Tantrums
Tantrums are very common in young children. In a large study, more than 8 in 10 children aged 3 to 5 had at least one in a month, but fewer than 1 in 10 had them every day. Most tantrums are short.
We haven't yet found studies that measured the age when most children start. The sections below say what is known.
How sure are we?
Not sure yet. Only one large study of how common tantrums are has been read so far, and it covered ages 3 to 5. How we know this
What it’s a sign of
Your child has big feelings and is still learning to manage them.
Tantrums were most common at age 3 in the large study. In another study, the most common length was 30 seconds to a minute, and 3 in 4 lasted 5 minutes or less.
We haven't yet read studies with numbers for children under 3.
A main source for the ages
Defining the developmental parameters of temper loss in early childhood: implications for developmental psychopathology
Lauren S. Wakschlag, Seung Woo Choi, Alice S. Carter, Heide Hullsiek, James L. Burns, Kimberly J. McCarthy, Ellen Leibenluft, Margaret J. Briggs‐Gowan · 2012 · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Children
- About 1,500 children
- Where
- Chicago area, United States, from varied backgrounds
- Ages
- 3 to 5 years
- How
- Parents' questionnaires
- What it found
- More than 8 in 10 children aged 3 to 5 had at least one tantrum in the past month, but fewer than 1 in 10 had them every day. Tantrums were most common at age 3.
- Limits
- Covers ages 3 to 5 only; the numbers for each age are in a supplementary table we haven't read.
A main source for the ages
Temper Tantrums in Young Children: 2. Tantrum Duration and Temporal Organization
Michael Potegal, Michael R. Kosorok, Richard J. Davidson · 2003 · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
- Children
- About 330 children
- Where
- Not given in the summary we read
- Ages
- 1½ to 5 years
- How
- Parents' written accounts
- What it found
- Most tantrums were short: the most common length was 30 seconds to 1 minute, and 3 in 4 lasted 5 minutes or less.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary.
If you’re worried about your child, talk to your child and family health nurse or GP.
Last checked 2 November 2026