29 Jul At My Favourite Physio, we see many babies and children with delays in their gross motor skills.
At My Favourite Physio, we see many babies 
and children with delays in their gross motor skills. The primary goal of physiotherapy for these babies and children is to achieve their gross motor skill milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running and hopping.
One of the challenges we face when trying to help these babies and children to learn new gross motor skills, is the behavioural crying 
and tantrums they will throw when placed in a position to carry out an
activity. The behavioural crying and tantrums are often directed at parents, who then feel extremely distressed
and guilty when their child cries and screams at them. Some toddlers will actually physically scratch and bite their parents in anger and frustration.
This behaviour can then be stressful for everyone involved, however, the goal still does not change and the child will need to learn the new skill.
So how do we break these behavioural crying and tantrums?
3 Steps to Stopping Behavioural Tantrums:
1. Stop 
and Settle: Put your hand up and say “Stop” to indicate that their screaming or biting is not ok. Firmly pat or rub their backs and say, “You are ok.” To help them to settle.
2. Sign and Show: Use hand signals and show them what you expect them to do. For example, use your fingers to indicate, 1,2,3 
and stand, when you tell them that at a count of 3, you will help they stand up from the stool.
3. Smile and Praise:
When they complete the task, smile and praise them by clapping 
and saying “Great job!” with the thumbs up sign.
Be consistent and never give in to a behavioural tantrum. That way, you soon establish consistent boundaries and expectations for your child and they will very quickly settle, stop the tantrums and
start to learn the tasks required to achieve their gross motor milestones.
If you have concerns about your child’s gross motor skills and is struggling to manage the behavioural tantrums each time you try to help them learn a new skill, ring My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist today.
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