One of the major events in your toddler's life will be their first experience of nursery school. Thanks to the government's voucher scheme, most toddlers can have a free nursery place from the age of three-and-a-half. If your little one is reacting in a less than desirable way, it’s time for them to stop. So if they’re playing in the kitchen cupboard with the pots and pans and it’s starting to sound like a heavy metal band, get them to play with their toys in their bedroom instead. Crayon drawing moving from the paper to the walls? Ditto again. Distraction not only shifts their attention, but hopefully also changes their mood. Food glorious food! They taught me how to encourage good behaviour by praising Amy when she did what I asked, and to ignore bad behaviour – unless it was actually dangerous – because at the end of the day, most of Amy's bad behaviour was her trying to get attention from me as I was so wrapped up in my new baby,' says Anita. Bad behaviour There are many times when toddler behaviour just makes you want to explode. For example, my three year old has a fit if anyone but mummy tries to help her do anything.

Toddlers need boundaries and they need us to tell them what’s right from wrong. Just like every other toddler though, they hate being told ‘no’. A typical response would be for them to open their mouth and start wailing. Maybe they’ll go the full hog and get down on the floor with arms and legs flailing. Either way, it’s a great time to sit them down and explain why you told them to do what it is you needed them to do and tell them they are having a time out. We do not respect their right to express theirself, to explore theirself, to explore their surroundings or to experiment. Some of the later chapters seem to do little more than pay lip-service to topics, such as lone-parenting, working-parents, ADHD, grandparents. I am not sure they really add much value to the book, but then again, perhaps that is because these are not areas of concern for me. There's something about hitting toddler age that transforms your once gurgling, contented little bundle into a foot-stamping, head-banging creature from the Planet Tantrum. Here we look at coping strategies for some of the major events in your toddler's life. We've all been there Light-hearted, humorous and authoritative, New Toddler Taming is a must for family sanity! By the internationally renowned bestselling author and paediatrician Dr Christopher Green, and full of clear, accessible advice, case studies and useful tips and ideas, this book will make parenting seem a whole lot easier...and enjoyable!

5. Try a rewards system

Want more toddler taming tips? Make sure to read our previous article about the life lessons you can learn from toddler tantrums. This book has helped me realise that we are in too much of a rush to make our children socially acceptable, we try to hard to make them eat & drink without mess, to play without us, to make friends and bonds, to use the toilet and so much more before they have even been alive for 3 years. How awesome is Facetime?! It’s like having visitors over to distract your children without having to serve cups of tea! Tip: If you video call someone using Facebook, use the fun filters! Not only is your little one excited about seeing the person on the other end, they love the fact they can look like a puppy dog while they chat Don’t underestimate the power of YouTube

A lot of parents make a judgement about things within the first 20 seconds, but this is a decision to be taken with care,' says Debbie. But how do you respond to such acts? Dr Green says toddlers respond well to discipline because they need boundaries, and that a lot of problems arise because parents haven't shown their child who is boss. To ensure that their time there is as successful as possible, Debbie Lawson, chair of the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, says it is vital you choose a nursery that both you and your child are happy with. Don’t despair! Yes, toddlers are a minefield of emotions on the best of days, but any parent of a giant baby who can walk and talk and scream until their cheeks turn blue on command will empathise with you – you are not alone!Antibiotics will not clear up viral infections and may actually make things worse by causing diarrhoea and worsening the dehydration, and can also cause nappy rash and thrush,' she advises.

And it didn't stop there. If asked to do something she didn't want to, Amy would throw herself on the floor, screaming until she was blue in the face. She also regressed in her potty training – at one stage needing to be changed six times a day. Toddlers crave attention,' he says. 'If they can't get it by fair means, they lower their sights, irritate their parents and grab it by some annoying act. This is by far the commonest cause of parent problems.' Other causes are jealousy, frustration, fear of being separated from their parents, and tiredness or illness. Many parents wonder how the sweet, chubby baby which gurgles happily at them for the first twelve months changes so suddenly into a bellowing, tantrum prone, heel drumming, carpet biting toddler. What's gone wrong? Whose fault is it? What can be done about it?One of our favourite toddler taming tips, reading does nothing but amazing things for your children. When they are worked up, bring out their favourite book, sit them down on your knee or cuddle up on the couch and read to them. They will become lost in the world of the story with its pictures. Plan forward… hide old toys! First there was the Toddler Taming phenomenon - now this is the sequel every parent has been waiting for... Get down on your knees to their level, gently place your hands on their shoulders and talk calmly to the little out-of-control one. Passing on calm energy can help return them to the little angel that you know and love. Which brings us to our next important point… Important: Stay calm yourself