My toddler is not talking yet
Speech and language therapist Fatima Darwish joins Noor to explain what typical speech looks like at 18 months, two and three, when to worry, and how screens and bilingual homes fit in.
The supermarket meltdown
0:00 / 0:36
This episode is for members. Sign up free or log in to hear the whole episode.
Show notes
Aisle four, 5pm, everyone watching
The public tantrum is the moment most parents dread. Noor explains why a toddler's brain cannot regulate itself yet, why the supermarket is the perfect storm of tired, hungry and overstimulated, and what to do while strangers stare.
- What is actually happening in a two-year-old's brain mid-meltdown
- Why explaining and negotiating makes it last longer
- The three things Noor does: get low, say less, wait
- Planning the shop so the tantrum is less likely in the first place
- What to say to the person tutting behind you
Next week, a speech therapist on toddlers who are not talking yet.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Tiny Tyrants. I am Noor Al Hashimi, I teach in a nursery in Abu Dhabi, and I have twin three-year-olds at home, so I am qualified in the only way that counts, which is that I am tired. Today we are talking about the supermarket meltdown. You know the one. Aisle four, five in the afternoon, a child flat on the floor screaming about a packet of biscuits, and twenty people pretending not to look. I am going to tell you what is happening inside that small brain, why everything you instinctively do makes it worse, and the three things I do with my boys that actually shorten it. And I will tell you about my own worst trip, which involved both twins and a trolley. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
Open as text