Tantrums of the child type:

They can be embarrassing, frustrating, and annoying — but less so if you recognize that tantrums are a natural part of babyhood (and toddlerhood). It's not that your child is trying to be manipulative or malicious with his outbursts. Tantrums signal his frustration when he's having trouble communicating or becomes upset at not getting what he wants. Especially when language skills are still developing and a sense of preference is growing, your child has little choice but to fall back on the primitive "babyish" responses of crying and screaming.
The good news is he'll eventually outgrow this phase. For now, here are a few sanity-saving tips to keep in mind:
Be responsive. Your child develops a sense of self-worth and happiness as you take care of his wants and needs, so it's best to fulfill his "requests" whenever possible and practical. If you can't give your little one what he wants and he reacts emotionally, be calm and comforting. It also helps to offer another option.

Recognize the good. Be sure to praise your child when he's well behaved so that he gets positive reinforcement for good behavior.

Practice prevention. You can prevent some tantrums by avoiding situations that may upset your child or by planning for them ahead of time — for example, by having snacks on hand to avoid a hungry meltdown. Giving your child the chance to choose among alternatives (food, activities, and so on) and minimizing your use of "no" will also help bolster his emotional resilience and stability.

Keep your cool. When your little one is having a tantrum, be calm and neutral about it. If you can, resist giving your child too much attention, which will only fuel the tantrum. Acknowledge his feelings: "Mad? You're mad because you want a cookie?" Then calmly state your rule: "No cookie now, but after lunch." A flailing toddler isn't going to absorb much discussion or teaching at this point. Avoid arguing with your child — yelling or threatening is likely to escalate the tantrum and frighten him (the tantrum itself may scare your child because he feels out of control emotionally). Stay close to him and hold him if possible. If your child becomes violent, take him to a safe place where he can settle down.