Calming Jar for Kids

I have a toddler who is going through the terrible twos. He can throw some pretty terrific tantrums just about anywhere. My personal favorites are the screaming fits in the department store and the rolling around crying on the floor in the grocery store. As bad as his fits are in a store, then can be twice as bad at home. I have been racking my brain for a way to get him to stop his fits. They always seem to last a few minutes, so anything that would shorten their duration would be amazing. I have seen quite a few blogs on time out bottles or jars. You give them to your child to take the focus off their tantrum. The child shakes the bottle to mix up all the glitter and then they watch the bottle until the glitter settles in the bottom. This should take a couple minutes and by the time the glitter has settled, the child is calm. The mothers who have written blogs on calming jars swear by them. So, I’ve decided to give them a try. There are slight differences in the recipes for these that I have found. Here is the one that I like the best. I hope this helps.

All you will need one empty jar or bottle, clear glue, fine glitter, hot water, food coloring and super glue. Mix together 1 tablespoon of clear glue for every 1 cup of hot water until the jar is almost full. Add in an inch of fine glitter and a few drops of food coloring. Just a tip – you might want to superglue the lid of the jar or bottle on, so that you child can’t drink the contents or spill it.

I can’t wait to make this for my son!

Joy Larson is a mother of four boys, graduate of The University of Montana, animal lover and writer.