About Temperament
Behavior Management
Tantrums
All temper tantrums are not the same. What will help for your child?
Some are predictable, as when you take the remote control from the hand of a determined toddler.
Others seem to come out of the blue.
Tantrums are related to age—they are especially common in 2- and 4-year olds and they are related to biology—tantrums are more common when your child is hungry or tired.
However, parents are more often surprised and frustrated by tantrums that are related to inborn temperament.
Certain temperament traits make tantrums more likely. For example, when:
- High-Sensitivity children are in a busy or noisy environment.
- Low-Adaptability children have had too many recent or unexpected changes.
- Easily Frustrated children face necessary limits.
- High-Energy children don’t get enough exercise.
- Cautious (also called Low-Approach) children are pushed too quickly into new activities.
How can I learn about my child’s temperament (tantrums)?
Fill in a temperament questionnaire and immediately see a profile of your toddler or preschooler’s temperament. The thumbnail examples below show how different children are in terms of low or high temperament traits. (click to enlarge)
Toddler 1
Preschooler 2
Then learn how to prevent and/or manage tantrums in ways that are tailored to your child’s temperament.
Temperament helps you understand what triggers tantrums in your home. The Preventive Ounce then explains which ones can you prevent and how to manage the others. Gradually, you can teach more grown-up ways to behave.
Learn to work with inborn traits rather than struggle against them.
History: The temperament traits discussed here were first described by Dr. Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas. More than 40,000 parents have used the Preventive Ounce to make parenting easier and to avoid unnecessary blame and guilt.
Who should use this program? ALL parents. Each child has a temperament, and every temperament has different issues and risks.
What age should my child be? The program serves:
For only $10, a 1-year family membership lets you:
- Fill out 4 temperament profiles on 4 different infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, or different adults can complete profiles on the same baby/child.
- Have access to individualized parenting strategies for 1 year.
Your fee also helps maintain and upgrade this non-profit website. Thank you.