Monday Education

When it comes to toddler tantrums, shortcuts generally don’t work. Saying, “calm down” only intensifies the reaction. Often the best course of action is to deep breathe and wait for cooperation.

We have found that, more often than not, we faced with difficult toddler behaviour when we preoccupied. For instance, when we on the phone, tied up otherwise, or distracted our kids tend to act out more. Sometimes dropping what was on our to-do list, getting present and some fresh air solves everything.

When kids are screaming crying, it may seem counterintuitive to hug them. The majority of the time, We’ve noticed this softens them and helps them feel okay faster. There are times where their tantrums are more physical and as a result, it’s better to give them space.

When we’ve set them up for success and we’ve given them a lot of empathy, and they still aren’t listening, remember not to negotiate. Sometimes it is best to disengage. Entering into a power struggle will only make matters worse. As a last resort, we go into timeout together.

Feeling heard and understood is one of the most valuable gifts we can give our kids especially when they’re acting out. So much of difficult toddler behaviour, or kids acting out in general, is simply them not having the words or the self-awareness to verbalize how they are feeling.

Give warnings and use a timer, Imagine if we were out for dinner at a friend’s house having a blast and suddenly our spouse interrupts we mid-conversation and says, “We are leaving now,” ushers we away from our friend.

Give two options with the same outcome, This is one of the simplest tips for parenting through difficult toddler behaviour. Giving two options with the same outcome makes a toddler feel in control. Meanwhile, we get them to agree to do what we would like done.

Toddlers will ask for cheese. We will give them cheese only to have them shriek in terror as if we are trying to poison them. They will tell us that no, they didn’t really want cheese. They wanted a strawberry. Give them a strawberry and they will throw it on the floor and demand the cheese again.

It seems as if we were just counting her fingers and toes or Googling every possible remedy for his colic and now we have a certifiable person on our hands and the person is very small but she already has strong opinions.

Set expectations by front-loading (letting them know expectations ahead of time), Not only does this help set kid(s) up for success because they know what is expected from them in a given context, it also helps them make sense of potential discipline if their behaviour calls for it.

Surprise your dinner guests with this flavorful wild rice adaptation of a classic holiday side dish.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wild rice, washed, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter
1 large (1 cup) yellow onion, chopped

This easy, one-skillet recipe is ready in 20 minutes and better than takeout.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
3/4 to 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and diced carrots blend (I don’t thaw and use straight from the freezer)
3 green onions, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds