Handling Holiday Temper Tantrums
Holiday stress can take a toll on the whole family including your children. An increase in temper tantrums is not uncommon. Understanding the common holiday temper tantrum triggers will help you be better prepared to handle them in case your little one starts to have one.
Holiday Temper Tantrums and…
Shopping
As the shopping season approaches, keep in mind that all day shopping trips can be a lot for your child to handle. Big crowds and long lines can become overwhelming to your little one and if possible it would be best to arrange some sort of childcare prior to going shopping. If you are unable to arrange childcare, try to have a list so you can be in and out of the store as quickly as possible.
Dinner
When it comes to holiday dinner, have a couple foods available that your child likes and has had in the past. This will help to avoid a tantrum from not wanting to eat foods that they are have not had before. It is a good idea that you introduce new foods to your child, but not the best idea to do it at a holiday gathering where they might already be overwhelmed. Talk about table manners prior to the meal, but have realistic expectations.
House Guests
The increase in people coming to the house for holiday gathering can sometimes be scary for small children. Introducing your children to everyone or reminding them how they know a person that comes in will make the situation not as intimidating to them.
Generosity
This is a season of reflecting what you are grateful for in your life and teaching children how to be grateful is important. Teaching them to be grateful for the time they are sharing with family instead of focusing on gifts can also help reduce the possibility of a tantrum. Raising a grateful child will go even farther than just this holiday season. Studies have shown that people that are grateful are healthier because they often feel happier, are more optimistic, take better care of themselves, have stronger immune systems and have a brighter outlook on the future.
Wishing you a temper tantrum free holiday season,
Dr. Bill
If you would like to work with a Certified Health Coach during your pregnancy, or postpartum, you can find a Coach in your area.
Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.