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Avoidance of the toddler tantrum is often the best way to cope providing you can do this without compromising on the limits you have set. Once they have exploded into a fully fledged rage there is little you can do but minimize the damage, keep them safe and try to end it as soon as possible.

A toddler tantrum is defined by their inability to control their intense emotions and is often fueled by frustration at the lack of control they possess over their environment. It can be due to an accumulation of minor but stressful events that occurred to the toddler during the day which finally builds up into a storm often when they are overtired or hungry.

It pays to be vigilant at all times to avoid a toddler tantrum from erupting. Although it is not always achievable or practical, try to pre-empt their behavior. If it looks as though things are starting to build up, use a distraction to diffuse the situation before it begins. Try to work out what sets your little one off on a toddler tantrum; is it always at the shopping centre, at the end of the day or when you are due to leave someone’s house? If there is a pattern to the behavior be prepared in advance by offering a distraction that leads into the next activity.

Toddler tantrums can often be caused by their inability to communicate. Research has demonstrated that better communication skills can be of a benefit for minimizing toddler tantrums. Baby Sign Language has been shown to help with the earlier development of communication skills and could be used as not only an effective means of communication but also as a means for providing a distraction.

Once the toddler tantrum has begun, try not to lose control yourself. If you do lose your cool it might pay to take some time out before dealing with the situation, providing they are in no danger or risk of harming themselves. By raising your voice or losing your temper you are demonstrating to them that this is normal behavior and almost guaranteeing that they will continue to deal with situations with a lack of control in the future. Remember your toddler is feeling very scared of their ability to lose control and they are looking to you for support. By showing them that you have control over the situation when they have lost it will help them to calm down quicker.

Consistency is the key. Get a head start and be prepared for what is coming. Improve their communication skills early on to avoid the frustrations later. Remain one step ahead and provide an alternate option before the temper tantrum erupts. Pick your battles, don’t fight them on every step of the way, if they are having a bad day make some allowances or put doing certain things off until another day. Positive parenting is the key. Just remember, when you are at the shopping centre trying to avoid the flailing arms and legs from connecting, every other parent out there have all been there themselves.

What I liked about this comprehensive book is that it is chock-full of beautiful photos and illustrations, along with an index in the back of the book.

This all-inclusive book includes answers and FAQ  such as why you should teach your toddler to sign; when you should begin teaching and what makes this book unique compared to similar books of it’s genre.

I wasn’t aware that sign language varies from state-to-state as well as internationally.

If you’re a parent, pre-school teacher or daycare provider, this is one reference book you should read, implement and keep at-the ready on your bookshelf.

Use Code:  MTODINT to receive a 20% discount on any product from the online store.

For More Information Visit: Toddler Interpreter

Authors: Ian Creaser and Lisa Baade BSc
Publisher: I & M Creaser PTY Ltd
Year: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-646-50882-5
Pages: 120

Marinade:

100 mL white wine

50 mL lemon juice

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

2 salmon fillets

Sauce:

100 mL white wine

50 mL lemon juice

1 small fennel bulb chopped finely

1 leek white part only chopped finely

200 mL thickened cream

Pasta:

Linguine

Method:

Prepare the marinade by combining the white wine, lemon juice, garlic and ginger in a flat dish. Add the salmon fillets and cover. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees.

Remove the fillets from the marinade and place in a pocket of alfoil. Discard the marinade. Close over the alfoil pockets to completely seal and place on a tray in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Place the linguine in a pot of boiling water and cook.

Reduce the white wine and lemon juice to about ¼ of the volume. Place aside. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and add the fennel and leek. Cook on high heat until softened stirring constantly. Slowly add the reduced wine and lemon juice. Turn down the heat and add the cream, do not allow to boil. Once heated through remove from the heat.

Plate up the linguine, pour over the sauce and place the salmon steak on the side to serve.

Begin these techniques as early as possible. If you have a plan on how to manage sleep before you bring your baby home you should have better success.

- Teach your baby the difference between night and day by changing your behavior. During waking hours talk to her while you feed her, and include some play time after her feed. At night time, avoid talking and playing, keep the lighting dim and make sure that any interaction means business only. Do what you need to do and sooth back to sleep as soon as possible.

- Remember that your baby doesn’t know how to settle herself back to sleep. For new babies try a sleep settling technique called hands-on settling. This involves you offering comfort while the baby remains in their bed.

- Make sure you are not anxious about the baby getting to sleep. Make sure you are completely relaxed about where you are going to put her down for sleep. Show your baby through your body language that their bed is a comfy and cozy place to be. They will pick up on any anxiety you feel so if you are tense wondering if they will ever go down they will be feeding of this energy.

- Try to introduce a routine where the baby is fed as soon as she wakes. This gives her time to play and burp as much as possible. This helps in two ways, firstly she will be worn out and ready for a nap while she is still full and secondly the will have been thoroughly burped before going down. Babies with wind pain will not sleep soundly.

- Look out for signs that your baby is tired. They often rub their hand on their ears or rub their eyes when they get tired. By the stage your baby is yawning they are often overtired and more likely to become restless.

-Prepare your baby for sleep by making sure they have a clean diaper and are in comfortable clothing.

 Once you have found a routine or method that works for you stick to this to avoid unsettling the baby. Just remember that this phase doesn’t last forever and try to catch up on sleep whenever you can.

So what is the commitment? Do I need to spend three hours studying and when I have it mastered then go off on a daily basis with a lesson plan? No, not at all. Everything you need to know can be read from Toddler Interpreter in about 20 minutes over a cup of coffee. The rest is learnt at your baby’s pace which is perfect because while you are busy learning to be a parent and learning how your little one works (or works you over) is a full time job, you don’t need to add study on top of your workload.

This is exactly why we structured Toddler Interpreter into 5 easy stages of learning. Think about when you are at the stage of teaching your baby to brush their teeth. You wouldn’t take a class every morning for 10 minutes once a day. Instead you wait for the relevant situation and when it is called for and guide them on their way. Teaching Baby Sign Language is exactly the same.

The ultimate aim is to be guiding them on their way to verbal communication so the gestures are just an informal way of helping them to remember the meaning of the word and providing them with a means of letting you know what they are saying until their vocal abilities catch up.

So you see; teaching Baby Sign Language really is easy. You don’t need to know any sign language to begin. With Toddler Interpreter we give you a place to start and an order to teach them in so that the most relevant and easiest signs are taught first. Our aim was to take the guesswork out of teaching baby sign language and make it accessible to everyone because the benefits are so rewarding.

Toddler Interpreter Baby Sign Language

These muffins are great hot straight from the oven and they re-heat very well. Frozen left overs (if that ever happens) are great for lunchbox treats. The apple pieces provide intense little pockets of juicy flavour.

Dairy Free Apple and Cinnamon Muffins Recipe

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup caster sugar

60g Nuttelex (dairy free butter)

1 egg

1 1/4 cups soy milk (or alternate dairy free milk)

2 granny smith apples chopped into 1cm cubes

Method

Grease the base and sides of the muffin tins. Preheat the oven to moderately hot (190 degrees C or 375 degrees F). Sift the flour and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar to the chopped apples to coat, then add to the mixing bowl. Mix the nuttelex with the egg and soy milk and add. Do not overmix, just turn gently until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked when tested. Stand for 5 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

Toddler Interpreter, Not Just a Baby Sign Language Dictionary

Toddler Interpreter, A Parent’s Guide to Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies and Toddlers is more than just a Baby Sign Language Dictionary though. Unlike many Baby Sign Language resources, Toddler Interpreter has a structure so that you know which Baby Signs are more relevant to teach first. Rather than just providing a Baby Sign Language Dictionary where it is left up to you to navigate and choose which Baby Signs you need to teach first, Toddler Interpreter also provides the Baby Signs broken down into 5 Stages of Learning. Each stage contains 12 Baby Signs.

The First Stage of Learning contains all of the most basic Baby Signs, such as Milk, Mommy, Daddy, Eat, Sleep – these are all very relevant for a baby who is just starting out with their communication. Stage One focuses on all of the babies needs, this helps the baby understand that this form of communication is beneficial to them, encouraging them to take it further.

Baby Sign Language

Stage Two completes all of the basics of communication such as naming things and people, ownership and looking for something. Stage two also introduces the concept of putting two signs together such as ‘more milk’ and ‘where’s Daddy’ to enable the baby to communicate the concept of asking for more and looking for someone or something.

The remaining Stages of Learning, Stages Three to Five aim to provide more vocabulary and expand on the concepts already learnt. The signs progress at the same pace as the baby’s language skills which is a perfect lead into for the baby’s speech development.

Toddler Interpreter is the only Baby Sign Language resource that contains a Baby Sign Language Dictionary as well as easy to follow Stages of Learning making it an easier learning path for both the parent and baby.

Toddler Interpreter - Not Just A Baby Sign Language Dictionary

Some people who do not recognize the long term benefits of signing with their hearing babies may be excused for thinking that Baby Sign Language is a fad or the latest passing trend in modern parenting. Many don’t realize however that the benefits of Baby Sign Language are supported by over 30 years of research. These benefits include earlier communication, reduced frustration, increased language comprehension and further opportunities for bonding between parent and baby. As a mother of two, one of the greatest benefits that I am finding is that the children are given an opportunity to use Baby Sign Language to communicate with each other before the youngest would normally be afforded the opportunity to be heard.

Baby Sign Language should only be used to compliment the speech development of the baby, therefore it should not become the dominant focus, and rather it should be seen as a natural gesture that goes ‘hand in hand’ so to speak with the spoken word. When used in this natural way it is easily picked up on by the older siblings as Baby Sign Language gestures are present in the house on a routine basis. Older siblings see the opportunity present itself to join in and use these gestures to communicate with their younger siblings.

There are several scenarios for the use of Baby Sign Language between the siblings. Each dynamic would differ depending on the age gap between the children and whether the older child had been taught Baby Sign Language in their early development as well. If the age gap between children were slight and both children had been taught Baby Sign Language the situation would be quite natural, where baby signs were used with both children and in some cases between themselves depending on age. This additional communication tool could be of tremendous benefit in the sibling’s interactions with each other in this scenario.

In our scenario, there is quite a substantial age difference between the children, Liam our eldest son is 6 years old and Scarlette is our 7 month old baby girl. We are introducing Baby Sign Language to Scarlette and have been signing to her consistently for a couple of months now. Liam has easily picked up on the Baby Sign Language gestures and is joining in where appropriate with much enthusiasm. He uses the Baby Sign Language signs for milk, brother, Mom, Dad and more with Scarlette and I am sure the continuity of seeing all three of her closest loved ones using the same gestures will certainly help her understanding. At 7 months it is quite amazing to see her level of understanding with signs such as milk, where she literally goes into a flapping frenzy when we sign to her. It is so obvious that we have made a connection and I believe she is much calmer knowing that we are going to meet her needs.

Baby Sign Language between Siblings can reduce Sibling Rivalry

It is early days using Baby Sign Language with Scarlette but we are already realizing some of the benefits. The use of Baby Sign Language between the siblings will also be of great benefit as she grows and develops as it will allow both siblings a means of communication and will hopefully dispel some of the frustrations usually felt with sibling rivalry. They already have such a close bond that sometimes I think I could just step aside and let little Liam take over with his constant mothering; he is such a wonderful big brother and role model.