Temper Trantums

No it's not too young. Don't give in to him. You can try ignoring him and see if that works. But he needs to know who is boss in this situation. And right now it looks as if he is. You need to try whatever works for getting his attention. A spat on the butt (yes a lot of people are against it but I am not) does get their attention. Talk to him calmly, do not scream or it will make it worse.

He's at the age where he's really engrossed in whatever it is he's doing. Yet adults are constantly and peremptorily making demands on his time and attention. Sometimes this is necessary, but it's almost always possible to introduce the idea of a change of direction before the change has to happen.

Heck, we even signal other drivers on the road as a matter of courtesy, right? Our kids deserve courtesy, too, especially since we start expecting it from them by this age.

Try giving a couple of advance notices, maybe 5 minutes and 2 minutes before an upcoming change. And make the change sound desirable – focus on the parts of it your child will enjoy. You'll probably get far fewer tantrums.

Also, try understanding and being sympathetic toward his needs. Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Toddler on the Block, really helps children refocus their emotions using this technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ1428uYs2g&NR=1&a....

Dr. Sears has some great advice on dealing with tantrums here:
http://askdrsears.com/topics/discipline-behavior/botherso...

ignore that behavior it is attention seeking and its negative attention he's getting. ABC, antecedent behavior consequence. If you give the right consequence, you can extinguish bad behavior or bring on good behavior. Good luck!

My 16 month old is also entering this phase. I'm trying out the method suggested by Harvey Karp, and it does seem to lessen/shorten the tantrum. The book is Happiest Toddler on the Block. I did read recently that the American Academy of Pediatrics does NOT recommend punishing (i.e. spanking or other punitive measures) for tantrums. They say that this can lead to children holding in their emotions/anger, which can lead to bigger problems later on.
If you find the magic cure let me know :). Good luck!

IGNORE!! Talking to him gives him what he wants...attention and response to the tantrum. With my son, nothing stops a tantrum faster then ignoring it, and walking away.

No. It's not young. My older two started this at 18 months, but my youngest before twelve months, which is actually not uncommon. Now's your chance to decide: teach your child not to have tantrums, and to act appropriately instead with discipline, easily, before the habit sets and he fights you harder later when it has escalated, or let it go, ignore it, and live with it no matter how bad it gets for the next few years (some kids keep it up until age 7!!!)
If you choose discipline, this book is great, "Back to Basics Discipline" by Janet Campbell Matson. My kids don't have tantrums and neither did I , it's up to you and your philosophy on it. He is old enough to develop impulse control quickly regarding fits, but it takes discipline. If you ignore it, it will continue and get worse.

Like everyone else says, IGNORE it! But don't punish (he won't understand at this age). When he calms down on his own, smile, redirect and tell him he's a good boy. You can do this at home or anywhere where he's physically safe.

However, be prepared to deal with a temper tantrum in a STORE or public place. Because it will happen.

Being prepared means being ok with simply removing him from where he's bothering others (no eye contact), putting him somewhere safe and out of the way (such as back in the car, buckling him in). Let him have his tantrum in there while you stand outside the car with your back turned. Then when he's done, smile, redirect, tell him he's a good boy, and resume shopping.

Almost all kids do this and the process of growing out of tantrums can take awhile. However, the alternative is a 100-pound 12-year old who's still doing tantrums and no one wants that! Stay strong!