My two-year-old is in the habit of throwing temper tantrums at least a couple of times each day. I'm not quite sure how to handle her outbursts. I find them really frustrating to deal with, especially when we're in public.

If there's one element of toddler behavior that most parents would gladly live without, temper tantrums are it. After all, it's more than a little disconcerting to watch your sweet-faced toddler morph into a screaming, red-faced monster in a matter of seconds! Temper tantrums tend to peak at around age two, gradually tapering off as a child's verbal skills and physical control improve and she learns more effective techniques for managing her frustration.

Here are some tips to help you to stay sane in the meantime.

• Learn to identify and avoid your toddler's temper tantrum triggers.

  You'll probably find that she's more prone to have a tantrum if she's tired, bored, hungry or sick, or if she's dealing with other types of stress in her life (e.g., she's determined to learn how to walk but tumbles every time she tries to take a step). Once you've clued into her trigger factors, you'll be able to come up with creative ways of handling the situation, such as postponing a less-than-urgent trip to the mall until a day when she's a little less volatile. Bottom line? It's a whole lot easier to learn to avoid the trigger than to have to deal with a full-blown temper tantrum.

• Try to distract her if it looks like she's about to lose it.

  If you see her sucking in that telltale breath that heralds the imminent arrival of a huge scream, hand her something interesting to look at or ask her if she'd like you to read her a book.

• Don't give in to tantrums or react strongly to your child's behavior, or your child will quickly learn that she has the ultimate weapon at her disposal.

  Instead, ignore the tantrum and try to keep your cool no matter how frazzled and frustrated you may be feeling.

• Don't laugh at your toddler's tantrums or indicate that you find them "cute" -- unless, of course, you'd like them to become an hourly occurrence.

  Move your toddler to a safer spot if there's any chance she could injure herself while she's throwing her tantrum.

• Give your child a reassuring hug once the tantrum has subsided.

  Chances are she found the intensity of her feelings a little frightening. She may be craving some reassurance from you. Don't be embarrassed if your child throws a tantrum in a public place. Any adult who has raised a child of their own has likely been in your shoes on at least one occasion; and any adult who hasn't served his or her time in the parenting trenches has absolutely no right to judge!