Hissy Fits!

[Elmopalooza]

My usually very well behaved 12mth old has just started throwing the biggest tanties!!! When i picked her up from Day Care today they pulled me aside and said they needed to talk to me.

The girl said that Amity had been throwing Tantrums again today and they are getting worse and more frequent. They said that i need to do something about it. It happens whenever she doesnt get what she wants and if someone leaves the room...she is constantly wanting to be picked up..She doesnt care who tho...

I have tried letting her just scream it out. I've tried sitting next to her and waiting for her to come to me calm and i have tried telling her that screaming at me doesnt help...everythig that day care has suggested i have done!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do!? Im at a complete loss!!

[natasha]

You poor thing! I kinda know what you are going through. My DD (14 months) throws hissy fits sometimes, not as bad as yours it sounds, but they are still pretty unpleasant. Unfortunately I really don't have any words of wisdom . I just try and ignore DD when she does it. If she is doing it for a silly reason like she wants to be picked up, i do try and distract her with anything else. If i think she is throwing a hissy because she is tired i put her in bed and try and calm her down the way I would if she was going to bed at night. But sometimes they just do it because they want to, and in those cases, when it has gone beyond anything i can do, i just let her scream and shout, and i just walk round her tidying up and stuff.

I rarely take her shopping for long periods unless she is in a great mood, incase she throws a hissy.

I think the best advice is to try and distact her thoughts away from whatever it is she wants. Then when she calms down, give her a hug.

Otherwise just ignore her. It may be hard, and she may throw a hissy for half an hour or more, but they get bored soon enough. Anna sometimes forgets why she is crying so it's easy to then say 'OOOOOO would you like to paint/colour/ have a grape???' Then she usually brightens up.

Hope this helps.

[Elfin]

Some kids start tantrums well before 2 my youngest started at just 10 months. I really don't understand what your daycare centre thinks you can do when you are not there. It is not like she is at an age where you can take her home and reason with her.

At that age is it really about frustration, she can't put it into to words yet so this is how she shows it. Like already mentioned distraction is probably the best method for that age. Don't forget to praise the good behaviour as we can often forget do that.

Check her diet too. Removing 282 which is an anti mould preservative found in a lot of breads, crumpets, english muffins, refridgerated pasta can help improve behaviour in some children. Doesn't work for everyone but is worth a try.

[rynosmum]

I completely agree. My DS threw some huge tantys over a few days at the same age. He would scream, bang is head on the floor and wall and could not be comforted in any way. The triggers would be basic and the tanty would go on for ages.

We removed preservative 282 after recommendation by some other BubHub members and the improvement was dramatic. At 22 months now, we only once again ever had a similar tanty (when he was unwell).

Whether it's coincidence or good management, the removal of 282 has worked absolutely wonders for us.

I hope you're seeing some improvement !