How to Deal with Tantrums at the Store

The tantrum-at-the-store scenario makes most parents cringe. You̵7;re at the supermarket, filling a cart with food or wandering the aisles for other necessities, and your child erupts in a frenzy of uncontrolled emotions. Whether it̵7;s because you̵7;ve said no to something or he̵7;s just tired and hungry, public tantrums can make you feel frustrated and embarrassed. By acting fast and smart, you can help everyone feel better and save your sanity.

Instructions

    • 1

      Take a long, deep breath and resolve to stay cool and calm, even though your child is not. Adding your frustration to your child̵7;s only makes matters worse. Besides, you̵7;ve likely got an audience watching and waiting to see what you will do. Now is the time to impress them with your remarkable patience and unflappable parenting skills.

    • 2

      Distract your youngster away from whatever is causing her outburst. Walk away from the toy department or leave the candy behind if your child is melting down because you told her ̶0;no.̶1; If your little one is experiencing some other type of angst, you might try singing, talking about what you̵7;re going to do after lunch or pointing out something funny or interesting in the store. The idea is to get your child to focus on something other than her out-of-control emotions.

    • 3

      Institute a public time-out for the tantrum if it continues, in keeping with how you would handle it at home. Find a bench or a quiet aisle for a time-out to help your child calm down. You could also place your child in the shopping cart or stroller for an effective place to diffuse. Having a time-out in public ensures that your child doesn̵7;t experience inconsistency with tantrum discipline, which could lead to more tantrums.

    • 4

      Ignore the tantrum if you̵7;ve tried to resolve it with distraction and a time-out, yet your child persists. This could be a situation where you̵7;re checking out of the grocery store and you can̵7;t leave until you finish. In this case, you might smile at onlookers, apologize for disturbing them, ignore your offspring and finish your business as fast as you can.

    • 5

      Leave the store as quickly as possible with your child. Even if he calms down, he̵7;s still in an unpredictable state and additional behavior issues could occur. Take your child home, feed him and help him rest so he feels better physically and emotionally.

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