When do the tantrums get better?

[Stringervest]

DS is 3.5. He is gorgeous and so much fun but he experiences all emotions very strongly. He swings from the highest highs to the lowest lows in the space of minutes and some tantrums are truly spectacular.

Friends and family who know him would all, I think, say that he is to the more extreme end of toddler behaviour. We have a 6 year old DD who is and always has been a dream by comparison.

He is loving and can be very funny; a born entertainer. He is a dream for the childminder and so mostly only tantrums with us and very close family, presumably because it's his safe space. No indicators for autism and I don't suspect any other SEN.

I think this is normal toddler behaviour, but it is exhausting. Our day out today has been ruined by repeated high energy strops over the most benign things.

I'm wondering if this is just his personality or whether it's just because he's 3. Did your child have mega tantrums and become much easier to live with? And if so when did it happen?

Goodness @Melrose86, that sounds tough!

I remember being very shocked that my DC still had tantrums up
to the age of five or six. As an early years practitioner I had very rarely seen children having tantrums in Nursery or Reception and had no idea they had all clearly been saving them for their parents!

Yes - although DD (6) is largely a dream she occasionally has them when very tired and they are quite spectacular. It's hard because you can see they've totally lost control and you just need to let them get it out of their system and then give them lots of cuddles.

Could have written this myself OP! My eldest is almost 9 and I can honestly say she's never had a tantrum in her life. Middle child (DS1) is 3.5 and my goodness, I was NOT prepared after his sister being as easy going as she is. He is an absolute hurricane and the tantrums are epic when they happen which is daily.

Nothing humbles you like the second child 😁

Ds2 is 18m and I think he'll end up somewhere between the two which I'm fine with because if I can survive Ds1, I can survive anything!

It is definitely true that the second child humbles you!

Totally agree with this. 3 year is far worse than 2 years.
My girls are now 3 and 4. My 4 year old has just started to slightly calm down but it's all starting again with the 3 year old!

DS2 rarely tantrummed as a toddler but is fairly tantrummy now at 3.5

DS1 (7) still has the occasional tantrum at home after a long day...he definitely saves them all for us....at school/church/clubs he is a well behaved sensible type that often get chosen to do stuff because they know he'll be sensible.

Oh yes - by about four they start to develop a sense of embarrassment so they will hold it in when they are around people they don't want to tantrum in front of! Just lovely!!