Back in May, I wrote a post called 10 Ways to Stop a Tantrum. This post has been very popular and I believe one of the reasons for its popularity is that all parents can relate to it. We have all been in the position of trying to console a child who is having a tantrum. I offered some tips that have worked for our family and was thrilled that so many readers commented with their own tips that have been helpful for them. I know some readers don’t always read all the comments in a post, so I wanted to summarize the great reader advice here. Thanks to all the wonderful readers who commented and shared! Read on for more great ideas…

Obviously there are times when your child is genuinely upset and hurt about something and those are wonderful opportunities to bond, label their feelings and discuss possible solutions. These tips are more for the times that a child is crying about something minor (you won’t give them a second cookie, something has not gone their way, etc…).

Here are the 10 MORE ways to stop a tantrum from the Mess For Less readers:

1. Removal from a setting
One reader found that simply removing her child (more…)

If you were out at Walmart this weekend and heard this loud screaming tantrum fit… that was Lyndsey.  Yes, I think even you gals on the west coast may have heard her.  She was very bad.  My husband was standing outside the dressing room with the other kids while I had Lyndsey trying on clothes.  Getting them on was no problem.  Getting them back off was a different story.  Kelly told me of all the little ladies and their “somebody needs a nap” comments as I was inside the little room dealing with crazy girl.

She really liked the outfit I picked out for her apparently because she refused to take it back off.  I finally managed to get the new outfit stripped off of her – that was a challenge – and then tried to put her old clothes back on.  I got the pants on and went to get the shirt.  As I am getting the shirt, she rips off the pants.  Then I get the pants on finally and can’t get the shirt on.  She keeps pulling it back off, kicking and screaming.  Finally, I get her shirt and pants on and try to get her shoes on but she would have no part of it.  After a while, as the screaming was getting louder and louder, I finally just picked her up barefooted and shoved her in the shopping cart.  I had planned to have the other kids try on clothes too, but after that fiasco we decided we would just return anything that didn’t fit.

The only thing that makes me feel better about shopping with my kids is watching other people (more…)