Holiday Meltdowns!!

Cue the holiday music, food, drinks, gift....and ultimately...meltdowns.  The holidays are a perfect breeding ground for these meltdowns.  

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Often as our toddlers shift and grow so rapidly we may forget that their brains are still very much under construction.  
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There are so many areas that our children are still learning about.  They are learning limits, boundaries, how to connect with others, communication, their influence on the world and how to regulate those BIG emotions.  We need to gently remind ourselves that our expectations need to match where they are at developmentally.
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We want to be regulated when we are dealing with tantrums, take some deep breaths, remind yourself "they are having a hard time, not trying to give me a hard time" Use some of those mama mantras!!
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Validate those emotions, even as adults we feel soo much better when someone simply gets how we feel, remember MAD IS NOT BAD.
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Go to a smaller room with them if possible. The smaller space will feel safer than a big open space.  Especially if there is a lot of stimulation (noises, other people, lights). Perfect breeding ground for an overstimulated kid!
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Set boundaries around aggressive behaviour "it's ok to feel mad but we cannot hit"
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If they become more dysregulated with you being in the room, let them know you are there for them and will check back in
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Practice and model coping strategies in states of regulation so they will be easier to use when dysregulation happens ( big belly breaths, counting, deep pressure, reading)

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We have practiced deep breaths since my toddler was really young and this is a go to strategy in our house.  Calms the nervous system down, gets the oxygen flowing.  We are fans of big belly breaths
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Check out our workshop that is perfect for managing those holiday meltdowns!! https://www.mamapsychologists.ca/managing-tantrums-successfully