

What Are Some Common Reasons for Temper Tantrums in Toddlers?

• Toddlers may be tired from lack of sleep.
• Children may be hungry.
• There could be too many changes in your surrounding environment, such as a divorce or the addition of a new baby in the household.
• Toddlers don’t know how to verbally communicate the fact that they are angry or disappointed and may resort to temper tantrums as a way of expressing their emotions.
• Some children may use temper tantrums as a means of getting attention from you.
• Children may want to become more independent and have more opportunities to make decisions.
• Toddlers may be frustrated because they can’t accomplish a task that may be too difficult for them.
• Temper tantrums in children can be a result of discomfort.
• Children might throw temper tantrums because you won’t give them something that they want, such as a ball or a piece of candy.
  

How Should Parents Handle Temper Tantrums in Toddlers?

Whether your children experience frequent or sporadic outbursts, there are things that you can do to effectively manage emotional outbursts in children.

• In the article "Temper Tantrums and Childhood" the American Academy of Pediatrics says, "You should never punish your child for temper tantrums. He may start to keep his anger or frustration inside, which can be unhealthy." You should always remain calm and find ways to soothe your child while acknowledging the fact that you understand his feelings.
• If your child has a temper tantrum because he is upset that you denied him something, you can simply ignore it.
• No matter how frustrated you become, avoid losing control. You should never resort to physical punishment or yelling as a means to control a temper tantrum. Even in the midst of your child’s temper tantrum, he is learning how to manage his emotions from you.
• Don’t bribe your child to get him to stop throwing the tantrum. This will only encourage him to throw temper tantrums more often.
  

How Can Parents Prevent Temper Tantrums in Toddlers?

There is no foolproof method for avoiding temper tantrums in toddlers but there are ways that you can prevent a few.

• Avoid placing your child in stressful situations.
• Remove them from any stimulants that may trigger emotional outbursts.
• Distract your child if you see the onset of a temper tantrum.
• Make sure that your child gets the proper amount of sleep.
• Make sure that you have nutritious foods readily available for them to eat when they get hungry.
• Try to avoid huge disruptions in your toddler’s daily routine.
• Give your child the opportunity to make simple choices. You can let him decide whether he wants bologna or ham on his sandwich. Both choices are acceptable to you and your child gets to opportunity to feel independent.
  

Most temper tantrums will dissipate by the time children reach the age of four. If you feel that your child's temper tantrums are a result of underlying emotional issues, you should contact his doctor immediately.

Here are 2 books that you might be interested also:

The One-Minute Temper Tantrum Solution: Strategies for Responding to Children's Challenging Behaviors

Temper Tantrum Common Sense Handbook (Common Sense Handbooks)

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The Value Of Playing With Your Child

by Teresa, The CuteKid™ Staff

Playtime is valuable time. Children learn through play. During play children often imitate valuable adult behaviors, stretch their imagination and reinforce creativity, and feel like they have accomplished something. When you play with your child you add to these benefits by making your child feel important and valued.

As you play with your child let your child decide what to play. They usually choose an activity that they are interested in. When a child decides what to play it will keep their attention longer.

It also increases the child's feelings of self-worth. Because they feel that their parent likes and is interested in the things that they do. You might get bored with the same activity but your child learns through repetition. If you are tired of it add a new dimension to the activity. Turn the tea party into cooking an entire meal. Instead of just pushing around cars build a garage and pretend to fix them. As your child gets older their interests will change as well. They might want to go outside and kick around a ball or play a game. They might want to help you cook in the kitchen or scrapbook together. Whatever your child's interests just make sure that your child chooses the activity not you.

While you are playing focus on your child, don't let your mind wander to work, the laundry, or the dishes in the sink. Your child will realize that they don't have your complete attention and feel that they are not important enough to keep your attention. Use your imagination and get involved. Play the part that you are given.

Playtime is a time for parents to relax and unwind. It distresses their life and helps them focus on what is truly important, their child. Play helps parents better understand their children's desires, abilities, and developmental stage. During play a parent's nature is often revealed and they see how their child views them. While playing with my daughter one day I watched her tell her doll, "No," and put her in the corner. Then a minute later say, "I still love you."

When your child is a little older you will find that a great time to talk is when you are involved in an activity. I love the commercial featuring a father talking to his son about drugs while playing basketball. Because you are involved in an activity that the child enjoys the conversation is low-key. Your child is more likely to listen to you and you are more likely to really listen to your child.

Schedule some time to play with your child everyday. If you don't plan playtime into your day it is easy to let the day slip away without ever really playing with your child. Consider playtime an investment in your child's future. It is during playtime that you build a bond with your child. Express to them their importance to you. And as your child grows they will continue to want to spend time with you.

Improve Your Child's Weekly Spelling Test Score- FREE Trial

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5 Ways To Raise Unspoiled Children

As a parent we often hear the phrase "I want this or I want that." For many parents being able to buy their children things that they want makes them feel successful. They want their children to be happy and to like them. Yet fulfilling your child's every desire ultimately does them no favors. They grow up believing that the world owes them and that they should get what they want when they want it, hence the growing amount of consumer debt in our nation. So, being a good parent what can you do to raise unspoiled children?

1. Teach your children the difference between wants and needs. Every child needs a pair of shoes, but they don't need a pair of popular $100 sneakers. There is no reason that your child needs a new toy every time you go to the store. Especially when they probably have a closet full that they don't play with at home. Shop with a list and if your children ask for something that is not on the list tell them, "Sorry, it's not on the list." Or your can tell them that if they want things they can ask for it for their birthday or Christmas.

2. Donate items that are not needed or played with. Teaching your children that there are people less fortunate than themselves will help them realize how lucky they are. Every year go through your child's clothes and toys and donate items that aren't used anymore. My friend says that her children often pick nicer newer toys to give to those less fortunate and she lets them because it teaches them to give.

3. Realize that your child will compare themselves to others. It is human nature to compare ourselves to others. We will always come short of some and ahead of others. Your child may want a certain toy or item or clothing because their friend has it. If the item can be justified then buy it. If not explain to your child why the purchase just isn't in the budget. Encourage your child to dream high. You may only be able to provide so much but he can work hard and achieve his dreams himself.

4. Teach your child to save and budget. Many young adults today do not know how to save or budget their money. They have never had to deny themselves of something and now that they don't have their parent's money supply they are hurting. Teaching your child to save and budget while young is a valuable skill. Growing up, we were required to save 50% of everything we earned. This trait continued to adulthood. Give your child a clothing budget every fall and then let them do the shopping themselves. Allow a monthly allowance for activities. Once it is spent don't give your child anymore. Your child will quickly realize how expensive things are and that they will need to shop around and budget their money to make it last.

5. Let your child earn rewards. In real life you don't receive something for nothing. Even to win the lottery you have to buy a ticket. So instead of just giving your child things let them earn it. My friend's sister who is in junior high really wanted a pair of Girbaud pants, the popular brand at the time. But they cost considerably more than other brands and her parent's couldn't justify the cost. So they reached an agreement if her sister earned certain grades she would get the pants.

Do you have a cute kid? Show off your kid to the world through our online photo contest.

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Improve Your Child's Weekly Spelling Test Scores

Are you having problems with your child or children coping up with their nightly spelling practice? Are you a busy parent and have less time to do this for them? Well, getting a child to practice his spelling words can be a struggle. When done manually it's a slow and tedious process for him as well as for you.

However, worry not because there is always a solution to your problem. With the SpellQuizzer, spelling practice would be fun and easy! SpellQuizzer is a spelling software that you can automate the tedious process, taking up less time for you and for the student. You'll no longer have to struggle to get your child to sit still while you go over his spelling words with him. With SpellQuizzer, students can enjoy practicing their spelling words. SpellQuizzer takes the fight out of the equation.

How does the software works?

Using SpellQuizzer you can enter the child's weekly spelling list and make audio recordings of the words in the list. The software then quizzes the child, playing each word back to him one at a time, checking his spelling as he types in the words. SpellQuizzer corrects him when he types in a word incorrectly, and re-quizzes him on any words he missed once the first pass is completed. Just set up the child's list on Monday, and have him spend no more than five to ten minutes a day letting SpellQuizzer quiz him. By the end of the week he will be ready for his Friday spelling test at school. SpellQuizzer is also ideal for spelling bee preparation.

SpellQuizzer is ideal for:

• Practicing the words in your homeschool curriculum. Just input the words used in your spelling curriculum you are using and SpellQuizzer will help reinforce your child's lessons.
  
• Preparing for spelling bees. You can create practice lists from the preparation materials provided by a spelling bee your child is entering. Also, we will be adding free, downloadable spelling lists for SpellQuizzer, complete with sound recordings, specifically for the purposes of spelling bee preparation soon. Watch our Downloadable Spelling Lists page for new lists soon.
  
• Practicing the problem words that your child repeatedly misspells. Everyone has their own problem words that they have difficulty getting right. With SpellQuizzer you can create one or more custom lists of the words that your child struggles with. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect". SpellQuizzer makes practice easy.
  
• Learning words that can not be sounded out phonetically. Dr. Edword William Dolch, PHD identified 315 "sight words" which can not be sounded out phonetically and therefore must be learned on sight. We have all 315 Dolch Sight Words (220 "service words" and 95 nouns) available in free download lists, organized by grade level, for SpellQuizzer at our Dolch Sight Words page. Just download the lists, import them into SpellQuizzer and you're all set. The lists come with pre-made sound recordings just for SpellQuizzer.

Click here to see a video demonstration showing how easy it is to create a spelling list and practice spelling with SpellQuizzer.

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7 Keys To Effective Parenting

The birth of a child changes lives forever. Becoming a parent brings with it several concerns and responsibilities. And, the central concern becomes effective parenting. While parenting comes naturally to most, the many concerns of the modern world and it's fast paced existence make parenting a many tiered concern.

Parenting in simple terms just means loving your child, and teaching him to be a rounded and caring individual. Children need understanding, love, as well as a certain guiding hand which will help them make appropriate choices.

The keys to effective parenting are:

1. Understand that your child is an individual with the ability to think. Never try and mold a child into what you imagine to be the right mold for him or her. Every child has certain inborn talents and must be given the opportunity to discover their own identity and personality.
2. Instill in the child a sense of self confidence and trust in you. They must know that at any time they can turn to you for advice and help. Help the child discover themselves, their inner talents and strengths. Keep all avenues of conversation open. Listen to what a child has to say. You will be surprised at how much children know today.
3. Nurture your child's talents and give them the space and opportunity to fly with the wind and touch the skies. Never try and push a child into a study course or profession they are not comfortable with let the child find its own level.
4. Reassure the child that he has your unconditional love and support. Your love is not a measure of the child's behavior, performance, or achievements.
5. Freedom needs limits. Being understanding and lenient does not mean running wild. Children need rules to work under as well as a pre-determined schedule. This instills in them a feeling of security as well as discipline. So, a parent must wield the carrot and stick but subtly not like a military general or great dictator.
6. The adage, spare the rod and spoil the child is valid. What a parent needs to do is use positive methods to discipline a child. Never beat or abuse a child but devise a way in which a child looses certain privileges when he or she behaves badly or oversteps limits. Decide with the child whether it should be TV privileges, or pizza treats, or movies, or visits to the mall. Many parents find grounded? works well.
7. Create bonds that a strong and will stand the vicissitudes of time. Be warm, share interests, spend time together, establish routines and rituals, be vigilant and pick up clues when a child is upset or angry. Keep lines of communication open, a child must be able to come and share his troubles and problems with you without hesitation.
   

Being a parent is not about providing well, giving pocket money, or satisfying material needs. It is about creating love, understanding, and trust. Bonds that are formed in the early years of life will last a life time of good times and bad. It is important for parents to extend a warm hand of friendship.

Take a look also these books for more reference and guidance:



1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12
Parenting Secrets By Mother Of Five
Positive Parenting

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Books For Parenting

Publish Post

What to Expect When You're Expecting: 4th Edition



The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD)



Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food



IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit



Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins: A Step-by-Step Program for Sleep-Training Your Multiples




Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child



Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons



Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children



Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!



1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12



Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy



My Baby Can Talk - Sharing Signs



Good Housekeeping (2-year)

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Baby Photo Contest Online For Cute Kids

The CuteKid.com is searching for the 2009 CuteKid of the Year. They truly intend to give parents the outlet to put their special cute photos to the test against other CuteKids™ from around the world. Because the internet brings the world together, TheCuteKid.com is being touted as the world's leading child photo contest website.

Capture that beautiful special moment of your children share them to the world! Why not take a chance on winning great prizes in our online baby photo contest, and best of all, a chance to be spotted by the right Talent and Casting Agents!

Click the picture below for more details...
By the way its and FREE and easy! Join Now!

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10 Ways To Build Your Child's Confidence

A confident child is sure of his/her abilities, recognizing and accepting both his/her strengths and weaknesses. We all want our children to be confident. But for many children confidence does not come naturally. Confidence must be nurtured even for the child who seems confident all ready. Below are 10 ways to help build your child's confidence:

1. Say you are proud. Tell your child when they have accomplished something and you are proud of them. Tell others about your child's accomplishments and positive qualities. Let your child overhear you praising them to others. I often tell others, in front of my daughter, how well she is in doing things in her own little ways. Tell others what a great reader your child is and how well he does at math. Your child would think he is the best at math in his first grade class. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. The point is that your child thinks he is good and that gives him the confidence he needs to keep trying and learn new things.
   
2. Give responsibility. Giving your child jobs to do around the house helps them feel valuable. It also teaches them adult skills. Assign your child chores that they must accomplish everyday. As they complete their chores they will acquire a feeling of self-worth and confidence in their abilities. Have your child help you with the dishes. Even my 1.7 year-old daughter puts her toys in the basket, throws dirty things in the garbage, mops the mess she created, hands you something other people ask to give you. Ask your child to help you puts the plate in the sink after she is finished eating, help you fold laundry, make his bed and keep his room clean. Ask them to you you clean up toys. Children also love to help dad wash the cars.
   
3. Don't label. One of the worst things a parent can do is to label their child. Yet it is so easy to do. As parents we need to be careful that we give our child positive labels that reflect inner personality traits. Sometimes parents focus on the physical traits of a child. Either saying that they are beautiful or a certain trait is ugly, like having big feet or a nose that is too large. Focusing on our child's physical characteristics whether good or bad teaches them that looks are what matter.
   
4. Encourage talents. Write down all of the things that your child is good at. Then choose one thing that your child wants to pursue. It could be as simple as taking your child to the library each week because they like to and are good at reading. Or you could enroll your child in sports, child dance class, drama, art, or music class. The goal is to provide a positive experience for your child and allow them to excel at something.
   
5. Listen. Let your child know they are important by really listening to them. Get down on eye level and give them your complete attention. If your child feels that you are not listening they will stop talking. They will feel that their opinions and feelings are not valued. And if a child feels that their own parent won't listen to them then they will believe that no one else will want to listen either.
   
6. Establish routines. When you have set routines and a home that is predictable your child will feel more secure. Your child will be less likely to be afraid to venture out into the world when they know they can come home to a secure and loving environment. Having established routines helps your child understand what is expected of them and reach those expectations thus increasing their confidence.
   
7. Address your child by name. Calling your child by name shows that you value them and that you feel that they are important enough to address by name. Using your child's name gives them a label that they can wear proudly. When my husband and i ask my daughter who is Alisha she will always raise her hands. She knew who she is. Children who are confident will address others by their name more frequently. They are unafraid to address others by name and will be better able to ask for help.
   
8. Play with your child. Parents playing with children helps build their self-confidence because it shows them their parents enjoy being with them. Children learn through play and one of the many things they can learn is confidence. Play is a great time to role-play and praise your child. Playing with your child and allowing them to dictate the play gives them a feeling of importance and accomplishment. My girl loves to play building castle, pretending to make baby doll sleep, playing guitar and etc .
   
9. Set rules and consequences. Children need to have set rules and consequences. This helps them feel valued and secure. A child who is required to follow rules will realize that their parents love them enough to set and enforce rules. Interestingly enough one study found that few teenagers wished their parents had established fewer rules, but many teenagers wished there parents had given more rules.
   
10. Be a positive mirror. How your child perceives herself is based largely upon how you perceive your child. Do you reflect negative or positive images? Does you child know that her opinions matter to you? Does he think that you enjoy being with him? Providing positive reflections of your child helps him feel good about himself. It is also important to help your child realize that you value them because of who they are not just how they perform.

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5 Simple Etiquette Tips Every Child Needs To Know

First impressions are important. As a parent you need to teach your child how to make a good impression. The key is etiquette for children. Here are 5 simple etiquette tips a child needs to know:

Greetings
A proper greeting shows confidence and maturity. Teach your child to address people they meet by their title and name. Making eye contact is an important etiquette too. You can teach your child how to greet people by giving yourself a name and pretending to meet your child. Have your child practice saying, "Hello, Mr. Hansen," and looking you in the eye. Remind them that they need to use Mr., Mrs., or Ms. and not an adult's first name unless requested to use it.

Handshakes
In our society handshakes are used unlike the kisses that dominate European society. So it is an important etiquette for children to learn how to shake hands. Typically a person extends their right hand the one they use most often. For left-hander children, it is harder to remember that people shake with their right. Practice with your child so that they don't grip too hard (it's not a contest) or too soft (there should be some actual gripping) but right in between.

Please and Thank You
These two phrases are still valuable today and their use shows a person has manners more than anything else. In order to teach these words as a parent you must use them yourself (and remind your kids about a million times). Talk to your child about why please and thank you are important. Everyone likes to be appreciated and according to Emily Post saying, "'Please' can turn a demand into a request and indicates an option it can turn an unpopular request into a more palatable one."

Excuse Me
This is a valuable phrase that is used too little. Besides saying "excuse me" after public bodily functions there are many other times when "excuse me" should be used. Such as when a person walks through a crowded room, bumps into someone, walks in front of someone, needs to leave a group, or needs to ask a question. Practice role-playing situations in which your child could use "excuse me."

Not Interrupting
Nothing shows bad manners more than a child who runs up to his parent in mid conversation and begins speaking. Teach your child that when you or anyone else is talking that they must wait until a break in the conversation before interrupting. Teach your child the right etiquette using a signal, such as raising one finger, to show that you acknowledge them and will listen in a moment. Then be sure to stop and listen to your child. Emily Post reminds parents that "the mother who invariably stops and says, 'What is it, dear?' when her daughter interrupts is helping her to establish a habit that will do her a disservice all her life."

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How Babies Learn To Talk?

My daughter, Alisha, is already 1 year and 6 months old and she only utter a word "ad", "mi","hi", and the rest of the words she said are her own language. I am a bit worried cause Nanay, my mother, said my niece are already talking few straight words. My niece, Bella is 1 month older than Alisha.

They said that if parents want their infant to grow up speaking like an adult they should talk to them like they are adults. So that's what me and my husband are doing. But new research from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Wisconsin confirms that talking to babies in baby talk, as mothers have been doing for centuries, is pretty effective and helps them learn language faster. It is clear that infants like listening to baby talk better than adult speech. So i better change my style.

He said further that babies in the study were able to identify specific words from nonsense sentences more quickly when the sentences were delivered in baby talk than when they were delivered in the more monotone cadence characteristic of adult speech.

Lead researcher Erik D. Thiessen, PhD, of Carnegie Mellon University says the infants learned words about 25% faster when exposed to baby talk.

What is baby talk?

Known in language development circles as infant-directed speech, baby talk is characterized by short, simple sentences delivered in a high-pitched, sing-song voice. Vowels are also dragged out, and each word of a sentence tends to be clearly spoken.

Thiessen says baby talk and the exaggerated body language that goes along with it tends to grab an infant's attention. And the simple sentence structure and slow word delivery make it easier for infants to learn.

"It isn't that babies can't learn from adult-directed speech," he tells WebMD. "They will figure it out eventually no matter how they are talked to. They just tend to learn a little faster with infant-directed speech."

The findings may also help explain why adults have so much trouble learning a second language, even though they are able to speak their own language effortlessly, Thiessen says. Adults tend to learn individual words of a new language easily. But they often have trouble understanding the language when it is spoken by native speakers because words tend to run together and no longer make sense.

"There may be something about the simplified way that people talk to infants that makes it easier to break into a new language and figure out what is going on," he says.

Talk Silly to Baby

The new research should help calm the fears of parents who have heard that baby talk could slow their child's verbal learning, says researcher Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD. Michnick Golinkoff directs the Infant Language Project at the University of Delaware and is co-author of the books How Babies Talk and Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.

"We know that infant-directed speech really helps babies break up the speech stream to find the individual words," she tells WebMD.

"Parents should feel comfortable talking silly to their babies. Babies love it and it helps them learn."

Another findings:

"According to research conducted by Janellen Huttenlocher, the actual size of a toddler's vocabularly is strongly correlated with how much her mother talks to her. Dr. Huttenlocher found at twenty months old, the children of chatty mothers averaged 131 more words than the children of mothers who didn't speak much. At two years of age, the gap more than doubled to 295 words.

"Other researchers have found that talking to children a lot not only affects their vocabularly, but also their intelligence. Betty Hart, PhD, and Todd R. Risley, PhD, observed how parents interacted with their one- and two-year-old children. At age three, the ones who scored the highest on intelligence quotient (IQ) and language tests were the ones who had heard the greatest number of words at one and two.

"Even though your baby may be surrounded by conversation from birth on, it is important that you talk directly to her before she can talk back to you. You don't need to ask her a lot of questions or require her to respond. Your purpose is to build her understanding of language to help enhance her expression of language."

"A good enough reasons to start having silly conversations to my daughter!"

What about you? What are your ways in helping your children talk faster? Do you mind to share?

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