7 must-know facts about tantrums, straight from parenting genius Maggie Dent
Toddlers are brilliant little people who provide so much joy and love, but they can also be very, very challenging. In fact, if you’re a parent to a toddler, chances are life can feel a bit like a war zone at times with tantrums unleashing on the reg, sometimes over what seems like the most inconsequential things.
We chatted to parenting educator Maggie Dent about these toddler meltdowns, and she had these very helpful tantrum facts to share with mums and dads.
Those 'unmet needs' fire the toddler brain up in challenging ways
Maggie says it’s important to note that there is an actual biological ‘fight or flight’ response going on in children when they tantrum, one that’s hard for them to get a handle on.
“When [the unmet needs and feelings] all collide, it triggers the amygdala in the brain to feel ‘we’ve got a threat for survival here’. It then gets flooded with cortisol which is a ghastly feeling.”
This makes children feel so terrible that they are compelled to do something to discharge it from their body, she explains.
Hello tantrum!
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