My child throws tantrums in stores is it best to ignore that behavior?

Question

she threw a fit in store I was holding her hand she wanted me to let go and i wouldnt she was biting hitting screaming and pinching should I ignore the bahavior or should I oput a stop to it right then and there.

Answer 1

it is never a good idea to ignore unacceptable behavior. Is she too old to put in the buggy or do u prefer to let her walk. I am raising a 3 year old neice and let me tell u if she acted like that in the store I would immediately take her to the car and give her a attitude adjustment in what eve way of punishment u choose but do not ignore it or she will think it is ok

Answer 2

The most important thing is not to lose your temper, scream and carry on. This is for some a learned and new behavior but it should be done whether it comes naturally or not. When you're at a store and she has a tantrum, leave right then and there. Take the child, firmly without saying anything other than :" We are leaving now." Ignore any pleas. You are in control. Get into the car and drive home, quiet on your part. At some point she will have calmed down. That's when you explain that such behavior is not right and tell her what is acceptable behavior. Don't belittle her. At this young age, they need to know that anger is normal but there are ways of channeling anger in a healthy way. Also, try not taking her to the store. Kids hate shopping for extended periods of time. She'd rather be playing at home.

For extreme disobedience, I spanked my children in private, maybe take them out to the car. Nowadays you have to very careful doing that. And a spank is not a beating.

Answer 3

Wow...so many interesting answers. Personally I'd never use spanking or dragging out of the store. With my son we used to ignore tantrums. We'd say we weren't going anywhere until he stopped. It meant he spent a lot of time sitting on the floor, but now aged 3 he doesn't have any. If you react to a tantrum you're teaching them that they get attention.

If you have to hit a child you've lost control of the situation.

Answer 4

First piece of advice...put her in the cart..let her earn the privaledge to be a big girl and walk. My oldest did this so I refused to go without hubby. If he started in he would be taken immediatly to the car while his well behaved brothers go to explore the store with mom. I would live him home with dad sometimes to and bring the others. We never went to sit down restaurants during these phases but fast food where we could pick up our food and go quickly if need be. He learned quickly that his behaviour was making him lose out. I must say at 13 now he is still my worst to take places like stores...now it is the feeling that he is old enough to go play video games and go to the magazine section and I wont allow it. Next time she does it...leave your cart..head to the car no matter how badly she is screaming and when you put her in her seat ask her if she would like to continue to do big girl shopping with Mommy and if she does then tell her the behaviour has to be that of a big girl.

Answer 5

Is this the first time your child has thrown a tantrum? Unfortunately, public areas aren't the best place to correct a child, because you never know how others will interpret your actions. You need to do your training and disciplining at home so that the child's ultimate good behavior can carry forward to public areas.

Answer 6

You should let her know that it is not acceptable for her to act like that and if she continues you will leave the store. BUT that is more a punishment to you.

Another way would be to ignore her and leave her where she is. Just keep an eye on her. When she calms down talk to her in a calm way and let her know that her actions are not acceptable and DO NOT let her pick out anything to buy if she acts like that. Tell her beforehand if she behaves she might get a surprise. Something small like a sucker or stickers.

Answer 7

I don't with mine if they do something like that they get spanked, that usually puts an end to the behavior. If you don't feel comfortable doing that in public because my wife say someone will report her for child abuse then I suggest taking them home and spanking them there they will respect you if punish them otherwise it will only get worse. My kids know not to act up like that because they know what will happen if they do. I've also been in walmart when someone has a child that is throwing a tantrum and the parent is trying to appease or ignore the child and most people don't like it and say they would spank the child. But that is entirely up to you. Just remember spare the rod spoil the child.

Answer 8

When mine did that, we started leaving immediately and sitting in the car until she was ready to behave. Calmly of course on my part. Eventually she got it.

Shopping is not fun for kids. Try not to do too much/go to long. If it's holding hands, try giving her a little independence if possible.

And yea it was a pain since Im'm a single mom, especially when it was the grocery store.

Answer 9

You should immediately remove your child from the store, take her to the car, and let her finish her tantrum there. Tell her calmly, "We are going to stay in the car until you are able to be nice and calm again. Then we can go back to the store." The more attention she gets from you and from others in the store, the more likely she will be to throw another tantrum on your next trip. Just be matter-of-fact and let her get it out of her system. The less reaction she gets from you, the less likely she will be to continue.

Answer 10

I believe it's definitely best to let her know that it's not ok to act like that in the store.

I've picked up both my children, marched out of the store, put them in the car, strapped them in and put them in 'time out' until they calmed down. I've even told my oldest that if he didn't act appropriately in the stores, he wouldn't be welcome next time. This worked, since he really does love going to the stores.

The best thing you can do is stay calm and in control, not getting flustered by busy bodies and go about your business as if her behavior doesn't phase you one bit. Good luck!! : )