My Toddler’s Tantrums Were Out of Control… Until I Found This Calming Lotion

“I thought my child hated me. It turns out, she was just exhausted...”

Alexandra Grap | June 22, 2025

Children & Well-Being

My daughter is the light of my life, and I love her more than anything.

But lately? Her tantrums have been grinding me down.

She flies into a rage at the smallest thing, the wrong cup, the wrong pajamas, just me walking into the kitchen. She'll kick, thrash, and throw her toys at me.

Sometimes it feels like she saves her worst anger for me...

I try so hard to do the gentle parenting thing. I get her to count to ten, take deep breaths, I validate her feelings. None of it works. She just screams louder.

I miss the baby she used to be. The one who was happy and smiling all the time.

Now it just feels like I'm constantly walking on eggshells to avoid another meltdown...

What I Tried (But Didn’t Work)

Gentle parenting

Redirecting her attention

Calming breaths

Ignoring her tantrums

Time outs

Scolding when nothing else worked

No matter what I did, my daughter just would not calm down, and often times her tantrums would get even worse.

Whenever this happened in public, people would stare and it made me feel like I wasn't doing a good job as a mom.

This made me anxious to take my daughter out, because I never knew what might trigger her tantrums. So we stayed home most days.

But the situation at home wasn't much better either.

I would have to deal with her tantrums and screaming multiple times a day, and that really drained me.

I felt emotionally overwhelmed and barely had the energy to do anything else after dealing with another one of my daughter's tantrums.

My husband didn’t really understand what I was going through either.

He was at work most of the day and didn’t have to deal with our daughter’s tantrums. And this caused quite a few arguments between us...

The Facebook Post That Changed Everything

One night, while scrolling on Facebook, I saw a mom describing my exact life.

Her son had frequent meltdowns, would hit and throw things when he was upset, and really struggled to get along with the rest of the kids at his preschool.

This mom was told her son had "behavioral issues" and was advised to get him evaluated, but she refused.

She kept searching for a solution to help with his tantrums and big emotions... and eventually came across an article talking about how poor sleep could lead to symptoms like aggression and mood swings in children.

She started working to fix her son's sleep. And once he started sleeping better, his behavior changed for the better almost overnight!

Suddenly, It All Made Sense To Me

Most nights, I would put my daughter to bed at 9pm every night, and wake her at 7am.

10 hours in bed. I thought that was plenty of sleep.

But somehow, it always felt like my daughter just wasn’t getting enough sleep.

She would wake up grumpy, and feel tired by afternoon. She would also complain about how she "needed more sleep".

That’s when it clicked:

Hours in bed did not mean hours of sleep!

Even though my daughter was “in bed” for 10 hours, she wasn’t getting the restful sleep she needed.

It turns out, after we turned the lights out, it would take her another 30-60 minutes to fall asleep. She would also toss and turn, and wake up multiple times in the middle of the night.

We only realized this after installing a baby monitor to check on her sleep.

All this time, she wasn't getting the sleep she needed and we didn't even know!

The Research Backed It Up

I then did some research on my own, and found multiple studies showing how poor sleep in children could lead to:

Aggressive behavior

Tantrums

Mood swings

Irritability

Trouble focusing at school

Poor memory and problem-solving abilities

One PubMed study found that poor sleep in children was linked to aggression, attention deficits, and anxiety.

While another showed that disrupted sleep led to "conduct issues", behavior problems, and poor school performance.

My daughter wasn’t being “difficult.”  

She just wasn’t sleeping well!  

And it turns out, she's not the only one struggling with this issue...

Healthcare researchers estimate that up to 40% of infants and pre-school aged kids struggle with poor sleep health, and aren’t getting enough sleep on a daily basis!

I was shocked.

Why was no one talking about this?

The Product That Changed Everything

I reached out to the mom who wrote that post and asked her what she did to help her son sleep better.

She told me she used a magnesium lotion called the Junior’s Bedtime Lotion.

A friend had recommended it to her, and she liked that it was all natural and non-habit forming.

She said the lotion helped her son sleep so much better.

And after a few weeks, she started noticing a difference in his behavior too. He had far fewer meltdowns and tantrums, and was getting along and had even made new friends at his preschool!

I ordered a jar immediately, hoping that this would help with my daughter's sleep and tantrums too.

My Experience Trying the Junior’s Bedtime Lotion

Day 1

I did not notice much of a change. But the instructions did say to use it consistently for at least 2 weeks, so we’ll keep trying.

Day 3

My daughter only woke up once last night (she usually wakes 2–3 times a night). I'm hoping this isn’t just a fluke!

Day 7

Last night, she slept for almost 10 hours straight! She has not slept through the night in a long time! I'm hopeful!!

Day 14

My daughter has slept through the night for 4 nights over the past week. I've also noticed a huge improvement in her mood! Even when she does throw a tantrum, she's now able to calm herself down more quickly.

Day 30

This lotion has completely turned things around. My daughter still goes to bed from 8pm to 7am, but she now sleeps through the night. She no longer complains about being tired in the afternoons. She's a lot happier now, and even when she does get upset, I can actually calm her down by getting her to take a few deep breaths.

I couldn’t believe it. All this time I thought my daughter was a “strong-willed” child… but she just wasn’t getting enough sleep!

Looking Back

I only wish I had known about this sooner.

Now, I tell every mom I know about this lotion!

If your child struggles with tantrums, big feelings, or constant meltdowns, it might not be bad behavior.

It might be poor sleep!

And if that’s the case, this lotion could change everything for you too!

Update: 3 Months Later

We’re still using the Junior’s Bedtime Lotion every night, and my daughter is sleeping well, happy, and thriving at preschool!

I just ordered 2 more jars to make sure we don't run out!

Here’s the link if you’d like to try it for yourself:

https://8sheep.com/products/juniors-bedtime-lotion

What Other Moms Are Saying

Thank you for letting me know about this lotion! It has changed our lives.

— Diana L.

My son was having full blown 15-30 minute long screaming tantrums almost daily. We've been using this lotion for about a week now and it has really helped!

— Megan T

I have 3 boys under 3 and this product has been life changing! We’re around 2/3weeks in and their in bed by 8 and are sleeping straight through the night till 8am at least 5 out of the 7 nights a week. Less tantrums, happy toddlers, happy mom!

— Amanda R.

After 5 days of use, my daughter was sleeping through the night for 11hours straight! We are so so happy it works! Our daughter is much better during the day too, no more tantrums and fussiness. Thanks for making this amazing product!

— Aurelie G.

If your child struggles with:

Frequent meltdowns

Aggressive behavior like hitting

Big emotions

Tantrums that last over 30 minutes

Being disruptive at school

Mood swings

It might not be a “behavior problem”.

It might just be poor sleep.

Give the Junior’s Bedtime Lotion a try.

It has helped my daughter so much, and it might help your child too!