my son is 16 months old and is having temper tatrums for no particular reasons!?

Question

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM??? MANY THANKS

TO SMOKEY my son has a healthy balenced diet of fresh fruit and veg meat,fish,pasta,rice,milk ect daily he dosn't eat rubbish like chicken nuggets and chips and sweets,chocolate or anything with colours in so what should i chane his diet to?????????????????????

Answer 1

Lots of kids go through an angry phase somewhere before 3 years of age. It's part of their learning curve, experimenting with what sort of behaviours produce results. He should grow out of it with normal love & attention, & maybe the help of a teddy bear.
As far as possible, try to put him somewhere you can safely ignore him when he's angry for no reason, maybe a playpen or a cot, then when the tantrum is over, give him lots of love & attention. It feels awful to ignore him when he's screaming as though he's about to die, but that's all part of him discovering how the world responds to him.
If you're really worried, get your doctor to check there's no obvious medical cause for the tantrums, but otherwise don't respond, or he'll have you under his control for the rest of your life!

Answer 2

Well, this is what we in the biz refer to as the "terrible twos", your son is probably just early. This basically involves a child going completely crazy for no particular reason and this will go on for the rest of its life, well, a couple of years maybe :P. What the child is hoping to achieve is to see how strict you are and to learn its boundaries as far as dominating you is concerned, therefore it is very important not to put your back down (this doesnt mean beating the poor thing whenever he drops you a nasty insult :P). Also check that the child is not teething, if this is the case, your doctor should beable to offer slight doses of painkiller (should kill both of your pains). I suggest you take a leaf out of suppernanny's book, try putting the child in the "naughty corner" when hes being bad, this technique involves absolutely no contact when in the corner, and should he decide to breach it, a swift reinstatement on the corner should be followed through :P.. this should last 1 minute per year of his life (1.5 ish mins for your son)... other than that, just try to lump it, try all the tecniques available until you get somewhere but you wont be the first to have not beaten the "terrible-twos"... Good Luck -steve-

Answer 3

At 16months old the world is a frustrating place. Children throw wobblies at the drop of a hat in the hope that you will know what they want or need. Of course you won't because you're not a mind reader. Patience, love and cuddles is the best way forward. Not easy when you feel like screaming and pulling your hair out. I've found that distraction often works e.g. sit with book in the same room and start looking through it talking out loud. A child's curiosity will get the better of them and they will want to come and see what you are looking at. Give them a little one to one attention and hopefully they be feel happier. Shouting doesn't work and neither does smacking. I have been down that route with one of my children. Remember all children are different so what works for one doesn't work for another. Good Luck and enjoy every day with your child. Children grow up so quickly.

Answer 4

i don't think that it is his diet. many things can contribute to a temper tantrum. it could be simply he is frustrated that he can not verbalize, or maybe he is having a growth spurt, or teething... i reconmend just trying to read his body language, if that doesn't do the trick, just be there for him. sometimes that is all you can do, and it will give him some comfort. if the tantrum still escalates, you might want to step out of the room, as long as there is no way he can harm himself. as long as you stay calm he will hopefully follow the lead. good luck and well wishes. my little boy is almost two and a half and his tantrums were like everyday for a while, but now they are few and far between. so it will get better.

Answer 5

He is at an age where he is now testing his boundaries and seeing what he can get away with. Hard as it is, stay calm, firm but fair. The Super Nanny programme is very helpful to watch for tips. Just remember that your child is behaving normally and you must persevere and never do anything for an easy life because that can escalate problems. If you are at your wits end then try getting a friend to come round to help or just to talk to. Also try to get a break yourself so that you can recharge your batteries. Sometimes things seem a lot worse when you are tired. Good luck. Oh and PS do not take your poor child shopping as that is recipe for disaster!

Answer 6

In my experience, the best way is to ignore them. I have two daughters aged 10 and 6 and they have both tried this with me. The first daughter was a nightmare when it came to tantrums but I noticed that the more I got upset, the more she did it. This made me realise that kids will only act up if they know it gets a reaction. For example, if they scream and we give them what they want to shut them up, they learn that screaming gets them what they want. But if we stand our ground and mean no when we say it (no matter what their behaviour) they soon learn that what we say goes and it doesn't matter how loud they scream.
I know it's easier said than done but just being firm and consistent has a big impact on young children. So if you say no to something and they scream, try to stay calm and repeatedly ask them if they really think that screaming is going to get them what they want? after a few attempts they will realise that this method does not work in their favour and will move on to another tactic.
Children tend to act on a trial and error basis, so they will try different methods until they find the one that works best for them. Ps. Ever seen that advert for cold remedy where that woman throws herself on the floor and throws a tantrum before her child gets there first? This is a good lesson to learn in parenthood ie. attack is the bet form of protection.
I sympathise wholeheartedly and hope you can find the strength to stand your ground - good luck xx

Answer 7

I dont know what changing his diet has to do with tantrums. He is sixteen months, it is typical of the age. My son did the same thing and still does sometimes. It is hard to deal with. The best advice is to ignore it. Also, try to remember it does get better. At the time it is so aggravating. Your son is testing his bounderies. Also he is frustrated trying to express himself. As I said it does get easier. Try to imagine yourself telling people what you want, but no one is listening or understands. It is frustrating for us, but worse for a child. My advice give him a hug and tell him you love him and you understand. Good luck.

Answer 8

He has a great reason, he is 16 months old and frustrated because he knows what he wants but has no way to communicate that. Best way to deal with them is to either ignore them in the hopes he learns that tantrums don't work, or distract him in the hopes he forgets what he is tantruming about.
Good luck!

Answer 9

He obviously has an excellent diet. Maybe, he could still be hungry. Does he get snacks between meals.
It could also be teething have you tried giving him Hyland's teething tablets all natural no side affects. http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php

Tylenol/Ibuprofen also helps go by Doc's recommendations not mine as far as Ibuprofen is concerned.

The only other thing that I can think of is has he had a bowel movement?

Answer 10

its the terrible two's. starts way before two. my son started at about 15 months. i just put him in the play pen and tell him he's in there until he clams down or if he throws himself on the floor i just say i'm not picking you up and walk away. the key is not to show frustration when they behave this way because that is what they want. we get frustrated and then give in to their demands so that they will be quiet. i dont give my child sweets either. he's a very healthy eater.