All parents will find that they have to cope with behavior problems now and then. Many young children will show temper tantrums and behavior that is aggressive. In 2 year-olds and throughout the toddler years, temper tantrums are very common. All sorts of behaviors, including biting, screaming, kicking, hair-pulling and tantrums will turn up in children no matter what their age.
The causes of tantrums in young toddlers and even the violent and aggressive behavior that is sometimes seen in older children are not always understood by their parents. It is important to realize that there are underlying reasons for this behavior.
What Are The Reasons Underlying Behavior Problems
It is important that children do not behave badly naturally. Usually problems with behavior in toddlers and children can be traced to unhappiness, stress and a number of other psychological problems. Sometimes children may act out because they’re looking for affection and attention from their parents or they may be feeling a physiological need, in their body, to work through a stress and the adrenaline that built up from it.
Often, misbehavior is an indicator that the child is undergoing stress in his or her life. It is always better to keep yourself focused on the why the tantrum or other bad behavior is happening rather than fighting or arguing with your child about what has caused their upset. You need to be calm when dealing with toddlers behavior problems in store.
There are several important needs and causes that are the basis for a child or a toddler’s tantrums.
DIET: One of the main causes for children to have behavioral problems and throw tantrums is the food they eat. If you have a child who is frequently throwing tantrums, consider whether or not his sugar levels might be high. When children eat a lot of sugar it often leads to hyperactivity. They might also be moody with unpredictable energy level ups and downs. It is possible that you will be able to stop many of the tantrums and other challenging behavior if you remove as much sugar as possible from your child’s diet. Sometimes even juice can raise their blood sugar because it is high in fructose. Another common product to watch is corn sugar.
If a child’s diet is deficient in nutrients he may experience misbehavior, hyperactivity, raging, temper tantrums and attention deficit disorder. You will also find that children who are not eating a healthy diet are more likely to have mood swings and to be very irritable. Keep in mind that the nutrition needs of children are very high.
EXERCISE: One remarkable characteristic of children is that they always have a great deal of energy, assuming they are healthy. You may sometimes think your child is just like the energizer bunny, but if your child is throwing tantrums and having behavior issues, he may actually be in need of more exercise and physical activity.
Too many children today don’t get enough physical activity. They just sit in front of the television. You will probably see improvement in the behavior of your child if you make him turn off the TV and play outside. This will get children out playing, running and jumping. Look at this way, if you don’t want your children jumping on the furniture, it’s a good idea to take them outside or to the park.
SLEEP: When kids are crabby and, on top of that, don’t get enough sleep you’re going to have a child on your hands who is whiny, bad-tempered and will keep testing your patience until they rest. In addition to their nap, if your child is from ages 1-7, she should be getting 12-14 hours of sleep every night. When they are older than that, they still need at least 10 hours of sleep every night. But part of the problem is that there have been studies that show that those children who are hard to get to bed are also those who have behavioral problems. Some of the things you can try are a bedtime story and a warm bath. This might help your child relax and fall asleep. A bedtime ritual like this is always a good idea. So try to keep the same routine every night, ignore the tantrum and your child’s disposition will be improved by eventually getting more sleep.
TELEVISION: Just as many parents are, most kids are mesmerized by television. The problem is that if you are allowing your child to watch television, you are letting him watch a lot of inappropriate behaviors that can lead to his own misbehavior. Sadly, many of the shows that are made specifically for kids show heroes that are child-like and either rebel against authority or fight a powerful enemy. If you watch carefully, you will even find some who defy their parents.
All kids are mesmerized by television. Just as their parents usually are. The problem with television is that it usually exposes your child to a lot of inappropriate ideas that can lead to misbehavior. If you watch a lot of the kids shows, you’ll see that much of the programming is showing child-like heroes who either fight a stronger enemy or rebel against an authority. Some even show characters defying their parents.
SET AN EXAMPLE: You are the one who must set the example for your kids. Do you lose your patience? Do you often yell at your own children or at other family members? Whatever children see they are sure to copy. So if they see you raising your voice, you can bet they will too. If you have any behavioral issues, your child will see and then imitate what you are doing. Try being patience when trying to stop toddler temper tantrums in a store.
RESPECT YOUR CHILD: To most people, this sounds like common sense. But there are parents who often lose patience when their child is ignoring or defying them, throwing a tantrum or displaying other behavior problems. The problem is that if you act like a child is a troublemaker, that’s what they will act like. Make sure you can react to their misbehavior from a place of patience and that you will respect yourself.