Colman Noctor: An expert guide to managing toddler tantrums for parents

While we might all be familiar with ‘the terrible twos’, tantrums can start as early as one and continue until five or six

Dr Colman Noctor: A tantrum could be happening for the simplest of reasons.

Every parent has been there: refuse to buy your child a packet of sweets in the shop and your cute toddler, who only seconds ago passers-by were smiling at and waving to, suddenly transforms into a mini hurricane of emotions and you’re in the eye of a public tantrum storm.

Toddler tantrums are a normal part of child development, but telling you that doesn’t make them any easier to handle. While there is no perfect way of managing a toddler mid-tantrum, perhaps a better understanding of what is going on for your child will help you manage and minimise the distress these emotional outbursts cause.