When everyone is screaming, does it stress you out? It does for most of us. Here are 10 quick changes when everyone is losing their minds.
You know what I’m talking about. Everyone is losing their minds. The baby is screaming because she threw all of her Cheerios at the dog. Your toddler desperately NEEDS you to pick him up. The big kids are fighting over video games or they’re breathing the same air. You’re on the edge – you’re about to absolutely lose your mind and your anxiety is rising with each decibel of noise.
Ugh, sorry did I trigger you? Let me get right to the point, then.
10 easy things to do in the moment when everyone is losing their minds
- Go for a walk or car ride: You really don’t need to have a destination. One time we left early for preschool drop off because everyone was screaming. I didn’t know where we were going until I had everyone buckled in. We went and got donuts and then sat in the drop off line early and ate said donuts. It was glorious.
- Bath time: Doesn’t matter the time of day and doesn’t matter what day of the week it is. Toss those kids (safely) in the bathtub. Don’t want to do the bath? Give them a bucket of water over some towels and some cups and spoons. Don’t worry about the mess, get to it later. I promise it will be fine.
- Turn on some music. I have a great happy tunes playlist on Amazon music. My kids (and I) love it and it isn’t filled with obnoxious children’s music. (If you don’t already have Amazon music, you can sign up here – with my affiliate link.).
- Pretend dinosaurs are coming: My 3 year old twins love dinosaurs. Sometimes when everyone is crying, I pretend dinosaurs are coming. we get real low and whisper to each other about the dinosaurs. Are they green? Polka dots? What do they eat? In which room of the house are they currently sleeping? Are they mean or nice? Obviously don’t do this if it will scare them.
- Transform into trucks or another thing your kids like: My twins also love trucks. Sometimes we will randomly transform into dump trucks and talk about what we’re carrying. Spoiler alert, it’s usually poop for them.
- Turn on the TV: Yes, I said it. Put them in front of the TV, even if it isn’t TV time. I have to be careful with this because my kids can’t handle too much TV but you do you. (Side note: check out these Educational Netflix shows that won’t make you feel guilty) Also – screen time rules if you’re not sure how your kids handle TV.
- One on one time: I swear when my kids are acting fools, half the time it’s because they need my attention and they need to spend some time with me. Drop everything and get a board game started. (How to spend quality time with your child and why it’s important & board games for preschoolers).
- Get out some sensory play: I know this sound scary as hell but like the water, clean it up later. (6+ sensory bin ideas for under $30 with tons of other ideas & sensory bin playbook)
- Snuggle: I mean, who doesn’t love a good snuggle session. My kids love it and a lot of times that’s all they’re craving.
- Read books: Get some books that are good distractions – I spy books, lift the flap books, etc.
