Throwing tantrums

Lets face it, there is no where in the world whereby a kid does not throw tantrums! Rather than letting them get away with it, why not try out some tricks to calm them down. Exercise with caution though, not all kids are the same!

1. The "STARE"
Works on : 3 year and above kids
I did this at a local mall while i was window shopping with my kid. As you all know, the minute they see the toy department. All hell breaks loose, its toy grabbing time! But being a good daddy, i decided to stay around for 15 minutes to let her bask in the wonders of toy land. She could never have been happier. But what i did not emphasize or tell her was that we are not gonna buy any toys, just play and put it back once you're done. Well, as predicted i decided to end the fun and instructed to move off. Suddenly, it started with a stomping, next was the arms swinging and the first word she uttered was "NO"! I added with "Its time to go". Her response was a loud wailing and eventually she started to cry. People were watching us and i needed to find a solution quick. Suddenly i remembered that whenever i irritated my wife while doing stuffs she doesn't like, she would give me the cold stare and
i would be instantly transformed into a little puppy. Hence i decided to try that. I stopped talking and gave her a stern look, It helps if your face has this natural fierce look. The weird thing happened. She stopped crying. This method works a few times, but kids are smart and they evolve to realize that my stare is not scary sometimes. Hence gotta improvise or use other methods.

2. Counting down or counting up
Works on : 3 year and above kids or below if they know how to count... 
When i mean counting down or up, i literally meant to start counting 1, 2, 3  or 3, 2, 1.  I got this tip from one of my colleagues while we were chatting about each others kids. Apparently, whenever his kid throws a tantrum, he would respond by saying "Look, i am gonna start counting. And when that ends, you better stop your screaming". The crying continues, "3"! The crying still continues..."2"! The crying still continues. "1"! Magically, the crying minimizes and the situation was under control. I was quite skeptical initially, but when the opportunity arises i decided to give it a try. It did worked majority of the times and i can tell that my kid knows that i am serious. It seems that they have this perception whereby if they do not control themselves when i complete my counting, something bad will happen to them. But the funny thing is this, i never for once told them what would happen if they do not stop once i finish counting...
I have been using this trick frequently, works good for me!

3. Ice Cream or any other sweet stuff
Works on 2 years and above kids. 
Need i say more? sweet stuff, who doesn't love them. But be prepared to clean up the mess though.
I don't use this often, coz gotta fork out money to coax them. Unless i feel like having some ice cream

4. Distract them
Works on 1 year and above kids, especially when they start to understand and speak simple words
My second daughter seems to respond to this trick very well. Every time she starts crying uncontrollably, i would say. "Where's the monkey? Can you find the monkey?" Then i will start pointing around asking her whether the monkey is there or at another place. Amazingly, my daughter will stop crying and began searching for the monkey! If finding monkey doesn't work for you, then improvise! As long as it can distract them, it will work!
I use this frequently too, its fun to find the non-existent monkey

Well, i guess that's all i have for the moment.If there's anyone who is keen to share. Feel free to drop your comments! I look forward to more tips and tricks!

Pregnant Daddy
To boldly go where no man has gone before!

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