Ignoring temper tantrums
Sometimes ignoring a temper tantrum works best. Ways to ignore your child during a tantrum include:
- Distracting the child. If your child is on the verge of having a tantrum, you may be able to stop it by distracting him or her. Start talking about something happy that may interest your child. Or point to a different object or situation to change the child's focus.
- Walking away from the child. However, for some children this does not work. They may feel more out of control, making the temper tantrum worse.
- Standing about 5 ft (1.5 m) away from the child and continuing to do what you were doing. You can observe without focusing all of your attention on your child.
- Not talking to the child, if possible. If you do talk to your child, talk in a neutral tone of voice.
| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH | Last Updated: December 13, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics | |
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