Contributing Writer
Think about those tense moments with your child this past week. Did those epic tantrums and meltdowns resolve themself easily or did they drag on for what seemed like an eternity? Consider using the heartbeat hug.
The heartbeat hug is a mechanism to de-escalate tantrums, anxiety, and fears. With the heartbeat hug, a caregiver’s heartbeat becomes synchronized with a child’s breathing with a simple and intentional hug, calming the child quicker. Avoid scolding or trying to reason with your child during those difficult times.
Kristen Mae, a writer for “Scary Mommy” said, “Rather than get frustrated or send them to time out, I would sit next to them and ask if they wanted a hug. If they agreed to that (they almost always did), I’d tell them to lay their head on my chest and listen to my heartbeat. This worked like magic for my kids. Telling them to listen to my heartbeat did two things: It helped them to stop crying pretty quickly because they couldn’