The Tantrum Survival Guide

Tune In to Your Toddler's Mind (and Your Own) to Calm the Craziness and Make Family Fun Again

Rebecca Schrag Hershberg

• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781462537433
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Developmental Psychology
• Index: Psychology

If you are the parent of a toddler or preschooler, chances are you know a thing or two about tantrums. While those epic meltdowns can certainly be part of "normal" toddler behavior, they are still maddening, stressful, and exhausting--for everyone involved. What can you do to keep your cool and help your child calm down? Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, child psychologist and mother of two, has a unique understanding of both the science behind tantrums and what works in the heat of the moment to nip blowups in the bud. With her customizable plan, you'll learn: *Why your toddler's developing brain is hardwired for "big emotions."
*What you may be doing (unintentionally) to encourage outbursts.
*Ways to use structure and routines to help your child feel secure.
*How to reduce tantrums at tough times of day, from wake-up to bedtime.
*Strategies for managing tantrums under difficult circumstances, from travel to moving to divorce.
*Ways to deepen your parent–child connection--starting right now. A Greater Good Favorite Parenting Book of 2018

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise for The Tantrum Survival Guide
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. “You Haven’t Seen a Tantrum Until You’ve Seen My Toddler’s Tantrums”: When Should You Worry?
• 2. “Really? This Is What You’re Going to Melt Down Over?”: Understanding Causes and Triggers
• 3. “What’s Going On in That Curious Little Mind?”: Being Realistic about the Limitations of the Developing Brain
• 4. “Why Can’t I Handle This?”: Parental Expectations, Baggage, and Emotions
• 5. “Maybe If Things Were Just a Bit Less Crazy on the Home Front . . .”: Family Dynamics and the Foundation for Reducing Tantrums
• 6. “Of Course You’ll Always Be My Sweet Little Baby (Except Possibly When You Pee in the Bath on Purpose)”: Preserving the Authentic Connection with Your Toddler
• 7. “Who’s Making the Rules Here?”: Using Reasonable Structures and Routines to Help Your Toddler Feel Secure
• 8. “OK. But. Now. What. Exactly. Should. I. Do?”: Practical Strategies for Preventing and Deescalating Tantrums
• 9. “Am I Making Things Worse?”: Concrete Ways to Avoid Knee-Jerk Responses and Other “Anti-Tools” That Just Don’t Work
• 10. “Please Just Go to Sleep, Already!”: How to Reduce Tantrums at Tough Times of Day, from Wake-Up to Bedtime
• 11. “How Many Times Can We Order Pizza for Dinner?” (a.k.a. Another Aborted Trip to the Supermarket): How to Reduce Tantrums in Tricky Settings, from the Big-Box Store to the Playground and Beyond
• 12. “A Tantrum Is Quite Possibly the Last Thing I Need Right Now”: How to Reduce Tantrums under Difficult Circumstances, from Travel to Moving to Divorce
• Resources
• Index
• About the Author
• About Guilford Press
• Discover Related Guilford Books