Tantrums-----This works!!!! No really!!!!!

[Currypowder]

Thought I would share this with you all.

I read an article in The Mail on Sunday this week and I've chucked it in the recycling bin otherwise I would have credited the writer with this Top Tip.

When your child is throwing a wobbly, say to them repeatedly 'Don't laugh', 'Don't laugh', 'Don't laugh'..................

Sounds crazy but I have used it since Sunday (and so has a friend whose DS is way worse than mine). Every single time, the tantrum has turned into giggles (mine and his).

Suck it and see Cx

Am definitely going to try this tomorrow.

I'll try anything, I like the reasoning....anything you say I'll do the opposite.....now I want the DCs to have tantrums so I can try it out.....could I go and wake them up......

Ill give it a go with younger two definately

Sounds interesting, will try it with dd2.

good one - anything worth a try
my four year-old didn't have toddler tantrums
he's having them now instead

brilliant, absolutely brill, it actually worked!

I tried it this morning when DS had a totally unnecessary wobbly because I couldn't find his sunglasses (4 in Feb) and I thought, right, try it now, "don't laugh" he stared at me, said "what?" in that very Kevin & Perry way that he does and then absolutely bogged himself for about 5 minutes!!!

sunglasses totally forgotten!!!

I will try that, it sounds fun!

At the moment when they throw a wobbly, I say "No, you're not doing it right, lay on the floor, lay on the floor" (they throw themselves down) "Roll over, roll over, roll over" (They roll, by this time yelling AND laughing)

I finish off my saying "Kick your legs, kick, kick, yell IT'S NOT FAAAAAAAAIIII-II-II-RRRRRRRR, IT'S NOT FAAAAAAAIIII-II--RRRRRR"

They try, but by this time they are laughing their heads off and have totally forgotten what they were doing in the first place.

N.B. This doesn't work if they are having a 'meltdown' (term for autistic hissy fit ) as opposed to normal tantrum.

Hekate, i did wonder if i shoudlnt be using the term meltdown for my own 37 year old woman who has had enough hissy fits, i did wonder if it was specific

I used to do this with DD1, i used to say, "oh, you're trying not to smile, you're trying not to smile, oh look, you're smiling" got her every time, until she hit her teens when it used to send her apopleptic

Hekate-made me laugh out loud!

Not sure how this 'Don't laugh' thing will work but even a short while would be good.

The extra funny bit is the furrowed brow as he tries to work out whether to laugh or not. Hurrah for getting one over your child!

Well, ds1 started to have a paddy in the bath when ds2 got out to get dry (he wanted him to stay in so they could cover ALL the walls and floor with water). And........drum roll........it worked. By the time I said "stop laughing" twice he had to turn his face away because he was already smirking. Magic! He's been at nursery all day so I couldn't try it before. Roll on the next tantrum, I want to try again!

this is fab, have used it 3 times since reading this thread yesterday, worked every time

hey, I want a go at this - how do you incite a tantrum ...

Not entirely sure....but I seem to be particularly good at it

oh I am so waiting for my 4 and 3 yr old to kick off - best time is when they get in the car from school, or getting out of bath. Can't wait to try this. Will report back.

I do that already lol

or say "I can see you smiling" in a sing songy voice. follwed me "I can", "don't do it" "don't smile", "I can see it" "stop it" "stop smiling"..etc... until she is in fits. It works 90% of the time (unless she is really tired)

Yep an old favourite of ours & it's worked almost every time until my almost-a-teenager-& god-don't-we-know-it DD1 became Hormonal Harriet -now she just supresses the laugh & it makes her even crosser that I've won AGAIN when she's trying to have a hissy fit & flounce.

It works with DS1 - he's 3.7.

DS2 is 22m and he goes "no, no, no" and sobs harder...

ok it worked but he didn't forget what he was screaming about he just whinged about it inbetween laughing. Will definately work on my methos though.

Also works with whinging child -instead of shouting/hissing "Stop whinging" shout FAN-TAS-TIC, child looks at you like you are a nutter but will stop whinging!

Currently working a treat with DD2.

Why oh why did I not read this yesterday. I could have saved myself the whole dragging DS away from the playstation department and getting the evil eye from woman in the queue.

Will try it tomorrow, pretty sure it will work for DS, is DD too old at 5yo?

that sounds like a great idea do you think it would work for a 2.3 year old???

oh, good tip - will create strop tomorrrow to test it out

I reckon if nothing else this method would make ME laugh, and that's got to be worth something. Saw a good one yesterday - DD's trampoling classmate was having a right old moan, but his mum kept bouncing up to him and making him fly in the air, so it was 'wah, moan, whinge hee hee ... moan, whinge' and so on. Poor kid didn't know what to do.

dh does this (when he's in a good mood!) he says "whatever you do you mustn't laugh". it generally works. dd2 is too old for real tantrums but she certainly gets stroppy - she's a little actress though and you see the chinks in her performance straight away.

This sounds fabulous. My ds 3.5 has big strops for no reasons and I just hate the way it always escalates out of control. Will definatelt give it a try tommorrow.