Toddler Frustrations

Toddler frustrations

Toddler’s life is full of fun, emotions and playtime. When they don’t get what they want, they lose their temper and get frustrated. For example if your toddler wishes to spend more screen time and you don’t allow them to do so, they get irritated and throw away the nearby objects, more commonly your mobile or laptop. On the other hand, as a parent if you lose your temper, things will really become a mess.

Learn to understand that frustrations are part of early development and as a child grows their abilities, expectations, independence and frustrations also grow exponentially. Since a toddler’s knowledge is contextual and limited, he may easily get confused and frustrated.

Signs of anger in toddlers

Frustrations can turn into anger. It is important to notice the signs of anger in toddlers. Common signs include crying, screaming, biting, pulling, kicking, hitting and throwing things. Handling and teaching them appropriate strategies will help then outgrow their frustrations and anger.

How to handle toddler frustrations?

Be a role model: Children learn to handle their frustrations from their parents. So always stay calm and cool and naturally your child starts learning from you.   

Listen: Always allow your children to speak on what he feels about a situation or people around him. Listen to your child on when and for what things he turns out to be frustrated. Always pay attention to his body language to notice the signs of frustration. Be ready to offer a “helping hand” whenever he is in need of. Always be responsive and use a warm tone in answering their questions.

Trust: It is always important to trust your child when he tries to handle new things. He always needs a “space” to get adjusted and to make thoughtful decisions. A frustrated child will eventually learn to explore and handle life better with the right qualities like patience and persistence. Don’t get involved in every single thing your toddler wishes to pursue by himself. Remember you need to stand with your toddler but not do every single thing for him.

Independence: Frustrations happen when toddlers don’t have power and control over their environment. Providing some level of independence to your toddler helps him in handling his frustrations. It is always important for you to think about things from their perspective. Don’t push your child to handle things beyond his abilities and age.

Divert: One thing we need to understand is the period of frustration makes them learn new skills. If you don’t wish your toddler to spend time on mobile, you can divert them to read books or do a painting.

Calming measures: You know very well that things don’t work the way you plan. In such instances you will practice certain things to calm your mind. You need to teach such calming measures to your toddler when he gets frustrated. The calming measures can be a story book, a bike ride with his Dad or his favorite music.  Always have fun and humor during the conversation.

When you design a perfect and flexible parenting strategy, frustrations are easy to handle. Good luck!