We're at a similar age and stage too, and its the public tantrums that I find hard - especially when you get dirty looks from people, and alot of the times, its oler women, who for the most part, would have had kids doing the same thing in the past

DD's tantrums also tend to be when she doesn't get her own way or its time to stop whatever we were doing, so for example, we were outside earlier and I was pushing her up and down on her trike, but needed to go in for the toilet (damn pg bladder ), so I told her that it would be her last lap of the garden and then we were going to go in for a drink and a wee, but when I came to undo her and help her down, she cracked it so I just carried her inside under my arm and left her to while i went to the toilet. she calmed down quickly enough this time luckily!

But I'm not sure I hndle them the best in public - we went to Ikea, and DD was happily walking along - we got to the bed section and she wanted to pat each bed with her hand - she realised that we had missed a few beds and she wanted to go back, but I said that we needed to keep walking the way we were going because thats the way the arrows were pointed and that there was more to play with round the corner - she didn't like that so out came the tantrum - I scooped her up and carried her till she calmed down - getting some looks on the way. But we then had another tantrum when it was the last turn on the slide, or with the train track they have set up in the kids section - there are some things that she would just go on and on and on palying with, so I have to drag her away. Again, with this I give her a warning that it was the last slide or the last minute of playing with the trains, and then its time to go. But we still always end up having a tantrum and I have to carry her off kicking and screaming. Is there a better way of dealing with this in public? I don't want to give in to her, and like I said, I think if I gave her the chance, we'd still be there at closing time!

Sorry for hijacking!