Temper tantrums !! Help??

[mummysbigsmiles]

My 1 year old DD is taking some bad temper tantrums... When you go near her or when she doesn't get what she wants.... How can i stop this from happening?? Only the other day she scratched my face in anger!

My 16 month old has been doing this too. I try to ignore her while she's tantruming (as long as she's safe) and give her one minute time outs if I think she's about to start. I'm not sure how well it is working, but at least I feel like I'm trying. And there has been less food on the floor lately!

Hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.

Is she doing it all the time or maybe she's tired or hungry or something?

Yes its a lot, certainly becoming a habit, we were in M&S today and she done it to a woman who talked to her... I was a little embarrassed !

I wouldn't call it a proper tantrum (my nearly 4 year old has proper ones whereas my nearly 2 year old it's something else - more like she's over whelmed with emotion and can't articulate it properly).

So I would try distracting, especially if it's in public! Is she coming down with something?

You can't stop them. Tantrums and lashing out are normal elements of their development. They need to do them.

What you can do is not create reasons to prolong this phase. Don't teach her that the behaviour gets her what she wants or gets her extra attention.

If she lashes out protect yourself by moving out of reach or pushing her arms down at the elbows and say "Hands down" very clearly and firmly.

She will learn that this is a pointless behaviour and it isn't worth expending the effort because it doesn't get her what she wants but that won't be any time soon.