Frequency of meltdowns

[sinner92]

I'm curious: how many times a week do/did other people's toddlers have a meltdown - e.g. throwing themselves on the floor screaming - over something that would appear minor to most adults? I read on an ADHD resource that neurotypical toddlers only tend to do that around twice a week, whereas toddlers with ADHD (although most won't have a diagnosis until later) tend to have meltdowns 3+ a day. My son is 20 months old and has multiple meltdowns a day. There are many reasons I suspect he might have ADHD, but even for a neurotypical toddler 1-2 meltdowns a week seems low to me. Am I wrong?

 

[aftrhisheart]

@sinner92 Talk to the pediatrician. A real doctor. Not some website.

 

[adelaidemaisy]

@aftrhisheart Reddit is a place free to ask any questions and share anything. This person is just trying to get feedback from people who have been in their shoes. Im sure they are seeking professional help as well but doesn’t hurt to hear from people who know what it’s like.

 

[fuseek]

@aftrhisheart You don’t know that this parent isn’t already waiting for a paediatrician visit.. you don’t know that this parent isn’t at the end of their ropes and crying every day.. yet you still have the heart to kick them when they’re down with a pointless comment on a website that YOU are using.. and that is for discussions amongst other parents to vent, give advice and support each other..
Shame on you and sorry to your kids if they inherit your bitterness.

 

[adelaidemaisy]

@sinner92 I would honestly say unless there is something genuinely going on for that toddler, there shouldn’t be constant meltdowns. That would tell me theres something going on

 

[nessofonett05]

@sinner92 Meltdowns are developmentally normal but I don’t know how many

 

[asliprem]

@sinner92 Does your toddler take naps? Does it happen more when they miss a nap?

I have adhd and can tell my kid inherited adhd, but she only throws tantrums when she is exhausted.

I can now recognize when she is tired because she tries to stay active but need to use more and more energy than she normally would to stay ahead of the wave of exhaustion. Finally she can’t keep up and “crashes” if I don’t intervene and slow her down.

 

[godfavorme]

@sinner92 My kid has meltdowns multiple times a day too, and she's 23 months old. I do think she might be neurodivergent, but I've never thought of her rate of tantrums as unusual. I've seen other kids in mom & baby programs having very similar tantrums pretty often, though I'm not around them enough to say the average for them.

Anyway, I decided to look for research:

https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/fu...ums_in_Toddlers_and_Preschoolers_.5.aspx/1000

It looks like daily tantrums are shown by 10% of 1-2 year olds, so our kids are at the higher end of the curve, but not that unusual.