What is your personal solution to public temper tantrums?

Natasha - posted on 06/29/2009

I've had a few attempts at stopping them.
At home he gets time out.

At the shops,
1st ever one had a rather embarrassing experience where i copyed him, did i look like a goob yes, did his tantrum stop, yes. :)
Now I ignore him.

or I walk around the shops telling him I'm a horrible mummy cause i won't let him get a toy (or whatever it is) People stare at me, but i don't care. My son is usually very compassionate and when I get upset or tell him that I feel horrible he responds with trying to make me feel better.

Joy - posted on 06/29/2009

My 20 month old son just had his first actual "melt down" this past weekend in Target. I picked him up and left the store. Inconvenient for me? Sure. Did it stop the tantrum? Definitely. We sat him in the car on the seat, I squatted down to his eye leven and told him "If you behave like that in public, we will go home. Now give Mommy a hug and say sorry." He hugged me (can't say sorry yet) and I strapped him into his car seat and home we went.

Kate - posted on 06/29/2009

If DD is walking around on her own, I pick her up and just say "you can scream if you want but you're not getting that." (i.e. whatever she's throwing the tantrum about.) If she is in the cart already I just ignore her and try to finish what I'm doing as fast as possible, since the tantrums usually occur when she is tired/hungry/etc. and we need to leave. I just smile at anyone who passes by...I don't like having a crying, screaming kid but I'm not going to give in to get her to be quiet just so other people don't have to listen to it.

Diane - posted on 06/29/2009

My daughter is pretty good im public. We've only had one outburst and it was at a restaraunt. If she acts up we leave. It's a timeout in her carseat and unless she calms down we go home.

Kim - posted on 06/29/2009

I was always pregnant...so I was not going to pick them up and leave the store cause it took all I had to get them all in the car including myself and to the store. Mine got a spanking....just one swat but was enough to get their attention and they never did it again. The younger ones saw the older one get a swat and they decided they just would not scream or have fits in the store to avoid that swat. I got horrible looks and one woman actually said she needed to call the police. I told her to skip the police and call Children't Protective Services and I could go home and she could stand there with my screaming child til they got there. She turned and walked away.

Everyone handles it differently and I don't think one is better than the other. I just know what worked with mine.

Ashley - posted on 06/29/2009

my son hasnt gone through that yet as he's only one but if he does i will pick him up and leave the store.

Amy - posted on 06/28/2009

i took my kids home when they had tantrums in public, we just walk out and thats that

Sarah - posted on 06/25/2009

Depends on the circumstances. If DS has a melt down because he is tired I pick him up cuddle him and leave wherever we are.

If he has a melt down because he wants something I ignore him and walk away. I walk far enough away for him to come running and just ignore his cries etc until it ends.

I have given him a smack though when he has been totally out of line in the grocery once. I got lots of terrible looks but he was being just plain aweful and rude and also endangering himself (trying to stand up in the trolley).

Rio - posted on 06/25/2009

Right! Probably just ignore them and do a reverse psychology rather than yelling or spanking them.

Krystina - posted on 06/25/2009

I find the best way is to just ignore them. if you give them attention they will just keep on doing it. I was doing this on edya with my now 15 year old when he was 2. I had an old lady make a comment so I picked him up, walked over and dumped him in her trolley and told her if she thought she could do better she could have him....Netherless both he and the old lady where very shocked and he never did it again...:)

Lee-Anne - posted on 06/25/2009

My daughter only ever had 2 temper tantrums, 1 at home and 1 at the store, the one in the store was because I would not let her grab something off the shelf she wanted, I left her in the trolley and nipped round the corner, shock set in as she couldn't see me, acouple moments later I reappeared and she never did it again.

Elizabeth - posted on 06/24/2009

i know it may sound silly or that it may not work but ive heard this works.... always have a bottle of very cold water on you. and when theres a tantrum that wont settle down .. try flicking some water at them if that doesnt cool them down slash their face just enough to ask why you did that and just explain calmly what it was. its better than publicly spanking or yelling at children.

Lindsay - posted on 06/24/2009

ha, the only thing that really works for my son is one of 2 things, first is a baby enstein musical light up toy that plays classical songs, and if that doesn't work the bathroom mirrors and faucet always do :)