subject: Toddler Tantrums - The Distraction Technique [print this page] When the world is crumbling and your toddler is about to erupt into a full blown episode, one of our best weapons as a parent in the battle against toddler tantrums is the 'DISTRACTION'. When screaming, shouting and toy throwing is about to happen there is a subtle and versatile technique that can be used to persuade your toddler from taking a course of action you don't want. The distraction can take the form of: Hold this - simply take the nearest object and ask the toddler to hold onto it for you. This gives them a sense of responsibility and takes their focus onto the object and the request. Look! - no need to even point with this one, the toddler will look at you and then look around. Not a strong one this but hopefully it will be enough to change their course of action, this one needs swift follow up. Ask - ask the toddler a question about what they want to do or what they are doing. Stops them in their tracks and makes them have to think about something. Now the distraction is a short-term tactic which may work for low-level toddler tantrums that are in the very early stages. It is not the silver bullet for the full-blown screaming ab-dabs! This is just a taster for the technique itself. There are hundreds of variations but the key point is that you are breaking the toddler's focus on a course of action that will lead to a tantrum. By breaking the focus you then quickly follow up with a new area of focus that occupies their mind and steers them hopefully away from the toddler tantrum.
Toddler Tantrums - The Distraction Technique
By: Richard Morgan
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