This too shall pass ...

Oh, where do I start?
Ethan never really had temper tantrums. Honest to goodness. We sailed through the "terrible twos" without a hint of terribleness. Just before his 3rd birthday, he started to get a bit difficult, but it has generally been plain sailing for us. Yes, he still gets upset about things and doesn't want to do what he is told, but he's never done what his younger brother is starting to do now ....

.... Tyler is almost 18 months old. A few weeks ago, he started having full-on temper tantrums. Anything can set him off. He screams, cries, throws things, lays on the ground, kicking, yelling. It goes on and on for ages.

I've tried ignoring them, but he just gets himself so worked up.
I've tried the "firm cuddle" but he doesn't want a bar of it. He doesn't want any physical contact.
I've tried redirection and distraction. This technique works the best of the 3, but it doesn't always work! Usually food is the only thing that can distract him sufficiently so he will actually stop screaming long enough to calm down.

All I can assume is that we are hitting the "terrible twos" a lot earlier than most kids. It doesn't help that Tyler can't speak that well, so he probably throws tantrums out of sheer frustration because he can't say what he wants to say. His speech is getting heaps better, and I've noticed that he no longer screams when he wants more drink/food because he can say "more" now. But there are a multitude of random things that can just set off a tantrum.
I feel as though I am treading on eggshells, trying to avoid upsetting him but making sure I don't give in to everything he wants just because I don't want him to make a scene.

Since Ethan didn't really go through this stage, I feel like I'm lost!! I don't know what I can do about Tyler's behaviour. When he is good, he is an angel!! But when he is angry, he is awful. I don't know, it must be the red hair.

The whole situation is so challenging. And not just for me & Rob!
Yesterday when Rob picked the boys up from preschool Christy said "we've seen a couple of his tantrums today" which is probably her polite way of saying "your child has been a right terror today." Apparently Rob answered "yeah, they're good, aren't they?"
When I phoned mum today (she watches the boys on Wednesdays) she said "I've just experienced one of Tyler's temper tantrums for the first time." She said he was so mad that he actually crawled under the breakfast bar, right into the back corner, and sat there crying!

All I can say is "_Gam zeh ya'avor_"
This too shall pass.