Like many families with small children, we have a witching hour.

Below, youll find a buffet of tips from experts, my own household, and other frustrated parents.

Take a breakfirst

You probably know exactly what time your kids are going to lose it.

)Beforethat time, take a few minutes tocalm yourself.

What can you do forfive minutes to prep for the the crankiest part of the day?

Try deep breathing or meditation.

(I like theStop, Breathe & Think app.)

Make a gratitude list.

Take a quick walk.

Have a plan for the evening, including something to look forward to.

That can mean splitting duties orknowing when you’re gonna wanna tag out.

If you see your partner cracking, say, Hey, go take a break.

You will be grateful when the favor is reciprocated.

Set expectations

A major reason toddlers have tantrums is because we subvert their expectations.

Adjust the schedule

A shift in your routine might just help make the evening stretch more manageable.

Some ideas:

Consider feeding the kids earlier.

And sometimes you’re free to tell tears will be shed over whatsonthe plate.

Dont die on this hill.

Schedule more downtime.Kids benefit both from scheduled activities and free play.

Trust your instinct, and dont feel guilty if you better ditch gymnastics for everyones sanity.

Add water.Even if its only 4 p.m., a bath is the Great Tantrum Interruptor.

(And if its summer, bath can mean sprinkler, water hose, or Super Soakerwhatever works!)

Get some fresh air.Blow your kids mind and take them for a moonlight walk.

Or park the kids in the backyard and let nature absorb the angst.

Come get me when youre ready.

For Danzi, her own meltdown led to a revelation about communicating emotions to her children.

She said:

After a breakdown and a look in the mirror I realized it had to stop.

I wasnt practicing what I was teaching.

Stop, Breathe & Think also hasa kids meditation app.

Your child chooses emojis to represent how she feels and the app recommends a corresponding short animated meditation video.

Try music

Listening to a song is part of our nightly routine.

Remember the days when they accepted your dictations without argument, and everything was in its place at bedtime?

Pat yourself on the back for those successes and admit, THIS IS NOT THAT DAY.