Parents find themselves in a crowded store, in a rush, and the checkout line stretches on forever. Just then the preschooler chooses that exact moment to have a major nuclear meltdown. Parents may try to negotiate, threaten, and as a last resort even beg, but still, the youngster screams, wails, kicks and puts on an incredible spectacle. What can parents do to avoid a nightmare like this?

The most important thing is to watch for telltale signs because the best way to deal with tantrums is to stop them before they start. Outright screaming fits do not just happen on a whim; parents can usually see them coming. When the child starts whining, becomes increasingly irritable, and does not respond to a parent's repeated efforts to distract or comfort him, the parent can almost guarantee that a tantrum is bound to occur. Sometimes, over-stimulation is the cause and parents can handle this by briefly removing their child from the situation to calm him down. If the child appears overtired while the parent is busy running necessary errands, parents could try to prioritize and perhaps cut the trip short to give the child a chance to rest.