Tantrums

Parents of children in the tantrum years (roughly from 15 months to age five or six) will find this slim paperback an invaluable source of information and reassurance. LaForge, a contributing editor at Child magazine, presents a straightforward, well-researched study of how and why tantrums occur and what parents can do to minimize and manage the outbursts. With information drawn from interviews with parents and such experts on child development as Stella Chess, Nancy Samalin and Jerome Kagan, the author points out that tantrums are much less a sign that a child is spoiled or naughty than part of a natural developmental stage. A parent's best bet is to approach tantrums armed with empathy and patience and to attempt to decrease the frequency and strength of tantrums rather than punish the tantrum-thrower. Advice includes avoiding tantrum triggers (such as naptime trips to the grocery), using the age-old method of ignoring the tantrum and providing a ""cool-down"" time. Age-appropriate measures are clearly identified; readers can quickly flip to sections on toddlers, preschoolers or big kids. Parents currently swept up in a tantrum tornado season may want to explore LaForge's advice while they wait for this phase to blow over. (July)