10 Month Old Throwing tantrums...already?

This behavior is very typical. Make sure she is in a safe place, and then as hard as it is, ignore the behavior. Then when she is calm, give her lots of attention. At this point the goal is to reward the positive behavior and not acknowlege/reward with attention that behavior you don't want to continue. You don't want to "punish" as to her it's just attention. I had this happen with my little guy - and it works. After a few times, he realized it didn't get my attention and he stopped. Just make sure you also give lots of positive attention when she is being "good".

I always picked my kids up, and explained calmly and firmly that they were going to their crib until they calmed down, because I didn't want to listen to them scream. (Of course this was said while they were screaming!) I said it to them every time, and when they did calm down, I would get them out and explain again that they could come out now, but that whenever they screamed like that they would have to go to their crib. I think by calmly repeating it every time, they DO start to get it. But even if it takes a while, you are getting a break from the fit and they are able to scream out their frustration if they need to. With my kids, although it didn't extinguish the behavior immediately, it started shortening the duration fairly soon. And eventually, they did get tired of not having an audience. Plus, if your daughter throws herself back while in her crib, she's less likely to get injured. When away from home, I would take them out to the car and strap them in their carseat for the duration. I would either stand right outside the car, gazing off disinterestedly (since they would watch my reaction) or if I sat in the car, I would ignore them, humming and looking out the window. I would not engage them until the fit was over. It was overall pretty effective, and it did help me keep my cool. I hope this helps!

Boy they are something huh? These little babies just keep up the surprises. You do have to discipline them as soon as possible however you are right, at 10 months they don't really get it. All I have found is that you need to restrain from giving in to the tantrum. You just cannot give them what they want when these tantrums happen, even at 10 months. You just have to pray they don't do it in public. As far as hurting herself by hitting her head. When she starts to throw a tantrum, move her to a carpeted area and and let her have it out but don't dote on her, ignore her. She will learn pretty quick that the tantrums will not work.

Good luck and remember, everything is short lived. They grow out of all of it so enjoy.

My son started doing this as soon as he could sit up. The doctor's advice was to make sure he was in a safe place (we had cement floors with no padding, so that required moving him to his crib) and then ignoring the behavior. She also said to be glad he wasn't one who threw up or held his breath till he passed out when he's upset. LOL...

Many kids go through this kind of behavior, and generally it's because they get a reaction. She can tell if it hurts her head. Just make sure she's somewhere safe and then walk away. And if you can see it coming, do what you can to distract and redirect her before she gets to the tantrum point.

Until she is near 3, most "discipline" (time out, etc) goes over most kids' heads. They just don't get that time out was because they did something wrong, so don't do it again. Through the 2's, the best bet is to catch her in the act (or before) and redirect her to something that is okay to do. You can set rules like no hair pulling and no hitting, and tell her the rules as you stop the behavior. And it's perfectly ok to put her in her crib, playpen, or room and walk away to give you both a cooling down period.
Kids generally don't understand "right" and "wrong" until school age. State the rules as a definite - "no hitting" - and don't feel you always need to be explaining why (if they ask, go ahead and give a simple explanation). But DO NOT let it become a negotiation of the rule. The rule stands as is (you can maintain that part even when they are a teen - this is the rule, no negotiating). As they get to school age, you can start teching more of the reason behind the rule and begin shifting the focus from just keeping the rules to making good choices, but it is a process that will evolve over the years and, like I said, sometimes in the teen years you have to go back to the inflexible rule (decide in advance which ones are inflexible)

I came upon this website looking for the answer to the EXACT same question you just asked! My 10 month old baby girl is doing the exact same thing you described down to a T! I think I may have your 10 month olds long lost twin here in Calif! Thanks for the helpful tips all of you experienced Mommy's :)

For my son, his first "tantrums" were due to his frustrations with not being understood, and usually when he was really tired or hungry. Make sure that she isn't tired and hungry and do what you can to try to understand her. Let her know that you are trying. If she does throw the fit, tell her, "Let me know when you are done with your tantrum", and turn your back. When she calms for a second, ask if she is done. If she is, explain to her that you know that she is frustrated, but that this isn't the way to handle it, suggest other ways. Are you okay with stomping feet? When she is calm, give her a cuddle and thank her for stopping the crying, and talking to you.
I don't know if this will work for you or not, but it worked for my son. The real key though, was the hunger.

Ouch! If you know these tantrums are coming in advance I'd put her on a bed or couch or pillow, so she doesn't hurt yourself, or catch her head in your hand, if you can. Also try holding her? If she throws her head back to hit it against you or your chin *ouch!* try to catch it with a kiss. When it doesn't get her the reaction she wants she may stop. She doesn't understand the consequences, but she does understand what you're telling her. Just because she can't respond doesn't mean she doesn't know what you're saying, and of course that frustrates her. (probably to the point of throwing the tantrums.)

She is still too young to start disciplining. For now, if she's hurting herself, I'd try to hold her in your arms, or put her some place safe. *granted, on the couch or the bed, you'll want to watch her so she doesn't roll (or crawl) off.*

This is really typical. Just try to remain as calm as possible and try not to acknowledge the behavior. She is just trying to experiment with her independence and get your attention. Try not to pay as much attention to the negative behavior as the good behavior. Give her lots of kisses and hugs when she calms down and this should help.