16 Do Constant Power Struggles Leave Your Child (and You!) in a Meltdown? Why This Happens and 4 Things to do Instead!
Sensory Solutions for Parents - Parenting Tips, Behavior, Regulation, Meltdowns, TantrumsShow Notes
In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at what’s really happening underneath daily power struggles. You’ll learn why many of these challenging moments have less to do with defiance and more to do with your child’s developing brain, nervous system, sensory processing, and growing need for autonomy.
We’ll discuss how an immature prefrontal cortex impacts your child’s ability to regulate emotions and cooperate, why traditional approaches sometimes increase resistance, and how sensory overload, hunger, fatigue, and stress can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming.
Most importantly, you’ll walk away with 4 practical, evidence-based strategies you can start using today to reduce daily battles, support regulation, and strengthen your connection with your child!
More from Sensory Solutions for Parents - Parenting Tips, Behavior, Regulation, Meltdowns, Tantrums
Episode 33: Parenting a Child with Extreme Demand Avoidance (PDA)? Why Traditional Discipline Backfires and What to Try Instead! If your child has extreme demand avoidance, you’ve probably discovered that the usual parenting advice doesn’t just fail; it can make things worse. Firmer limits, bigger rewards, and stronger consequences often lead to more resistance, bigger meltdowns, and a family that feels stuck. We talk about why traditional discipline backfires for children with PDA, and offer practical, nervous-system-friendly strategies that lower the sense of threat and build cooperation. Parenting a child with extreme demand avoidance can feel isolating, and you don’t have to figure it out alone. Parent coaching is launching soon. Join the FB community to be the first to know! Join our Free Facebook Community
32 Does your child explode at the simplest ask? The Truth About Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (or PDA) and What Finally Works
Got a Defiant Child? Why Sticker Charts and Bribery Don't Work and What to Try Instead! Your child isn’t choosing to misbehave, their nervous system might be overriding their motivation to do the right thing in that moment. In this episode, we’re breaking down why "they know better" so often falls apart in the moment it matters, what's actually happening in a child's brain during a meltdown or a power struggle, and why sticker charts and consequences fail when a child's nervous system has already taken the wheel.
Extreme picky eating doesn’t just take one single skill but a whole sequence of smaller skills, and jumping straight to ”just take a bite” skips many of the steps most kids haven’t built yet. We’ll talk about why extreme picky eating is different from typical toddler pickiness, why a new food can genuinely register as a threat to a child’s nervous system and why proper seating and the right environment frees things up in your child’s body for the harder work of trying new foods
Today we’re talking about why toddlers get so “picky” with their eating and why this is one of the most normal, predictable stages of development. We’ll also discuss what’s typical picky eating vs. what’s worth mentioning to your pediatrician, why pressuring your toddler to ”just try one bite” almost always backfires and 5 practical strategies you can start using at tonight’s dinner!