Managing big meltdowns

He wants attention so if you give it to him you are rewarding bad behaviour. Difficult as it is you should walk off and leave him. Its called tough love.

I'd say give him a little reasonable comfort, then leave him to get on with it: be there in a chair and wait it out, and he can always come for a cuddle?

Small children have big emotions which they can't self regulate. He absolutely is not doing it for attention. My dgs2 has had meltdowns all his wee life. It could also be separation anxiety. While he's in the throes of it, he won't be able to respond to you. I would try to distract him before it starts. Praise him for good behaviour when you can. Ask him if he's ready to talk. Cuddle him if he allows it..Now dgs2 is slightly older, I tell him to go to another room till he feels calm.

I agree with Grandmabatty, it’s not about attention seeking. I had similar problems with my dgd when she was younger and had to leave her alone until she was ready then cuddle and soothe before distracting with an activity.

Yes, agreed - we had one from our granddaughter this morning! Just sit down nearby, reading a book or something, and wait for him to calm down or come to you for comfort. Talking to her or trying to distract her escalates things, so we just ‘ignore’ her & wait for her to be calmer before we suggest doing something/ playing etc.

Is hard I know but some good advice here. Sit it out but occasionally say you are ready with cuddles or a favourite book to read when he is ready.
We had this with our GD and GS but were told by the parents to try to ignore it. Thankfully they have grown out of it now and have absolutely no recollection of it.

Sit down quietly near him to make sure he's ok and safe but just get on with something interesting, eg read one of his books but silently to yourself. Have his drink and perhaps a biscuit (if he's allowed one) next to you. He might stop having a tantrum and come over to have a look what you're doing.

This is the only way he can express his feelings at the moment.

The Terrible Twos are succeeded by the Thunderous Threes (sorry).

I’m not so sure I’d agree that this is “bad” behaviour, but I do agree with staying close, ensuring he’s ok, maybe eat a biscuit or a piece of cake and just ignore him. You’ll be surprised how quickly he’ll be ok and maybe want a cuddle and a bit of whatever dear Grandmother is enjoying.

Two year olds still have not learnt to regulate their emotions.

Maybe Mum or Dad can also modify how they leave the house?

I know you’re right, I just need to stop thinking I need to fix everything and let him feel his feelings - it’s very hard though, my heart goes out to him when he’s so upset. Our instinct is to make everything better isn’t it!!

He's too young to have heard of FOMO but it sounds as this is the explanation, as he probably thinks Mummy or Daddy are going out somewhere exciting and he wants to go too. Could they slip out of the house unobtrusively or is there a nearby park you could promise to take him to, weather permitting?

Just a something that worked for me with our 2 year old GD, though I live in a bungalow so bedroom is adjacent to living room.

I had a couple of toys in my wardrobe. When she was ‘beyond reasoning’ I would sit on the floor in my bedroom talking nonsense to Mr Potato Head, calmly but loudly enough for her to hear. Curiosity would soon get her to come and join me, and then we could move on.

They are only little for such a short time, but I remember those episodes feeling as though they went on for hours. In reality they didn’t last long at all of course.