How to calm a child: ways and recommendations for parents and educators

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Expecting replenishment in the family, women imagine only the pleasant aspects of motherhood: quiet walks with a stroller, a cute cooing of a newborn, the first timid steps of a baby. But in practice it is not so simple. That is why, when faced with a child's tantrum for the first time, parents have no idea how to calm the child.

Why do babies cry?

Situations that can cause children to cry are endless. And this is quite normal. If for adults a broken toy is a mere trifle, then for a child it can be a tragedy.

As a rule, parents eventually begin to distinguish between their child's real tears and intentional attempts at manipulation. However, it can be difficult for some young mothers and fathers to figure out the cause of a child's tantrum. If we consider the most common cases, then children may cry:

• Due to physical ailment (fever, colic, etc.).
• Hunger.
• Feelingsfear.
• Overfatigue.
• Fatigue.
• Lack of sleep.

When it comes to children 2-3 years old, the main reason for their crying is the refusal or prohibition of something. Simply put, hysteria in such cases is used as a quick and effective way to manipulate adults. And it works almost flawlessly. Because when the baby screams and falls to the floor, the parents don't know how to calm the baby and just give him what he wants.

How to understand the reason for crying?

Crying is the only way to communicate with parents before the child learns to express their needs and feelings. This usually happens by 4-5 years of age. But how to understand how to calm a child if the reason for his tantrum is not clear?

To accurately determine it, you need to carefully look at the child. Since different stimuli cause different reactions in children:

1. Hunger. Long loud crying that does not stop for a long time may indicate that the child is hungry. At the same time, the newborn will instinctively open his mouth in search of the mother's breast, and older children will spin around the table or refrigerator. Therefore, in this case, the answer to the question of how to calm a crying baby is simple: feed.
2. Physical ailment. In the crying of a child who is worried about something, plaintive notes are always heard. If the cause of discomfort is permanent and prolonged, such as colic, the baby's crying will be monotonous. It can subside for a while, replaced by quiet moans. If the pain is sharp, such as when falling, the crying of the child will occur abruptly and suddenly. However, after a mother's embrace, it will quickly stop.
3. Fright. If the child was frightened or had a terrible dream, he will react with a sharp and hysterical cry. It will appear as suddenly as it will stop. The main thing is to wrap him in a hug, creating a sense of security.
4. Other inconvenience. When the baby does not like something or interferes, he will not fall into a tantrum. The cry is more like a call, and with an instant reaction from the parents, it will immediately stop. However, if the baby is ignored, he will not calm down until the cause of his discomfort disappears.

Crying due to hunger

If we talk about how to calm a crying child who is hungry, then the solution is obvious - to feed him. And here two further scenarios are possible:

1. Baby will calm down and possibly fall asleep.
2. He starts screaming even more.

When all signs indicate that the baby wants to eat, but at the same time he refuses food, you need to look for factors that affect nutritional problems.

Reasons why a child refuses to eat

Even when a baby eats on demand, he or she will randomly develop a feeding schedule. Therefore, the mother usually knows at what time to feed the baby. If your newborn is avoiding food or eating much less than usual, the following reasons may be contributing:

• Thrush or stomatitis.
• Difficultybreathing through the sinuses.
• Acute otitis.
• Teething.
• Sore throat, etc.

In order not to guess, you need to contact the local pediatrician. Problems with the nutrition of children under 1 year old are a good reason to contact a specialist.

Colic is the 1 cause of crying in babies aged 0 to 3 months

Rare lucky young parents have not experienced infantile colic and do not know how to calm the child in such a situation. Colic is not a disease, but a behavioral syndrome characterized by long-term intermittent crying. The nature of their occurrence is still poorly understood. However, there is speculation that they are associated with the immaturity of the children's digestive system.

Symptoms:

• Loud incessant crying that usually repeats daily at the same time.
• Face redness.
• Hard abdomen on palpation (pressure).
• Pulling the legs to the stomach.

Eliminate colic will not work, they just need to survive. However, parents can relieve their symptoms by:

1. Massage.
2. Exercise "bike" and "frog".
3. Warming the tummy with a warm diaper or baby heating pad.
4. Drugs ("Espumizan L", "Bobotik", etc.).
5. Folk remedies.
6. Vessing tube.

How to save a child from fear?

As the baby grows, he begins to relate differently to the world around him. If yesterday the sound of a running vacuum cleaner acted like a sleeping pill, today it can cause a strong fright.

When a child is frightened, you do not need to follow grandmother's beliefs and pour holy water on the child. First of all, a mother should think about how to calm a small child, and only then carry out all her manipulations.

To calm the baby from the experienced fright, you need to take him in your arms and shake him a little. Rocking a newborn should be extremely careful, refraining from a large amplitude of movements. Otherwise, it may cause future he alth problems.

Crying out of discomfort

Adapting to a new environment, it is very difficult for a child to perceive the conditions around him. Therefore, the baby may cry because of the banal discomfort associated with:

• With wet diapers.
• Uncomfortable clothes.
• Uncomfortable posture.
• High or low air humidity.
• Cold or hot.

For newborns, you should choose the right clothes (only cotton with outside seams), change the diaper on time, dress the baby according to the season, monitor the temperature and humidity in the house.

Pediatrician advice on how to soothe your baby before bed can also be done with tight swaddling. This is true for children in the first three months of life. The fact is that after the mother's womb, not all babies just get used to having so much free space around them.

How to calm a child during a tantrum at 2 years old?

Rolling on the floor, crying andunbearable screaming in public is a natural behavior for a child at 2 years old. It is these methods that children resort to in order to get the desired toy or sweetness from their parents. When a child starts crying in public places, parents involuntarily blush and agree to everything that is asked of them, destroying the chances of breaking this vicious circle.

When talking about how to calm a screaming child, the first thing to remember is that you can’t go on about him. Otherwise, this behavior will continue for a very long time. Yes, the condemning glances of passers-by do not help to maintain firmness. Therefore, it is better to act in the following sequence:

1. Isolate the child from others. At home - in a separate room, on the street - in a secluded place.
2. Make clear that this behavior will not change the ban decision.
3. Keep calm and do not show aggression until the peak of the tantrum subsides.
4. Explain how you can express your dissatisfaction in a different way. For example, verbally: “I'm upset”, “I'm angry”, “I'm offended.”

Hyperactivity as a cause of childhood nervousness

Some parents find they don't know how to calm a hyperactive child. Hyperactive children, due to excessive emotional stress, do not sleep well at night, are often capricious, and are prone to sudden outbursts of anger.

In this case, the tantrum is easier to prevent than to stop. To do this, you need to introduce a clear daily routine, in the evening play only calm games with your child, beforerelaxing herbal baths at bedtime.

Tantrums in a child at 3 years old

The peak of a child's capricious behavior falls on the third year of life. In psychology, there is even a special term for such a phenomenon - “crisis of 3 years”. It manifests itself in increased nervousness, waywardness, denial and stubbornness of the child. Therefore, it is during this period that the question of how to calm a child during a tantrum is especially acute.

In fact, the mechanism of action is the same as in the previous case: isolation - persistence - patience - conversation. The main thing for parents is to remember that the goal of the child is not to make you angry, but to draw attention to yourself and show your “I”. Therefore, you need to show him another way to do it, other than throwing a tantrum. Usually by the age of 4, children begin to understand how to compromise with their parents.

What to do if tantrums continue at 4 years old?

Tantrums at 4 years old are the result of parental misbehavior. If crying and screaming made it possible to get what you wanted both at 2 and 3 years old, then why can’t you do it now? When parents did not understand how to calm a capricious child, and followed his lead, they thereby encouraged such behavior.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such behavior, it is necessary to teach him how to adequately respond to the word "no". And this should be done not only by mom or dad, but also by other family members with whom the child is in contact.

Speaking of how to calm a nervous child, it is worthmention the medical aspects of this problem. Additionally, you can seek advice from a pediatric neurologist. Perhaps this behavior is due to serious he alth problems. Especially when tantrums are accompanied by bodily injury, breath holding or loss of consciousness.

How to calm a child in kindergarten: recommendations for parents

For children, getting to know kindergarten is a huge stress. Unfamiliar aunts, strange surroundings, parting with mom often upset the baby very much, bringing him to hysterics. Therefore, how to calm a small child should be prepared even before the first visit to kindergarten.

Child psychologists give the following recommendations:

1. 3-4 months before the X-day, you need to introduce the child to kindergarten in a playful way. For example, play role-playing games "teacher - pupil", introduce a similar daily routine, come up with a farewell ritual.
2. Sign up for an adaptation group to familiarize your baby with the future environment in advance.
3. Spend more time with the kids on the playground.
4. Prepare your immune system for new bacteria: sleep more, eat more fruits and vegetables, walk in the fresh air.

No matter how the preparation went, the baby will still cry at first. But prepared children have a much shorter adaptation period than others.

When bringing a baby to kindergarten, in no case should you run away unnoticed. If you did not see tears, this does not mean that there were none, this is the first thing. Secondly, such an act is regarded by children as an outright betrayal, which is very hurtful and affects the self-esteem of your child.

Some experts advise for the period of adaptation to assign the responsibility for delivering the child to kindergarten to other family members to whom the baby is less attached. For example, grandma or grandpa. The mother herself is also allowed to take him home.

If the adaptation is really very difficult, you may need to contact a child psychologist. The staff of preschool institutions should have such a specialist, so first of all you need to go to him. He can analyze the situation on the spot, unlike psychologists in private practice.