Prepare to be schooled in Macie Meltdowns....lucky you!
In order to truly understand the magnitude of Macie Meltdowns you need to understand the process leading up to a Macie Meltdown, what a Macie Meltdown looks like, and how to halt a Macie Meltdown.
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-Hunger
-Sleep deprivation
-Being told “no” in a stern voice
-Hearing someone else being told “no” in a stern voice
-Having something taken away from her
-When the baby gate is closed before she can break free
-You look at her “wrong”
-Teething
-Being put in the pack n’ play
-Taking her food tray away before she is finished eating
-Taking bunny fufu away when she is eating
-Taking her pacifier away
-Getting bullied/hit by other children
-Having a bad hair day
-Being taken away from something she enjoys doing- swinging, wreaking havoc/destroying her room, etc.
-Hurting herself/falling
-Being in the same room with Papa Tim, Uncle Zack, Uncle Craig, and Uncle Randy
-Dropping her off at the gym daycare
**When she is in a certain mood EVERYTHING leads to a meltdown….this most often happens when she is teething or extremely tired.
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Macie Meltdown Prevention
Macie is like a high maintenance plant- you have to feed and water her every few hours, keep her in the shade a certain number of hours, and basically work your tail off to ensure that she doesn’t expire.
Feed every 2-3 hours
Sleep every 3-5 hours
Keep the pacifier on hand
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Stage One: Mildly Miffed-Pouty face
-A few moments of crying/yelling (with or without tears)
Stage Two: Maul Mode-Wind up to the cry (gasp before the crying begins)
-A few minutes of crying/yelling (with or without tears)
-Body convulsions, hitting, kicking
Stage Three: Michelin Man Macie
-Wind up to the cry (LONG gasp before the crying begins)-Many minutes of LOUD crying/yelling (usually with tears)
-Head thrown back
-Body convulsions, hitting, kicking, throwing things
Imagine a really enraged Michelin Man destroying
a tiny town or forest of baby animals. Macie is basically a mini Michelin Man (pale, rolly Polly) in a rage when she has a Stage Three Meltdown. She becomes a babyzilla, taking out her anger on her surroundings and causing a huge scene.
-Give Macie the pacifier and Bunny FuFu
-Soothe her by bouncing, rocking, and speaking softly to her
-Resort to panic mode and join her (this catches Macie off guard and makes her laugh)
-Let her cry it out….which is painful and exhausting
-When all else fails turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
My co-workers (I work for the School of Education at a local University and they are very down on TV for children under three) and Parents as Teachers Educator would scold me for this, but I swear, sometimes it’s the only thing that calms her down. I know that I am probably damaging and rewiring Macie’s brain by letting her watch TV (or so I’ve been told), but a Stage 3 Macie Meltdown= a desperate mother. In these moments you do what you have to do and deal with the consequences later. I’ve been told that allowing your child under three to watch TV can cause them to have a short attention span….maybe that’s a good thing if it means Macie will get over her meltdowns sooner? ;)
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