Temper Tantrums: Tips for Getting Through Them

Temper tantrums can be a frustrating part of parenting. And for some kids, they’re explosive. Not to mention, if you’re in public, it can be quite embarrassing. Let’s not even get started about how some kids seem to take a lot longer to grow out of them than others. They say they’re part of the terrible twos, but some parents experience the terrible ones, twos, threes, fours, etc.

At PCH Chiropractic, our Dana Point chiropractor, well both of them, have some advice on getting through this struggle of parenthood.

Why They Occur

It may help you to understand why a temper tantrum occurs. It has nothing to do with your kid wanting to be bad, necessarily. While some children do learn to “play” their parents and get what they want by having a fit, temper tantrums tend to occur when something is emotionally not okay. Your kid doesn’t yet know how to voice his or her concern or express his or her frustration or upset appropriately, so it’s released as a temper tantrum.

Getting Through Them

Although you may find certain techniques work better than others for you, we have a few suggestions. Firstly, trying to reason with your child who is seemingly possessed isn’t always the most effective method. Your child is often not hearing you at this point, so they’re not going to calm down just because you’re trying to rationalize with them.

Yelling at him or her isn’t going to magically calm him or her down, either. Often, this intensifies the tantrum because it exacerbates the frustration. Spanking doesn’t work well in this situation for the same reason, either. It may only elevate his or her upset, and it’s not giving the child a chance to learn to calm his or herself down and learn how to manage his or her emotions.

Especially if your child is using it as a method to get your attention, the best thing you can do most of the time is to ignore it and let your child calm down. Move anything in the nearby area that he or she may grab and either hurt someone or throw and break something.

If you’re in public, it’s okay to remove your child from the situation if you warrant it necessary. However, you may want to try redirection. Get your child focused on something else. Perhaps, you could turn your shopping trip into a scavenger hunt. If that’s not working, try giving him or her a snack. Children are notorious for getting “hangry.” Low blood sugar can start a tantrum in even the most behaved child.

Preventing Tantrums

Ideally, you want to try to prevent tantrums as much as possible. This will make life easier. It, however, does take a bit of planning. For instance, try to schedule activities around nap time. Make sure your child eats something before you have to run errands, and it doesn’t hurt to have a snack on hand in case you run a bit late.

Have toys, a notebook and crayons, or other activities to keep your child busy if you have to go somewhere, like the doctor’s office, where you’ll need to wait.  Our office has a special kids corner full of fun books, toys, and rainbow coloring pencils.

Try to create a routine and stick to it each day. Children thrive on structure and routine, which makes most days predictable for him or her, reducing frustration associated with him or her not knowing what to expect. Guard “nap time”, and be sure to stick to this part of your child’s daily routine.

Getting Pediatric Chiropractic Care

While these tips may help you curb temper tantrums and manage them when they do arise, you can take reducing the prevalence and better managing them one step further with chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care provided by a Dana Point chiropractor targets the root of undesirable behavior by targeting the nervous system. This modality can ease tension and stress in the body, reducing the frequency and severity of tantrums. The nervous system has two “sides”, the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous systems.  The Sympathetic side is the fight or flight side.  It speeds things up and kicks in during a fight or flight situation.  The Parasympathetic side is the rest and digest side.  It slows bodily processes down and calms the body’s energy level.  The balance of both of these “sides” is vital for one’s health and an imbalance of such can sometimes be seen reflected in a child’s behavior.  Changes in this balance may occur when there is irritation to the nervous system that is coming from spinal mal-alignments called Vertebral Subluxations.

At PCH Chiropractic in Dana Point, we are experts in correcting Subluxations in children, and in past cases, some parents have reported that afterward their child has been more relaxed, slept better, and had improved behaviors.

If you’re ready to have fewer days where you’re carrying a screaming child out of your local grocery store, seek pediatric chiropractic care. We offer safe, proven, gentle techniques that might just help your child better control his or her emotions naturally by restoring a more natural balance to their developing nervous systems.

Contact PCH Chiropractic today for your little one’s first appointment by calling 949-503-2691. On the other hand, you could use our convenient online booking tool to initiate the process.