How to tell a Meltdown is about to Strike

A few weeks ago I shared an article on how to help your child identify the physiological changes their body experiences before a meltdown hits (if you missed it, make sure you check it out here) and I mentioned that you can also identify other triggers for your child’s meltdowns, which can help you predict when a meltdown might be about to strike.

It may seem obvious once you start to think about it, but there can be some really simple environmental factors that contribute to the onset of meltdowns.

One way to see if there are particular triggers for your child’s meltdowns is to take note (and I mean literally, write down some notes after your child’s next meltdown) of any environmental factors that could be contributing to your child’s meltdown, for example:

• Food (has your child eaten recently, if so, what have they eaten? Side note: sometimes simply needing a snack can lead to a tantrum or meltdown)
• Water (how much water has your child consumed today / might they be thirst?)
• Drinks (has your child drunk anything other than water, if so – what have they drunk?)
• Sleep (how much sleep has your child had last night / today?)
• What has been happening today (is there a particular event or commitment influencing your child’s emotions today?)
• What is happening tomorrow or in the next few days (is there a particular event or commitment that your child is feeling anxious about?)
• What happened just before the meltdown or tantrum (keep in mind that the meltdown is very likely a build-up or combination of factors, not just the final incident that happened before it)
• What happened immediately after the meltdown (this may sound strange but is there anything that reinforces or “rewards” your child’s meltdowns in any way? – note that healthy food and water are not reinforcements or rewards, but they could be triggers for the meltdown if not present beforehand)

Over the space of a few weeks make some notes about these key factors, particularly paying attention to “what happens before” and “what happens after” your child’s meltdowns to see if you can identify a pattern.

If you are able to identify a pattern, it becomes a lot easier to work on the next steps of implementing techniques to support your child when they are feeling overwhelmed by their emotions (which is usually where the meltdown comes from i.e. your child is feeling an emotion so strongly they meltdown).

I’d love to hear how you go identifying the patterns (comment at the bottom of this page or pop an email through to me dominique@ohbeehave.com.au)!

Before you go, make sure you scroll down to check out my FREEBIE to help you introduce CALMING TECHNIQUES to your little ones!