Top 5 Causes of Kids Birthday Party Tantrums

Tantrums. Meltdowns. Throwing a wobbly. Call them what you will, few childrens’ birthday parties are complete without at least one instance of a child screaming, shouting, crying, kicking and generally losing the plot.

Too much sugar? Not enough sleep? Bit of both? There could be any reason behind a kid kicking off, and more likely than not, whoever’s birthday everyone’s celebrating will be the one doing the kicking off.

And yet the birthday party most likely started so well. Everyone arrived on time, there were no drop outs, plenty of cards and presents to unwrap with no duplicate gifts. So how did it descend into carnage so quickly? Carnage that caused parents to drag their children home early, some without evening tasting the cake or picking up their party bag?

Here’s a look at five triggers that are most likely to get at least one kid at a birthday bash in enough of a tizzy to throw a tantrum of epic proportions:

5. Someone’s Tired!

Whoever’s birthday it is has been waiting a whole year for this day, (just like Murray in Is It My Birthday Yet?). All year, they’ve turned up to other kids’ parties, and seen other kids throw a wobbly bigger than any jelly.

Now it’s their big day, and they’ve likely been up since the crack of dawn, wanting to open presents, demanding to know how long there is to go until the party starts. Asking Every. Five. Minutes. Is it time yet? When it is finally time, that child is running on empty, with excitement and sugar keeping them going and absolutely zero chance of them taking their usual afternoon nap. And that’s a recipe for disaster!

4. Not Passing the Parcel

Every party game packs meltdown potential - Musical Chairs, especially, as it really signals out one kid as the loser in every round, so you might want to avoid that game altogether. But Pass the Parcel also has the power to cause problems, and that’s especially disappointing, as it’s a game that takes a lot of present-wrapping prep for parents. Whoever’s fading the music has to be ultra, ultra sure that every kid who’s stting down gets at least one chance to unwrap a layer of paper and win a prize. But there’s always one kid who’ll hold on to the parcel for longer than is fair, causing moaning and grappling and shouting which will eventually descend into meltdown. You have been warned!

3. Dropping Food

A birthday party will almost certainly mess up a child’s well-drilled meal routines. They’ll likely be starving when the time comes to sit down for sausage rolls, pizza, chips and the like. The ones that do stay sitting down to eat are to be cherished. For there will likely be others who want to eat AND play in the garden or check out the new presents in the living room at the same time. That’s when problems start. A slice of pizza sliding off a paper plate landing face down on the carpet with a splat. Scooped ice cream slipping off the top of the cone into the grass in the garden. The bottom lip trembles then a full-on break down follows as the child is left holding an ice cream cone, minus the ice cream, or a plate minus pizza. Get ready for a hangry hissy-fit like you’ve never witnessed before.

2. Not Blowing All of the Birthday Cake Candles out First Time

It’s been a day of all eyes on the birthday boy or girl. They’ve been showered with cards and gifts, serenaded by friends and family since waking up, and now they’ve reached the pinnacle point of the day. The big pressure moment when everyone’s watching and most people are singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in various keys. The cake is looking resplendent, and the flickering candles are lit. All the child needs to do is blow them all out with one big puff and everyone can get on with their lives. But hold on. We have a child here who’s all but running on empty. This seemingly simple task isn’t easy for tired, young lungs and their parents are nervous. Will their child take a deep enough breath? Will they exhale strongly enough and for long enough to extinguish all those flames? Will they spit all over the icing on the cake? Failure to send those flames packing will almost certainly elicit mockery from a few young guests and that is a surefire recipe for a tantrum at the table.

1.Saying It’s Home Time

You’re nearly there. You’ve been checking your watch regularly and parents who haven’t been there for the duration are arriving to pick up their little ones. Finally, you get to declare it: “The party’s over.” You put on a sad voice, of course, but you couldn’t be happier. “All good things come to an end.” This is one of those harsh life lessons all kids have to learn – nothing ever lasts. But try telling that to someone who’s been waiting a whole year for their big day, and who knows there’s another year to wait for any chance of a repeat of the good times.

Yes, hearing someone calling an end to your party celebrations is likely to tip a tired toddler over the edge. It can also be upsetting for party guests too. Hosting parents can take solace that being so upset at the prospect of the event ending likely means the grizzly guest has had a great time, all thanks to you. But that’s scant consolation while there’s kicking and screaming going on, other parents grappling to get their kids out of your house without causing a scene. Thankfully, responsibility for managing this tantrum will be largely up to those arriving parents. You can do your bit to calm the child down as you guide them out of the house, saying how well behaved they’ve been up until now.

And when the final guest has gone, and you’ve closed the front door, you can enjoy a moment of peace, leaning against said door, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Although your respite is likely to be short lived, for when you open those tired eyes, you’ll likely see the mammoth levels of tidying up that need to be done. Enjoy!

Jon Lymon is the author of Is It My Birthday Yet?  the story of a young boy who just can’t wait for it to be his big day.