16 month old hurting himself during tantrums

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

My 16 month old started having mini tantrums around a month ago but they're pretty bad at the minute. If he can't get his own way he falls to the floor and rolls around or flips from front to back, he keeps accidentally banging his head on the floor . A couple of times while I've been sitting with him on my knee or dressing him he has just thrown himself back without warning.

A big trigger point is nappy changing time because he wants to rifle through the basket, he just throws himself from a sitting position to lying down and I have to catch his head before it hits the floor.

I don't know how best to deal with it apart from cuddles when dh hurts himself. I've tried distraction like giving him a clean nappy to play with rather than the nappy cream tube he wants to chew on, and ignoring his thrashing round on the floor.

Also if anybody has any tips for books on toddlers I would appreciate it.

No tips but lots of sympathy! My DD is 16mo as well and is a little devil when she has a tantrum. If you say no to her and she doesn't like it she hits you, then when you say no again she hits herself!

Ds does this, to be honest before you learn to deal with most of these phases they've grown out of it and are on to the next one.
This age can be very frustrating for a toddler because they can't fully communicate what they want so lash out in other ways in order to try and get what they want.
remain calm, if he's throwing himself backwards during a nappy chance could you do it on a bed? At least that way he's somewhere soft
he will grow out of it.