If your little one is showing signs of being spoiled there are a few essential things to keep in mind. It’s important to realize that behavior can be corrected; you just have to work at it. Borba recommends starting by reading up on behavior in books or other parenting resources — it’ll make you realize you actually have more power than you think.
Another proven-to-work idea is to track your kid’s behavior using a calendar to see if there are any patterns. “What you'll discover is that there's usually a weak point for every child that's consistent,” says Borba. “They usually have bad behavior at certain times or in certain places. Maybe they meltdown at 10 a.m. or tend to get cranky around 1 p.m., but either way it’s important to know when they’ll be most prone to tantrum.” Borba suggests jotting your findings down in a notebook or simply taking the two seconds to record it in the notes app on your phone.
Once you’ve got their schedule down to a science, use it to your advantage. If they tend to get fussy at 3 p.m., try to avoid doing an activity, — like going to the grocery store — and put them down for a nap instead. Knowing her patterns will give you a leg up when it comes to preventing bad behavior before it even starts.
And if they do completely melt down, not fueling the fire is the way to go — even if it’s hard at first. “The more attention you give the tantrum, the longer it’ll last,” says Borba (and there’s research from Johns Hopkins to back that up!). “The other big mistake we make is waiting until the meltdown or tantrum begins. You're far better off to look at the pattern and go, ‘Oh, he's starting to get that stressed look. He's starting to sound like he's ready to blow.’”
