It's safe to say that as parents we will all go through that terrifying stage of toddler tantrums. It's unlikely there will be many of us that have that perfect little angel of a child that will not have a single strop because their biscuit broke in half or they can't go grocery shopping with no clothes on. We've put together a little list of some brief tips that tend to help in these awful situations. It goes without saying that the worst type we all dread is that public tantrum in the middle of a grocery store! So these tips may come in handy if you find yourself in that unfortunate situation! 

1. Distraction technique - Distract them with food, toys, anything you can get your hands on that you know is reasonable and will take their mind of having a tantrum!

2. Acknowledge that they are having a tantrum - This speaks for itself, acknowledge that they are having a tantrum and then you can take the next steps to sorting it out and preventing it from happening again.

3. Ignore their behaviour - don't ignore the child but ignore their behaviour. They want a reaction and if you give them one it's only going to tempt them next time something isn't going their way.

4. Take a break, leave the room for a few moments - It goes without saying that it can be extremely frustrating having a toddler who is screaming and shouting and being considerably inconsiderate! Step out of the room for the moment to take a deep breath.

5. Try to find the funny side - Are they crying over something silly? Try to find the humour in their tantrum!

6. Hug them - As stressed as you may be, a hug may calm them down. They can sense when you are stressed so try to stay calm.

7. Try to avoid the trigger that causes the tantrum - This could just save a whole lot of trouble. If it's something silly that you know is possible to avoid then try do so.

8. Try to give them the words as this usually is the problem - Try imagining what it's like to have a problem and not be able to speak to say what the problem is? It could be something as simple as you have an itchy label in your t-shrit and you can't take it off. Try give your toddler the words, speak to them and try to figure out what the problem is. Unless you already know then follow another step!

9. Put them in time out - This works for some mums, and doesn't work for others. But finding a naughty step where you can place them to sit and think about what they have done can really be quite effective. If they are three then you put them there for three minutes, if they are four then four minutes. etc.

10. Give a consequence ie. No desert if they carry on - This kind of goes back to step one; the distraction technique.

11. Stay calm, don't shout at them - Shouting just makes the whole situation 100x worse. It may be hard, but try to stay as calm as possible. If you shout, they'll want to shout louder and everyone gets that little bit more upset.

12. Be a little less authoritative and try to reason with them - Instead of shouting 'no' or 'stop' at them try to reason with them about what it is they are crying over. Get down to their level and speak to them kindly.

13. Make eye contact - if you seem distracted by something in the distance it can trigger them to get more irritated that you don't understand what they are trying to get across to you.

14. Be empathetic - Even if they are crying because of something silly try to empathise with them. Tell them how sorry you are that their biscuit broke in half and that next time they'll get an even better and bigger biscuit.

Remember these are only tips and won't work for everyone in every situation!