Help! My DS has changed into the Incredible Hulk!

[Payney]

Help! My 20 month DS has been prone to having the odd tantrum (usually when being told "no") but this weekend has been one HUGE tantrum. He was worse yesterday when, upon waking up, he was furious with everyone and kept hurling himself at the floor and writhing about. To begin with, I thought he was in pain but it really did seem like a long drawn-out tantrum. We all ignored him but that didn't seem to make a difference. Every now and then he would snap out of it, but would suddenly start again for no reason. He also didn't seem to know what he wanted. He would point at something and I would say "no" (as I didn't want him to think that the tantrum was working) then later he would calm down and point at the same thing again, I would then give it to him as he had asked properly, he would go to take it from me but just as he was taking it he would fly into a paddy and chuck himself on the floor!! By yesterday evening, we were exhausted! I made the mistake of ringing my Dad to see whether he had known this kind of behaviour (by this point the yelling had been going on for 3 hours non-stop) and he basically tutted and said that I "read too much into things" and that I should go with my natural instinct. Unfortunately I burst into tears as I felt he was calling me a crap mother, and quite frankly, I feel like one at the moment because I really don;t know how to handle DS. Does anyone else have similar tantrum days (with your children, not you personally)? This morning, he was the same, but I put him back in his cot for "time-out" (with the light on) for 2 mins. when I went back in, he was back to being lovely, but 5 mins later it would all start again - I ended up taking him back and forth from his cot about 6 times in all - within the space of 1 hour. I have never been so glad to pass him over to the childminder before