• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Diedre
    • Contact Me
    • Featured On
    • Privacy Policy
  • Curly Hair Care
  • Motherhood
    • Motherhood Series
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Curly Hair Guide
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Newsletter

Are Those Your Kids

Raising Biracial Kids in Today's World

Toddler Tantrums: How to Avoid the Ultimate Embarrassment

November 2, 2015 By Diedre 22 Comments

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Toddler Tantrums: How to Avoid the Ultimate Embarrassment

Becoming a parent means a major lifestyle change. The days of spending all day or evening at event become quite challenging with kids, especially toddlers under the age of five. Have you ever planned the perfect outing for your kids, only to be disappointed by tears, tantrums & meltdowns? Here’s what I’ve found works for minimizing the meltdowns:

Take your children first thing in the morning when they wake up, or right after a nap

Most toddlers have meltdowns because they are either tired or overstimulated. Timing is everything! For me, taking my kids places right after breakfast ensures that they won’t be starving, and they are well rested. The same goes for after a nap. In fact, the after nap grogginess sometimes works in my favor.

Pack extra snacks

I love fair and festival food as much as the next girl. However, I have a very picky four-year-old. She loves dairy products and doesn’t drink much except milk or water. Knowing that, I keep her favorite drinks on hand if we are going to be out for several hours. For me, this helps to minimize her meltdowns.

If possible, bring reinforcements

By reinforcements, I mean Grandma, friends, or family. Any extra hands on deck are always a big help with little ones. And I’ve found that having more familiar faces around can minimize the intensity or duration of a meltdown.

Bring your camera (or keep your phone charged)

You won’t want to miss their grins in the pumpkin patch, powdered sugar all over their faces, and anything else that might occur. In the case of a meltdown, snap a picture of that too! You can show them when they are older.

Use the stroller as extra storage

When you have little kids, you feel like you are bringing everything but the kitchen sink on an outing. Your arms get full and you are constantly digging for something in a bag. The stroller works to keep the kids contained as well as storage for all the kiddie gear! I have a four-year-old and almost two year old, and I love our Joovy stroller.

Ignore the stares

People will stare, grumble and glare. Anyone who has ever raised kids knows that toddlers can be unpredictable. Once Melody and I were shopping in Belk. She had just woken from a nap and was being fussy in her stroller. A woman walked over and said to her, aw, what’s wrong little girl? Are you sleepy? Does your mom need to take you home for a nap? I tried not to glare at her, but kindly informed her that she had just woken from a nap.

Know your child’s over stimulation threshold

Sometimes as adults, we forget that all that excitement can be overwhelming for them, especially if we are deviating from their normal schedule. We had to leave a Halloween event because Melody had a HUGE meltdown. Nothing was going her way, and Daphne was half asleep anyway, so we just came home and put everyone to bed. We decided it was better to give them what they needed, rather than push the issue just because it was Halloween.

What was the last outing you had with your toddler? What did you do to minimize the meltdown?

Are you following my blog? If not, do it now! I can’t wait to share more parenting tips & tricks with you!

Save

Related

Daily Boutique Deals
Baby K'tan Baby Carriers and Baby Wraps

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bess Walthour says

    November 2, 2015 at 5:59 am

    Excellent advice. One is never too old to learn, especially being a grandmom who helps to care for her only grandchild. I thank you for these tips. My grandson is only nine months, but it has been awhile for me to be a caretaker of a little one. I love this little guy with all my heart, but it does seem overwhelming sometimes. Thanks for the tips. Love your blog!

    Bess

    Reply
    • dacounsel says

      November 2, 2015 at 11:35 am

      These tips have made my life easier. Everyone can use a refresher, especially if you have t done it in awhile. Enjoy that grand baby!

      Reply
  2. Keelie Reason says

    November 7, 2015 at 1:33 am

    Great post! I love the pictures. So wonderful.

    Reply
    • dacounsel says

      November 7, 2015 at 1:46 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. jvkrakowski says

    November 10, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    I love how they’re sleeping in these photos. So cute! Helpful tips, too.

    Reply
    • dacounsel says

      November 11, 2015 at 1:43 am

      Thank you! They are sweetest when asleep 😉

      Reply
  4. jehava says

    December 30, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    Awesome! I know that for me snacks are my key helper! LOL It seems to calm almost any situation! Thanks so much for sharing these tips!

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      December 30, 2016 at 8:03 pm

      Your welcome Jehava! I’ve learned the hard way.

      Reply
  5. Misty Eilar says

    December 30, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    I love this, people think I am crazy for bringing a tablet and packing snacks. I love being prepared. Luckily only one major incident, but had her tablet so once the sounds started she was happy.

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      December 30, 2016 at 8:02 pm

      You aren’t crazy, you are smart!!

      Reply
  6. Rochelle says

    December 30, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    It definitely is tough when my daughter has a meltdown in public. The snacks definitely help too! Thanks for sharing.

    With Love Rochelle
    http://www.withloverochelle.com

    Reply
  7. Gloryanna says

    December 30, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    Yes, yes yes! For my guy I think the over stimulation is his biggest factor to meltdowns. If that means we have to leave play dates 15 minutes early, then we do! And I always say a good snack keeps things at bay in the store. 😉 No emotional eating here! Ha!

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      December 30, 2016 at 8:02 pm

      Ha ha…I get it! I am queen of opening cheese, a pouch, goldfish, whatever I need to open to calm my kids down.

      Reply
  8. Brittany says

    December 30, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Great ideas! I always make sure to have snacks on hand. We do most of our outings between 9 and 12 so we’re home for nap.

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      December 30, 2016 at 9:24 pm

      Timing is everything!

      Reply
  9. Patricia says

    December 30, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    These first two tips are definitely key with my girls. Food and timing are everything!

    Reply
  10. yvette says

    December 31, 2016 at 12:48 am

    Oh boy, yes! I too have learnt most tricks for avo8ding tantrums… but…they still happen sometimes. I think learning to avoid the staring is the biggest life changer for me!

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      December 31, 2016 at 4:55 pm

      Yes, unfortunately they still happen. Being prepared and not getting frustrated are the keys to not losing your mind.

      Reply
  11. Kristen says

    December 31, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    Yes x 100! I hate when I push for something knowing dang well it’s not gonna work for my kids at that time.

    Reply
  12. Val says

    January 2, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    Yes I have to agree – timing is key. Our last outing was to the movies and not sure when will return- lol.

    Reply
    • Diedre says

      January 3, 2017 at 2:55 am

      I understand your pain….

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Take a Long Road Trip with Toddlers (Without Killing Anyone) says:
    January 1, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    […] the kids seemed to get antsy, I just popped another DVD in. I promise, this tip works for flights […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Diedre!

Hi, I’m Diedre!

Lifestyle + Mom Blogger

Welcome to Are Those Your Kids! This blog was created to share my experiences in motherhood, from the perspective of a mom with biracial kids. I discuss all things education, culture, multicultural resources, curly hair and motherhood.

Categories

Featured On

 

Are those your kids FB group

Popular Posts

culturally competent
Parenting biracial daughters comes with a unique set of challenges. People often question their identity based on their physical appearance.
Multiracial families are often suseptible to others biases based on their physical appearance. There is so much more to us than meets the eye.

The Frustration-Free Guide to Curly Hair E-book

Are you at a loss when it comes to curly hair? Does wash day make you cringe? Check out this e-book for a guide to all things curly hair care.

Curly Hair & Skin Care for Babies and Toddlers

Curly Hair & Skin Care for Babies and Toddlers

Footer

Are those your kids FB Group

Top Posts & Pages

  • 9 months and counting: What life is really like with 4 kids
  • 4 Things That Surprised Me About a Pregnancy in My Late 30's
  • What I Wish I Knew About Postpartum Recovery
  • This is Why I Broke Up With My Obgyn and Hired a Doula
  • We're Having (Another) Baby: Here comes baby #4
  • Nontoxic Black-Owned Beauty Brands to Add to Your Collection
  • 5 Easy Ways to Teach Your Kids Black History All Year Long
  • 5 Reasons Why I'm Teaching My Multiracial Children about Black History
  • How to Video Narrate Lessons on a PC: A Step by Step Guide
  • 6 Ways to Support Small Businesses During Holidays & Year-round
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Site by Pretty Pink Studio

0 shares