Tips to handle a child’s crankiness

The best word that describes the way you would feel when your children get cranky is ‘Panic’. And your anxiety will be 3 fold when the crankiness spurts out in front of the public. So we at Genius Baby think that not all emotions are neither good nor bad. They are simple actions to convey a message as infants are unable to speak. And when you start learning the meaning of these actions you get the underlined message that your newborn is trying to convey. This is exactly when things start shifting to a better-controlled meltdown. 

If you are ready to approach meltdowns with calm, love, and ease, keep reading.

We recommend these 3 magical actions from your end as a parent, to begin with:

Pause: Before you react to any crankiness, pause. Notice anything and everything that comes to you could be a tense part of your body, any feelings, etc. Simply pause and notice.

Breathe: This is a great time to take a few deep breaths. Taking slow deep breaths can help you calm yourself, so you can approach the situation with presence of mind and understanding.

Hold Space: When your child is upset, they simply have a need that is going unattended. Their big emotions are a sign that they are trying to meet their need so they can find balance again.

After everything has seemed to settle down, here are 6 things you can do to reconnect with your child:

1. Be Empathetic: Step into your newborn’s shoes. Consider how they might be feeling or best think of how you feel when you are upset. Even when you don’t completely understand why your child is upset, show that you care and desire to attend to his/her need which is ignored.

2. Reconnect Regularly: Practice connecting regularly with your little one. Ideally, you must set aside 10-20 minutes daily for some quality time with each of your kids. Put away all distractions (especially your mobile and laptop) and allow your child to guide/design this special time together.

3. Shift the Energy: After a cranky session, you are responsible to shift the mood with pleasant distractions. This could be achieved with a favorite toy or even a funny smile from your end. This will ensure distraction and laughter together, or put on some music and have a dance party. You know best what makes your infant smile, so just do it.

4. Practice Self Care: Fill your own cup regularly in order to fill your child’s cup with happiness, so you can pour love out with abundance. When you take time to care for yourself and fill your cup, you are better able to hold a loving space when your child has big or cranky emotions.

5. Practice Gratitude: Gratitude is an incredibly powerful and important tool to reconnect with an upset soul. Remembering all of the things you are thankful for helps you fill your cup and find meaning in the smallest gifts of life, even in the most challenging moments as a parent.

6. Practice Meditation: In order to stay calm you need to take out time to settle your thoughts. Our minds can often be busy places. Take time to allow yourself to get out of the hustle and bustle of daily life and the busyness of your mind and step into the present moment so you can be present and show up as the parent you want to be for your kids.

Summing up:

Being a parent is an amazing journey, but it isn’t always easy. It is practically impossible to control a child from getting cranky. As a parent, we recommend you try and understand the warning signs of an uncomfortable baby in order to act better and quicker.