Tag: tantrums

The Real Reason Toddlers Have Tantrums

My 3-year-old is going through some intense development right now, and the resulting tantrums are quite impressive. I am lucky they are short-lived because the decibel level of the screams could possibly cause some eardrum issues. If I have any future hearing loss, I’ll be telling my son he did this to me as a toddler. I’ve read a lot about it being the result of them not being able to communicate, and then the frustration manifests itself as a screaming demon. The articles didn’t actually say “screaming demon,” but I know what they were getting at. So I’m going to unveil the mystery behind what really causes tantrums:

  1. You gave them the cookie they asked for. It was the wrong cookie.
  2. You gave them the right cookie, but you put it in the wrong spot. Cookie is now on the floor.
  3. You picked the cookie up off the floor. No!! They were going to eat that.
  4. We’re done with cookies and now want cars. You can’t find the right car
  5. You found the right car, but put it on the table and he wanted it on the floor.

Do you see a pattern here? It’s obviously us. We’re doing it all wrong. Our mind reading skills are just not sharp enough. Some days we get it. And some days, you just have to hand them the whole darn bag of cookies and walk away.

toddler tantrum

 

Getting Cozy with CozyPhones

I’d been wanting to try a set of CozyPhones to see if they would block out my husband’s snoring. It’s loud and awful and always interrupting my sleep. I bought some expensive ear plugs that worked great at blocking out every noise except the snoring. It’s like he snores at some special frequency immune to sound barriers. (As a side note, I recently found some nose plug thingies that actually work great to stop him from snoring)

CozyPhones are a soft headband with earphones inside. They come both wired and Bluetooth capable. If you are using them for sleeping, I’d suggest going Bluetooth. It’s kind of weird being connected to your phone while sleeping if you flip around like I do.


They also make some really cute Paw Patrol headphones so I was hoping to convince my son to wear them in time for our summer trip to Ireland, but no luck yet. He just hates having anything over his ears!

I found them really comfortable to wear, even for side sleeping. Ear plugs bug me and I usually have to take out the one that’s pressed into the pillow, so I was impressed that I couldn’t feel the earphone part inside! I used a white noise app and they blocked out almost everything. Everything except the full-throttle roaring from the other side of the bed.

So while they failed the snore test, they do have many other uses! They do work great for sleeping when you want to block out most noise, they would also be great for winter time running or snowboarding. But then, I may have found the best use of all. Helping me find a little peace and calm when my son is losing it in extended tantrum mode:

I’m sure I’ll be using my CozyPhones a lot on our upcoming trip. The name suits them well- they are really soft and cozy! They also make lycra ones for activewear. You can find them on their website CozyPhones.com or on Amazon.

*  Any Amazon link is an affiliate link  *

What a brat! Wait… You mean they’re all like that?

screaming-toddler-saluteWhat a brat. Yep, I thought that many times while looking at your kid screaming for apparently no reason in public. Most likely while I stood there, comparing prices and calmly reading labels because nobody was screaming for me while trying to climb my body like a monkey. This was, of course, before I had a baby and found out there is absolutely no way to avoid an occasional public meltdown besides never ever leaving the house again.

So I ventured out. And there were tantrums, and there were the looks. I know those looks! But the moms know. And the dads too. You can see in their eyes they feel your pain. You can also see a hint of “I’m just glad it’s not me this time,” and that’s OK because we’ve all been there too.

So, tantrum toddler moms, I salute you! You are out there just trying to keep it together while your kid has a nuclear meltdown. Ignore the stares from the ignorant. They know nothing! But, if they are lucky, they will learn one day. And one day, when they have a rare quiet moment, they’ll think back to all those judgey looks and then write a blog where they apologize for everything. Or maybe that’s just me.