Toddler Talk: Taming the Temper Tantrums

Today is the start of the One Year and Beyond link-up! Since before I was pregnant with McKinlee I was obsessed with reading what moms did with their babies and how they tackled the adventure of parenting. Obviously no one has all the right answers, and what one mom does isn't perfect for every mom. When McKinlee was first born I was constantly looking for affirmation through other moms' experiences. My house was a little chaotic, I was lucky to get a shower in every other day, my body was recovering from giving birth and 9 months of growing that beautiful baby- I was not my usual self haha. So there it is. I'm laying out for you mamas what I do/did with my sweet baby girl and maybe you can learn from my mistakes and an occasional success story!

McKinlee is a pretty easy going toddler. She hasn't had much stranger anxiety and she is pretty happy for the most part. Now that she's older and more mobile, we have to struggle through little melt downs when she can't run wild and free through Target (though I'll admit that does happen occasionally). We do like to get out every day, and since Target is only 5 minutes away that tends to be our first choice :) can you blame me?

Before any trip out the door there is a little preparation we go through. The diaper bag is my little life saver. There are always a few things I keep in my bag to keep McKinlee happy or distract her when she's having a little melt down when we're out and about.

          Diaper Bag

• Snacks: (Container similar here) Graham crackers are our go-to, because I can give her a big piece and it will occupy her for a few minutes.
• Chapstick: I don't know why, but she loves holding the tube and sucking on it, so I keep one with the plastic still on it in my bag.
• Book: Preferably one with animals so she can make their sounds when she sees them, that way I can ask her about it without having to pay too much attention to it.
• Bottle: McKinlee still takes a bottle and that helps me a lot when I get her in her car seat or when she starts to whine or get antsy in the shopping cart.
• My Phone: I don't have a smart phone yet, so I'll let her play with my phone when I'm desperate. This is a little dangerous because it gets dropped A LOT, and it only solves the problem until I have to take it away from her. 

These are our diaper bag must haves for McKinlee and I'm sure you will find some better ideas out there as well. Distraction is the key for me when we're out and about and McKinlee gets frustrated. I don't think she's at the age of throwing a complete tantrum, but I'm sure that will be here all too soon. In the mean time I will enjoy the fits that can be taken care of with a graham cracker!