AyiConnect Staff, Jan 29, 2021
Children are the cutest beings on earth, but they have difficulty handling their emotions. A happy and cheerful child could begin wailing and throwing tantrums the next minute, which most adults cannot understand.
As a caregiver, you will face several awkward situations when the kids you care for will get upset or act out, and you wouldn't know what to do. It is also more difficult if English is a second language for you, and the child has English as a first language.
However, the good news for you is that you can learn how to calm an upset kid without being confused about what to do. Here are some helpful tips for nannies and caregivers whose second language is English.
- Understand why the child is upset
Sometimes it is simple, but other times it is difficult to understand why kids are upset.
If they are very young, you can interpret a kid's cries to mean either hunger, the need for a clothing change, tiredness, or sickness. However, older kids could have a thousand reasons for getting upset, so you might have to ask.
Use simple phrases and find out why they are angry. Say something like 'Sorry, Don't cry or ask 'why are you upset' or why are you crying?' If the child replies, you know what next to do. If the child is too young to speak, talking to them in a soothing voice will help. It doesn't matter whether or not you are speaking in English. You can sing them a song in your first language, as long as you are holding and soothing the child.
- Calm Yourself Down
One important step to calm an upset kid is to stay calm as well. Babies are in tune with the moods of their caregivers, so they know if you are tense or upset, and you won't have much success trying to calm them that way.
Older kids will also be more responsive to you if you don't lash out in anger or look helpless in that situation. Maintain your composure, sound calm and gentle as you try to reassure them. When you are calm, you can also think better.
- Use Distraction
Sometimes, talking might not hold the solution, so you don't need to stress your restricted vocabulary. Instead, you can distract a child with his favorite game, a movie, or a song. Hand a kid his favorite toy or game and you can distract him for a long time from what got him upset in the first place.
You can also offer the kid their favorite meal or snack, as long as you have permission from their parents to do that. Offer infants and toddlers a feeding bottle and give older children a bowl of cereal, some fruit, or any snack they can eat.
- Avoid Threats
Pay attention to soothing the kid and understanding what their problem is, rather than coercing them into keeping quiet or behaving the way you want. If a child is genuinely sad or upset, you need to reassure them rather than forcing them to get better.
You can only employ timeouts with permission from their parents. In the most difficult situations, leave the child to his tantrum while you report to the parents.
Never beat the child and avoid shouting at them, even if it gets frustrating trying to get through to them. Yelling will only further agitate you and the child and make things worse.
- Call their Parents
If you try talking to them, distracting them, or understanding why the kids are upset without any success, it might be the perfect time to call their parents.
Call the parents, explain the situation, and ask them what you should do. They will let you know if they are familiar with handling the child's tantrums or understand why they are upset.
The parents can also talk to their kids on the phone, find out the problem, reassure them, and tell you what to do.
Conclusion
Being a caregiver to kids whose first language is English can be taxing while it is your second language, especially when they are acting up and you want to calm them down. These tips will help you calm an upset child and keep them happy every time you face such a challenge.
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