Bad Temper

Dr Sears is a child psychology expert, and has some great advice on this:

his overall discipline review (tons of great advice here)
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T060100.asp

biting/hitting:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T063900.asp#T062400

screaming:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T063900.asp#T063800

temper tantrums:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T063300.asp

The ability to control his temper isn't well developed yet, just like his ability to write his name. When someone gets mad, their brain moves into the basic instincts area. So the brain is functioning using things such as anger, fight-flight, reflexes etc. There is no rational thought in there.

What grownups are better able to do (well, hopefully better able) is to re-regulate and get back into the higher levels of the brain where reasoning occurs. So, just like with many skills of your toddler, you need to help him do this.

First, if he is biting, stop him. Second, if you know it's coming or can figure out places/events where it happens, PREVENT them. Stop things before they happen or when they are low frustration. Third, distract by becoming a strong source of the emotion that you would rather see. Learn how to playful parent and bring him back to fun - or - with other children, mirror their feelings and let them know they are heard and understood.

Harvey Karp is great. He has some youtube videos as well as books. Laurence Cohen is the author of Playful Parenting. It's for older kids, but with some thinking, you can adapt it to toddlers. Both have websites.

Hang in there. It takes years to get a handle on emotions. He will make good strides, but it will not happen overnight by any means. It's very age expected. (check out your 1 yr old by Ames and Ilg to see common age-level behaviors). You expecting him to have the self control of a 20 year old will only set you up for frustration.

Momma L has given you some great links. The techniques described by Dr. Sears have served me well, working with lots of little kids.

Dr. Harvey Karp; The Happiest Toddler on the Block, also has a great technique for getting through to a frustrated or angry child. See it in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ1428uYs2g&NR=1&f...

not the perfered method, but i bit my daughter back once to show her how much biting actually hurts...was the last time she did it as far as the screaming part, in the house when she'd pull that, we'd wind up having screaming contests she quit screaming when she learned i could over power her....

there's probably more reputable and "mature" methods, but thats what worked for me and she's very well behaved

Tell him "no biting, biting hurts" and "no hitting, hitting hurts" when he bites or hits.
Does he talk much? If so, tell him to use his words to express his emotions. Tell him it's OK to feel angry but not to hit or bite.
You can also teach him some simple sign language signs if he doesn't talk a lot yet. He might be frustrated. It's all about proper expression of emotions and I think all kids go through this to O. degree or another.
If he's throwing a fit to get his way, ignore him, walk away or tell him, you are not getting xyz until you stop.

I read the update, I know the idea of biting back seems barbaric but it does work, so don't dismiss it totally.
When he acts out take him out of he room, sit him down on a chair andmake him stay there until his behavior returns to normal. You can also put him in his room. I do not advise putting him in a play pen or in his bed, he will start to see them as places of punishment. When you attempt to use them for normal activities he will thin he is being punished.
At 18 months he can understand he is doing something wrong but he it will take a while. Be patient.

I agree with you, biting a child isn't acceptable. If your child punched you, would you punch him back to teach him not to punch?

Look at why he is biting and hitting and throwing tantrums... that is how he communicates with you when things aren't going his way. Automatic time out for biting and hitting on a time out rug for no more then 2 minutes will help. Having a calm down exersize will help too if you can catch it when it is just starting. Don't let it get to the point of a full blown fit and whatever you do don't give in to quite a fit down, no matter where you are. When he is calm and ready to listen then explain to him while that behavior isn't acceptable and what he loses out on when he throws them... also how horrible his body feels after one. Then teach him by example how to handle disappointment and anger. Don't scream at him when he doesn't listen, talk calmly and do breathing exersizes. Consistancy also is a key to having a child secure enough to control his behaviors better. If even one time he gets what he wants by throwing his fit, he will always try it. Good luck.

Honestly, I agree with the other mom who said to bite back...obviously not really hard, but enough so that he notices. Make sure you do it immediately after he bites you, otherwise there's no correlation for him. When he screams, scream back in his face louder. The shock usually will scare him of both the scream and the bite to the point that he will remember it the next time he considers doing it.
This also begins to instill the understanding of "do unto others"...something I think a lot of kids these days have missed out on.

That's totally normal unfortunately, and it will probably get worse until 2 1/2. When he bites you, say "No Bite" firmly and stop what you're doing/walk away. My DD was biter too, it was earlier on but she grew out of it. Just remember that the screaming/temper are temper tantrums and completely normal. They suck, but the less you let them affect you, the happier you will be. I'm not perfect, I need to remind myself the same thing! Walk away when they have a temper tantrum or remove them from the situation if you're out in public. Don't give in to what he wants. And be very firm if he tries to bite. This too shall pass :)