Here's my two cents, having an almost 9-month-old myself (who happens to be baby #6). We have never had success with time outs, with our older kids. That doesn't stop me from trying, LOL, but I wouldn't start until at least around 18 months (seriously, the few times they've seemed effective wasn't until the kids were older than 3!). Even my 22 month old, I've only given him a few. Distraction, if possible, is the way to go, following a firm "no."
But honestly with a baby that age, no matter how gifted, I'd give her the benefit of the doubt on whether she is trying to manipulate you. I'd focus on what has been posted above - the frustration, the attempt to send a message using the only way your baby knows how. What is she trying to tell you? What is it that she wants? Just to touch everything she can, as babies of that age seem to want to do? Is she demanding a lot of attention? Could she be bored? (I think it's easier, now that we have a lot of kids, to keep the baby entertained - it's not all on me). Keep interesting things around. Introduce her to the safe kitchen cabinets. Allow her to rummage through the plastic containers, the wooden spoons and the pots and pans. And remember that there's nothing more interesting than her parents.
The frustration can be exacerbated by the usual sleep or hunger issues. Is she getting enough sleep (two naps and an early bedtime)? Sleep interruptios (ear infections, teething, etc.)? Having trouble going back to sleep if she wakes up during the night? Lack of sleep can be a major cause of an "over"-reaction.
Is this a relatively recent development? Any chance she has an ear infection or some other pain-causing condition? For one of my kids, tantrums were the only sign of an ear infection, no fever, no nothing (I recall the ped saying "gross!" when she looked into dd's ears. Years later, the same dd has twice gotten strep with the only symptom being a tummyache)
Also consider that, along with her possible giftedness, perhaps she's a sensitive kid. My first dd drove me crazy when she was a baby... seriously high maintenance. I don't know if there's anything about overexcitabilities in babies on Hoagies, but it's worth a look. Some babies really are far more sensitive than others - easily upset, etc. I have kids who were very sensitive, very easy and everything in between. A couple have had Sensory Processing issues. And they're all strong-willed
My preferred way of dealing with true manipulative tantrums is by ignoring them whenever possible. (It's hard to know what advice to give without seeing the tantrum though!) Usually I'm so busy that they've all had to deal with waiting for me anyway, not that it has instilled as much patience as I'd like. But a little crying didn't seem to hurt any of them.
At any rate, you have my sympathy. Good luck!
