Tantrums - How do you deal with them?!

[Jojobump1986]

My pfb 16mo has just discovered the full-blown on-the-floor flailing type tantrum. He had his first public one today when I wouldn't let him eat another child's half-chewed biscuit off the floor. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't really planned how I would handle such situations! I just stood there like a lemon & waited until he'd calmed down enough to allow me to pick him up in a way that didn't involve dragging him by one arm & then took him to the other side of the room & distracted him with toys. It seemed to work ok but I felt really silly just standing there while he screamed & rolled around on the floor! I tried saying soothing things to him/explaining why he couldn't have it but that just made me feel even sillier!

Does anyone have any tips for overcoming the embarrassment of public tantrums?! The 2 tantrums we've had at home so far I've just left him to it - he can't hurt himself in the middle of the lounge floor - but I was worried that he might trip another child up if I'd walked away. I couldn't easily pick him up either because he was determined to be on the floor & I'm just reaching that stage of pregnancy where I struggle to bend easily & might actually have fallen over or injured myself if I'd tried to move him to a quieter corner.

So, is there anyway I can avoid feeling silly while waiting for him to calm down a bit that doesn't involve letting him eat gross soggy floor-biscuits or physically manhandling him?! I'm just going to have to get used to it, aren't I?!

Lol...i'm sorry but this made me chuckle...I know that feeling only too well...with other people looking at you and your child and you just want the world to open up and swallow you whole. Lol. I'd say you were doing the right thing letting him get on with it. Just completely ignore him, thats what I did with all mine, they soon learned it didnt get them anywhere so was a waste of time. If your somewhere where you can move out of his site but you can still see him try that as well, i found mine soon stopped if they thought i'd walked off. But i always made sure i could fully see them from where I was. :) Good luck with it. :)

Well he's 16 months so I wouldn't put them in the same category as a 3 year old tantrum (I have a 3 year old and 15 month old).

When dd (15 months) kicks off it's because she wants something but will calm down if I pick her and say "you want x?" then I'll distract her. So in your case I'd have given her another biscuit. She rarely does it though - usually if tired. But pick up, distract and move on if outside.

Just remember that nobody is judging you for having a tantrumming toddler - it's what they do. You will be judged in the positive, however if you keep your cool. I'm a strong believer that you don't ignore them and walk away. I think that can be damaging in the long run. If she's at home I attempt to put DD on her thinking step and gently talk her down from it. Agree though that a 16mo tantrum is different from a 2+ one. Yes, they're more intense but equally the older the child the better you can reason with them. Distraction is your friend!