handling tantrums?

Almost 21 month old is having pretty bad tantrums. She bit me, hits her self and carries on for awhile. This morning for example I was brushing her teeth and she wanted to chew on the brush. She likes the flavor of the toothpaste I guess. Usually she lets me brush her first and then I let her chew on the brush, while I brush my teeth. She wasn't having any of it. Took 10 minutes to recover from this tantrum. She had received tylenol for teething earlier this morning so I don't think that's it. She just wants to be Miss Independent. I'm thinking of Time Out, mostly to allow her to regain herself not as punishment. I'm really not sure how to handle her. It's crazy, and I've been wishing I worked days lately.

handling tantrums?

For things like biting, I would do a time out. I try to save time outs for the big things because otherwise I feel like it loses its effect. But if my DS is just having a tantrum because he didn't get his way, I just let him have his tantrum and try to ignore the behavior. I make sure he is safe and not slamming into a wall or something. But I've found ignoring the tantrum works well for us. The more I respond to it, the longer it goes on. At 21 months I think it's ok to start time outs. I think I started right around then. GL!

handling tantrums?

I agree with pp...we ignore her and let her ride it out. Then if she's still carrying on a few minutes later, I'll sit on the floor and ask her if she needs a hug. 90% of the time she says yes and that calms her down.

But for an offense like biting, hitting, etc. I will do a timeout for 2 mins.