All toddlers, when they get to about two year olds, are prone to temper tantrums (or the terrible twos as they are often referred to).

They cry, whine, scream, shout, throw themselves on the floor and throw a fit about next to nothing. And when there's two of them at it it's a bit of a headache. For the parents it's exhausting, frustrating and, if they pick a public place to show their displeasure, is often very embarrassing.

It's easy to put bad behaviour such as temper tantrums down to being naughty, but there are a number of factors that will initiate a tantrum:

TIRED, HUNGRY, BORED, OVERSTIMULATED
Toddlers don't have the words to explain why they are unhappy. The easiest way is to show you they are fed up - hence the tantrum.

FRUSTRATION
Your toddlers are constantly learning and experiencing new things. Some things come easy, others less so and from time to time, as with us all, the inability to complete a certain task will result in frustration. Cue a tantrum.

TESTING YOUR LIMITS
From two years old, babies are developing their own identities and learning they have control over their lives. Sometimes a tantrum is the result of your twins trying to test boundaries and exhibit control. This is particularly true in the children who generally opt to have a tantrum in public.

TWIN ESCALATION SYNDROME
With twins you have a special problem - Twin Escalation Syndrome (TES). Babies learn from what they see - if one twin has a tantrum and gets attention from the parent, then twin two will follow suit. Tantrum one may have had a reason (above) but generally the second tantrum is just a copycat act. So instead of one toddler throwing a tantrum, you have two. Wonderful!

KEEP CALM
Easier said than done but very important. You're the adult, the one whose behaviour your little ones will copy. If you yell or scream, it is probable it will only worsen the tantrum and will only show them a poor way to manage conflict in the future.

DON'T GIVE IN
A common problem with little ones is that they want what they see so shopping can be a nightmare - sweets, toys etc. If your toddlers are having a tantrum because you won't buy them something, NEVER give in for the sake of peace. If you do, the learned behaviour will be that having tantrums pays and woe betide you next time you say no.

DISTRACT THEM
Simply getting them focused on something else can help when they are having a tantrum. For example, if one twin is playing with a toy the other wants, distract him by sitting down and playing with him with another toy.