How to Calm an Angry Toddler

Toddlers can have short fuses, especially when frustration hits. When your toddler starts melting down, put some effective parenting skills into practice to intervene before a tantrum escalates. With a reassuring and loving approach, you should be able to calm your little one down. As your youngster gets a little older, he will begin to show more self-control to enable him to deal with frustration and anger more positively.

Instructions

    • 1

      Verbalize the emotions you think your toddler is feeling. Putting these feelings into words for your little one can help her feel understood and validated, states Psychologist Laura Markham, with the Aha! Parenting website. Often, just verbalizing feelings for a toddler can help calm her. You might say ̶0;Oh! You want the doggie̵7;s ball, don̵7;t you? You feel mad!̶1;

    • 2

      Hold your little one and speak expressively to him about his feelings. Anger generally erupts out of sadness, fear or feelings of vulnerability, Markham reports. Zero in on the underlying feelings to help your child release them. You might say ̶0;The ball looks fun to play with, but it belongs to the doggie. You feel sad that you can̵7;t play with it.̶1; Repeat simple phrases about feelings up to 10 times until your toddler hears and understands you. When a toddler feels the stress of anger, repeat phrases to get him to hear and understand, according to Pediatrician Harvey Karp, author of ̶0;The Happiest Toddler.̶1;

    • 3

      Redirect your toddler to an activity that will focus her attention elsewhere, suggests Sara Bean, writing for Empowering Parents. Toddlers have short attention spans, so redirection often proves effective for helping them move past a frustrating situation. You might say ̶0;Let̵7;s go find one of your balls to play with, instead.̶1;

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Avoid Having a Jealous Toddler
      Because you’ve been the center of your toddler’s world, he may exhibit jealousy if a new baby, job or romantic relationship suddenly diverts your attention. Although you can’t rearrange your life to cater to your toddler’s dem
    • The Personality Types in Toddlers
      Spending time with your toddler can give parents a definite clue as to his personality type. Although you may have seen glimmers of it when he was a baby, personality becomes pretty distinct as a toddler, because toddlers have opinions and thoughts a
    • How to Discipline My 18 Month Old
      Discipline doesnt have to be a headache or a hassle with your 18-month-old child. When disciplining your toddler, keep his developmental stage in mind and have patience. Toddlers are learning about the world and need to explore and make mistakes to d