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I tell him that he appears to have very big feelings right now and that when he is ready, I am available to comfort him / help. I've found that trying to pick him up just prolongs everything. I try to let him feel his feelings though... and dude has a lot of feelings, it seems.

Ahhhh yes... the limp noodle trick. My girls loved to do that... Sorry to hear you're going through it.

How old is your LO? (I know you said 1 yr, but there's a big difference between 12 months and 23 months, so I'm just trying to gauge what she's going through behaviorally)

Is she throwing tantrums because you told her she couldn't do/have something? Or is it just for no apparent reason?

My daughter is 21 months, and we had an epic tantrum last night. She didn't want us to put her down, didn't want us to pick her up, arched her back and cried for almost 2 hours. It was awful. We tried to soothe her, to hold her, to rock her, and eventually we just put her down. But of course, then she wanted to be held. She eventually snapped out of it enough to let me snuggle next to her in my bed.

I don't know what the answer is, but I do try to let her get out the frustration, when she needs it. Sometimes, distraction or hugs or her paci will work. If we can stop a meltdown before it starts, that's even better. At this point, I'm playing it by ear and hoping it gets easier!

I have a 13, almost 14 mo old... She doesn't throw tantrums like that, but def gets upset about something where there really isn't consoling apart from giving her what she wants. I def find that when I am firm (not to her, but firm that I'm not giving in), she will get over faster than if I try to hug her, give her something else, etc.

@pmrlady: I would do redirection at that age! So LO gets mad and cries and falls down. I would move nearby, take out a toy and start playing with it, narrate what I am doing and act excited. LO usually would stop be uses she was curious about what I was doing and come join the play.

We just went through this! I have a 16 month old that used to throw tantrums when she was around 14-15 months, and it was weird. I ignored them for the most part, and it has gotten a whole lot better. Now, she'll throw a tantrum every now and then when she isn't happy about something, but is more reasonable.

@pmrlady: I think at that age tantrums are just an overflow of feelings so giving them words for their feelings (you're feeling sad / hungry / frustrated etc) and just staying close and remaining calm are the way to go. They're totally not a reflection on your parenting so try not to take them personally or let them get to you - hang in there!

+1 on "No Bad Kids" and empathizing. It seems so crazy but it really actually works! Janet Lansbury's blog is a great resource to get started. Hang in there, mama!

You too?? We call this boneless baby girl

LO is 15 months, and started this around 12-13 months too. It always seems to be a response to an overwhelming feeling - often being told "no" and not understanding why - or sometimes hangry!.

I will briefly try to pick her up, but if that's not working I'll put her somewhere soft (carpet, her alphabet floor pad) and offer sensory input to help her calm down. Sometimes I'll put on music, offer a drink/food, offer a toy that lights up or vibrates, give her something soft to touch (or bang on the floor!) and talk to her in a soothing voice about how hard it is to feel overwhelmed.

She usually can chill out in a few minutes and be ready to reengage in the day.