If you’re a parent, you’ve been there: the toddler tantrum. It can happen anytime, anywhere – the grocery store, the park, at home. Toddlers don’t seem to care who hears them yell, cry, scream and throw a fit for seemingly no reason. When they’re ready to throw a tantrum, watch out.

However, tantrums can be avoided with some clever parenting hacks. Some parents simply let their kids cry it out. Other parents make sure they have snacks on hand because a hungry toddler can be a cranky toddler. Other parents rely on distraction techniques.

One mom shared how she distracts her 18-month-old daughter, Icey, so that a potential tantrum becomes laughter and giggles. Alivia Cromartie wrote on Instagram, “POV: This is how you gentle parent when your toddler is on the verge of a meltdown…zoomies!”

Zoomies is a term commonly used for something dogs tend to do when they have extra energy to burn. It’s also known as Frenetic Random Activity Periods (FRAPs), and it’s when dogs run in circles or spin around. Turns out a human doing zoomies can be quite effective too.

In a video Cromartie shared on Instagram, Icey is clearly upset. Cromartie told TODAY that her daughter was upset because she wanted to eat and her food wasn’t ready yet. In order to distract her daughter and prevent a full blown tantrum, Cromartie took off running in circles around the house.

As she runs, we see Icey’s expression change. She goes from upset, to intrigued, to smiling and full of giggles. At the end up the video, Icey clearly forgot she was ever upset, and her mother scoops her into a big hug.

See zoomies in action for yourself in Cromartie’s demo video.

 

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A post shared by Liv ✨💜 (@jusssliv)

Many people have commented on Cromartie’s video that they love this idea and are going to try it. Cromartie wrote in the caption, “Works every time,” and that seems to be the experience other people are having too.

Cromartie told TODAY that multiple people have sent her messages after trying zoomies with their own toddlers. She said, “They’re like, ‘it works!’ I think people are surprised. But it really does work.”

Obviously, you’d have to have some energy in order to do zoomies, but if your toddler being on the verge of a meltdown is causing you stress and your adrenaline is kicking in, zoomies might be a great way to burn off that extra energy, get a quick workout and turn your toddler’s tears into giggles.

Are you going to try zoomies? What’s your go-to way to stop a tantrum before it starts?