I babysite a 15 month old. How do I get him to stop throwing fits?

Question

He throws fits every time he doesn't get his way.

I can handle him. The fits just get annoying.

Answer 1

Ignore fits, they are usually just for attention. Of course if the fits are going to hurt him, you need to step in and at least make him safe, but not give in.

Answer 2

I have a 14 month old who throws his head back and it's hard not to drop him. He also bangs his head against the fridge or stove or anything, even the floor. He falls down like he just can't take it anymore. I just move him to a safe place and walk away. His fits only last a few seconds and he gets up and goes on to something else. I'm not sure if he'll eventually stop this or start the screaming and kicking that goes along with fits. However, I just ignore it so far.

Answer 3

Fifteen-month olds are going to throw fits no matter what. If you can't handle it, don't babysit him.

That said, you should minimize your response--both positive and negative--to the fits. Spanking will just make it worse, guaranteed. Speak in a calm voice and let him work it out. If he sees he can't get a rise out of you or get what he wants, he'll eventually do it less.

Still, though, he's not old enough yet to either control his emotions or articulate exactly what he wants/needs so you're going to have to live with it some.

Answer 4

Obviously you can't handle him. And throwing fits is what 15 month olds are best at. I suggest you ASK the mother what she does when he throws a tantrum and do what she does.

Answer 5

if the Baby if a yr.and three mos. old he is still a Baby and I don't blame him for having fits. That Baby needs a lot of loving and understanding from your part, If only he could explain what is really bothering him he, would tell you. But being a baby , the adult which is you should understand that he misses his Mom and wants to be with her. Try to talk to him in a subtle tone of voice and play with him a lot, I am pretty sure he will come around and he will behave better after a while. A lot of TLC is all he needs from you since his Mom is not there to provide it.

Answer 6

Some of this comes with the territory, but there are ways to (usually) minimize how long it goes on.

One thing to do is to mention the fits to his parents and ask how they deal with them. They may have some technique that they want to have used, such as giving him a brief (one minute) time out if his fit gets excessive. However, I don't recommend swatting him or yelling at him, no matter how tempting it may feel - it tends to make things worse.

The main things that have worked for me are firmness, consistency, and distraction. For example, when my son starts to do something that he's not supposed to, I say "No no." If he starts to do it again, I say "No no. One more time and (fill in the blank - I take the object away, we go inside, whatever.)" The third time, I make good on my promise: "Mommy said no no and you did it anyhow. Now we have to go inside."

Kids don't have much self control, but over time, this sort of consistent, unflappable approach reaps results.

When my kid starts to tantrum over limits being placed, as often happens, I try to distract him immediately. I don't give in; I'll physically move him to another spot, take him on a brief walk and start pointing out bugs or flowers, or hand him a toy to replace whatever he was playing with. 90% of the time this jars him out of his tantrum.

If it doesn't, which is often the case when he's tired or upset or sick, I try to hug him and rock him while he cries it out. If he starts kicking and flailing to the point I can't hold him, I try to keep him in a safe place so he can do that without hurting himself or me, and ignore his tantrum as best as I can.

Another thing that sometimes helps is strapping him in his stroller and taking him for a walk. Sometimes he flails and screams pretty badly, but usually the rhythm of the walk helps to calm him down within a block or two. The other nice thing is that toddler screams don't sound quite as loud in the open air.

Good luck!

Answer 7

did I study properly that somebody quite sugested spanking an 8 month old toddler for crying? I actually desire no longer. Spanking could be prevented completely in the time of a childs existence yet who hits a toddler? i will enable each and every of you answer that one for yourselves. My oldest are 9 a million/2 and eight my youngest an extremely clingy 8 months and there are problematical moments and whilst they arrive you are able to desire to eliminate yurself for a couple of minutes positioned the toddler someplace secure i.e. crib, play pen and bypass get sone clean air despite if it extremely is purely to adhere you head out a window breath deeply and get a grip then bypass %. up your now histerical toddler and tell them you like them and get on with your day get a hip sling and wash the dishes. Nap whilst they do and clean after mattress time.

Answer 8

Get down to his level and look his straight in the eyes. Tell him in a stern voice (not yelling) that throwing fits is not acceptable. You should also ask the parents about how they discipline their child so that you know their disciplining techniques and you don't do something the child will deem confusing.

Answer 9

I totally agree with Jack. At 15 months old, a child cannot control himself and he's too young for discipline. Just remain calm and try to ignore the tantrum.

You can also try to divert him by getting him interested in something else.

Answer 10

Chat with his mother about the problem. My guess would be that he rewards for throwing a fit are greater than the consequences. Increase the consquences (probably with parental approval) and make sure they happen consistently.