Toddler temper tantrums!

[Durhamchance]

Just wondering how everybody handles these?! We took Blake (nearly two) to soft play this afternoon, he had a good hour of running about and playing. When we needed to leave I gave him a 5 minute warning and explained that we would be going. After 5 mins we told him it was time to go and the bomb went off OH had to restrain him to get his shoes back on, he totally refused to walk, threw himself on the floor, had to be carried out, threw himself out if his car seat and screamed all the way home. Once at home he continued for a good 10/15 mins until he'd calmed down enough to realise In The Night Garden was on TV.

How does everybody else handle these situations? If I'd been on my own I wouldn't have been able to manage as I couldn't have carried him kicking and screaming as he was. There was no getting through to him at all, but we didn't raise our voices and we did the best we could to ignore the behaviour too.

This is why they call it the terrible twos right?

 

[Nonabean]

I tend to just walk away and leave him having his strop on the floor. I am a single mum and at the minute just don't have the strength to fight it. Generally when he realises he's not getting a reaction he stops.
Xx

 

[Lilmisshopeful]

My daughter hated leaving soft play and like you I gave a 5 minute warning but I always used distraction methods. It wasn't a 5 minute warning it was 5 minutes till snack time treat time lolly pop time ect or to go to somewhere else on the way home. I always found saying time to go home was the trigger. She would happily sit there with a snack while I did her shoes xxx

 

[Rooster30]

Urgh, sounds awful. So far, my son does not tantrum over stuff like that. He tantrums at home over random, silly things. If he has been especially naughty (hitting his daddy is a major issue at the moment), we put him in calm down corner for two minutes which usually does the business - he says sorry and gives a hug and kiss afterwards. We briefly explain what he did wrong but I still don't think he gets it as he still hits.

I think the general rule is to ignore a tantrum, but in a public place it's obviously more difficult.

 

[Baby2sky]

My daughter does this a lot. I just ignore her whilst I fight to get her shoes and coat on. Nothing really works with my girl apart from ignoring. We used to do the cool down.corner but she would just sit there laughing!

 

[Durhamchance]

There's no magic trick then

I would have just walked away when he threw himself on the floor, but the minute I let go of his hand he was up and trying to leg it back into the play area. I like the idea of it not being 5 mins till home time, but 5 mins to something nice instead. I will definitely give that a try.

 

[littlemonkey]

I'd definitely say ignore it. With my LO as soon as he realises he's not going to get his way he tends to stop. He's not too bad in public yet touch wood, it tends to be worse at home if he wants something and can't have it. If he's refusing to go somewhere, I just pick him up without saying anything and throw him over my shoulder. He seems to know when I give him the silent treatment that I'm cross! I think it's better for me too cos other wise I would shout and lose my temper. It's harder to do these days cos he's so tall and I'm tiny and 28 weeks pregnant, so I tend to take the pram every where now so if I'm on my own he goes in the pram.

Generally at soft play it's my LO whose asking to go home cos he's tired and had enough!!