How to deal with temper tantrum?

Question

I am nannying 2 kids this summer and the youngest one (5 years old) keeps throwing temper tantrums. It seems like one a day. And they are over the smallest things but he will scream like crazy. Luckily they are usually inside and not in public. He isn't my kid so I am hesitant to do any extreme punishment, but do you have any advice how to prevent these all together. Like maybe some sort of reward system for being good? Right now I just put him on the couch and let him scream it out but the last couple times he refuses to stay on the couch and this worries me. Any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

You claim to be a Nanny but have no idea how to handle a tantrum?  The parents you are working for are paying you far too much obviously.  You ignore tantrums, fyi tantrums/fits are thrown in an attempt to get attention so that you will give the child their way.  If you walk away and ignore them they have no audience.  You accentuate the positive behavior and playdown the negative.  If the screaming bothers you invest in a child gate to put in the doorway of the child's bedroom.  When he has a "meltdown" put him in his room with the gate up and go on about whatever it was you were doing before the tantrum...be sure to look in on him every few minutes.

Answer 2

DO NOT pour water on anyone!

Here's what you do...

- ask for parents support/advice

- are these tantrums happening at the same time of day? Could he be tired, hungry, feeling neglected b/c you might be busy?

- you MUST make this little one your friend....show him/her that you really care about their feelings

- if that doesn't work...tell them they have until the count of 10 to stop before you call their mom/dad at work (who ever the child is most intimidated by)

- when the child settles down...take the time to understand why they acted out.

- be patient...I know it's hard....hang in there

Answer 3

Pour water on them gently with knowing them.

Answer 4

Watch super nanny on tv.

Answer 5

threathen to tell his parents, or take away a favoriyte toy or privilege everytime he throws a tantrum and don't give it back until he is calm and has apologized for doing said tantrum. and if he apologizes all sulky, keep the toy until his apology is meaningful.

Answer 6

I agree with the person who said to speak to his parents.  You all need to be on the same page w/ how you will handle this.  Kids absolutely need consistency, so all caretakers must have the same rules/consequences.

I would also keep w/ the time out (or cool-down period, however you want to phrase it).  When he does get out of control,  warn him once.  Then put him somewhere he can't hurt himself.   Just tell him he has to cool off and his time won't start until he settles down.  DO NOT talk to him or try to reason, explain things to him, etc. at this time.  He is getting exactly what he wants, control of the situation, if you do this.  If you have to keep putting him back, then quietly do so.  You can also start taking things away, i.e. toys, privliges if time outs alone don't help.

After everything has calmed down, help him figure out how he could have better handled things and let him know that you still love him and think he is a good kid.

Answer 7

yupp hes at tantrum age

you just need to keep on picking him up and put him back on the couch

yess...i will become tiring but he'll learn that your not interest in him until he stops screaming and stays seated on the couch until you insturct him to leave.

Dont reward him with sugary food or drink,verbal praise of maybe youve been a good boy lets go to the park,or feed the ducks

whatever you do dont give in and feed him chocolate and soft drink cause it will only make it worse

xx

Answer 8

This is quite typical of children this age...if his actions are not bad enough to the point where he is harming himself the best thing to do is just ignore him while he does it...if you show him attention while he is displaying these negative behaviors the will never end because you are in a sense rewarding him. So if it is possible just ignore his actions....that is so to speak....do not neglect him just pretend to ignore him and see if it helps. Also, showing him positive reinforcement when he is doing something right with something as simple as a candy or a good boy will also steer him in the right directions. Also if you are lucky enough to know what will trigger a melt down you could just adapt your daily activities to accommodate or redirect him.(ex. take a nap during the day if you notice he is cranky when he is sleepy). Good Luck !

Answer 9

Honestly ignore it no matter what that way you show them that you really aren't going to tolerate this behavior because you are not responding . But also try to find out what the cause is it may be something more underneath than you might  think.

Answer 10

I used to throw a tantrm and act exactly the way they were acting (including throwing myself on the floor if they did).

they thought i was a nut job but saw how rediculos they looked and would stop for a while.