A mum has shared a fantastic trick that stops her child from throwing a tantrum in less than a second. Mum Amy Crisp from Cambridgeshire, and her husband, have put a twist on a classic punishment, by sending her two-year-old to the ‘happy step’ to calm down.

Toddlers can be prone to tantrums and sometimes can have a meltdown over the most absurd things. However, Amy shared the footage to Instagram of how her little boy Colby was crying when her partner Michael came up with the idea.

Gaining two million views on Instagram, the video shows the little boy stopping crying almost immediately after sitting on the happy step.

Amy said: “Colby was having one of those hours where everything resulted in a tantrum or crocodile tears.

“Michael literally said to Colby, ‘can you please go and sit on the happy step and come back when you’re happier?’”

She said that Colby ‘waltzed’ back into the living room after 10 seconds like nothing had happened, adding that out was hilarious.

“The next time we tried it, I filmed it to see if it was going to work its magic just as quickly and this time it took 0.0001 seconds for Colby to come out of his tantrum!”

Amy explained that they had previously tried the naughty step punishment with Colby, and had used a ‘three warning’ method, that would see the toddler sent to the naughty step if his behaviour didn’t stop.

She added that she would never use the unique punishment if Colby was genuinely upset, distressed or hurt and that the couple always ask why he is upset, but the happy step has proved to be a solution for tantrums.

“It helps for Colby to have a space where he can take a few moments of quiet and calm to gather his emotions. But I can confirm the happy step does not take longer than 0.00001 seconds!”

Amy said she was ‘hugely surprised’ to discover the video had gone viral, and that most people had found it hilarious how quickly Colby’s mood changed.

“Lots of parents have said they will give it a go instead of the naughty step. However, there have been some negative comments too,” she added.

She said that a public profile on social media will always attract people who have something to say, but she said she would never judge another mother, especially based on an eight-second clip without knowing any context.

“Us mamas need to stick together because at the end of the day we are all just doing our best,” she said.

Amy said she wasn’t trying to share parenting tips, simply that she thought the clip was hilarious, and that the couple has continued to use the happy step to help with tantrums.

“If Colby is upset, hurt, distressed or worried, we of course don’t send him to the happy step,” she said.

“We give him comfort and cuddles as I am sure most mums would!”

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