Jacob certainly knows how to throw a tanty LOL. Rarely a day will pass where we don't have them!

I've found that like Marisa, Jacob will start throwing tanties if he's tired or hungry, so the end of the day can be quite stressful at times. For this reason, I try to prep dinner well in advance (during the course of the day if it's something a bit more complex) or at least start getting everything ready by 4.30 so that it's ready by 5.30 pm which is time for dinner. After dinner, we have a quiet play in the lounge room with toys or books, and then at 6.30, it's bathtime and teeth, into jarmies, bottle in his room and then straight to bed. He usually falls asleep during his bottle or is very close to it!

But I have certainly picked up hunger and tiredness as being big reasons for his tanties, as well as frustration or anger. If he doesn't understand why we are doing something e.g. removing him from walking in front of the swings at the park whilst kids are on them, he will spit it! He'll stamp his feet, go red in the face, screech/scream and hit himself in the head! I try to use your method Jillian, by getting down to his level, and I try to make eye contact with him and tell him calmly but firmly why we are doing X or Y and then I try to distract him with another activity. Distraction seems to work reasonably well, but not always! Sometimes I just have to let it go until he's ready to start playing again. However, if the reason behind the tanty is tiredness or hunger, the crying will continue until that need is satisfied IYKWIM?

He does seem to require quite a bit of stimulation and is always trying to learn and do new things so I'm trying to keep up with that too!