Like many families with small children, we have a “witching hour”. Around 6 PM, the toddler pulls out all her naughty tricks, the 5-year-old switches into turbo gear, my husband gets frustrated, and I am totally out of gas.

If you’ve ever tried to reason with a 3-year-old (or a 4-year-old or an 8-year-old, etc.), you know that it’s often an exercise in frustration.

When my son was a tantrum-y (and somewhat aggressive) toddler/preschooler, we spent a lot of time enforcing the time-honored tradition of the time-out. Made extra popular by Supernanny Jo Frost, the time-out seemed like a bit of a last result — and honestly not terribly effective — but we found ourselves going to it over and over, at a loss for how else to correct behaviours that were very much not OK.

Moving from one activity to another can be difficult, even for adults. It’s especially challenging for kids when the transition is being made from something enjoyable (such as playing or watching TV) to something less desirable (such as leaving a fun place or doing chores).

When my son was a toddler, he had a really hard time being dropped off at and being picked up from preschool. He’d cry or physically resist leaving, refusing to get into his car seat.

The most effective tool for staving off a tantrum? No, it isn't YouTube Kids as a distraction, or ice cream as a bribery offer, or a shower as a place to lock yourself in until the wails of "But I wanted to eat my soup with chopsticks!" subside. Instead, to help your kid get a handle on his emotions in the middle of a meltdown, you may just need a pen and some paper.

As even the most mild-tempered kids will occasionally lose their crap in the lolly aisle or while leaving the playground, most parents have dealt with a tantrum or two. We've all developed our own personal strategies for dealing: Ignoring, giving timeouts or placating. But what if your kid's freak-out isn't a standard tantrum? What if it's a sensory meltdown?