Beyond the Meltdown: Helping Your Child Find Their Calm with Heidi Tringali What is your child’s behavior trying to tell you—and how can you help when big feelings take over? Rachael Elmore welcomes pediatric occupational therapist, author, and speaker Heidi Tringali for a practical, encouraging conversation about helping children feel organized, calm, connected, and ready to learn. Drawing on 35 years as an OT and 20 years in private practice, Heidi shares tools for understanding what children may need beneath the meltdown. They explore how movement, sensory needs, sleep, food, and connection can affect everyday life—and why parents need grace and support, too. In this episode, we talk about: What it means for a child to be organized, calm, and connected—Heidi’s “OCC” framework. How balance, movement, and body awareness relate to regulation. Heidi’s “hang, hop, hug” routine. Checking basic needs before drawing conclusions about behavior. Viewing behavior as communication. Adjusting expectations when your child is overwhelmed. Parental guilt, knowing when to pause, and choosing repair over perfection. Books and resources For more tools to support your child’s learning and everyday readiness, explore Heidi’s book, The Readied Child: Parenting Tools for Learning and Life Readiness. And because moms need support, too, read Rachael’s book, A Mom Is Born: Biblical Wisdom and Practical Advice for Taking Care of Yourself and Your New Baby. Rachael combines her counseling experience and personal story with practical tools and biblical encouragement for the transition into motherhood. It’s also a thoughtful gift for a new or expecting mom. Connect with Heidi Tringali and Rachael Elmore. Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Heidi Tringali04:00 – The story behind The Readied Child06:02 – Organized, calm, and connected07:04 – OCC and “hang, hop, hug”08:09 – Why readiness starts at birth13:39 – Looking beyond labels to understand your child’s needs16:38 – Basic needs, behavior, function, and diagnosis18:18 – Why sleep and food matter24:20 – Understanding movement, balance, and the “file cabinet” brain model28:19 – Body awareness and sensory regulation30:17 – A closer look at “hang, hop, hug”36:47 – Viewing behavior as communication41:18 – Parental guilt and knowing when to pause45:24 – Why repair matters more than perfection55:26 – How to connect with Heidi57:11 – A simple challenge for parents A takeaway for this week Before responding to a difficult moment, pause and consider: What might my child need right now? Start with sleep, food, comfort, and connection—and give yourself permission to pause and repair, too. If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a parent who could use practical tools and a little more grace.
