Noah, where is your nose?

Toddlers will have tantrums, that is just how it is. In my own terms, their brains are not mature enough and lack different things that adults have such as reasoning, emotional control, or empathy.

Noah, who is now 28 months old, has had his share of normal toddler tantrums. These are usually due to literally anything such as: being tired, over/under stimulated, trying to communicate effectively, not listening, or not being heard.

We try to not raise our voices because we understand that he does not have the control to control his impulses quite yet. From my reading, this takes a few more years to develop.

I saw something neat on a video the other day and I tried it out this morning.

My husband was getting ready to change Noah’s diaper and take his pajamas off, to get him dressed to go to school. We were in a little bit of a rush this morning as we let Noah sleep in a bit and my husband had a meeting at work.

Noah was not listening, which is normal, and was busy playing with his toy vacuum, too bad it doesn’t work like a real vacuum.

When my husband picked Noah up, to lay him down and change him, he was rolling over and fighting it. I quickly remembered the video I listened to.

Noah, I bet you don’t know where your nose is. I bet I can touch my head faster than you can. Noah, where is your shoulder. Noah, where is your tummy.

When a toddler is having a tantrum, it is happening in the back of their brain, which is not quite formed yet, if that makes any sense. When you ask questions such as the ones above, it brings his thinking back to the front of his brain.

He completely forgot about his little tiny tantrum, stayed still for my husband, and was 100% engaged in what I was asking him.

Try this next time your little one is not listening, or having a tough time.