Ask a Doc | How to Handle a Temper Tantrum in Public

Temper tantrums are stressful, especially when you’re out in public, like shopping or at a social or family gathering. Cook Children’s pediatrician and mom, Dr. Christina Sherrod, has some tips to help you manage your child’s meltdown.

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Transcript

00:00

So what a lot of us worry about as parents is, what do we do when a child has a temper tantrum and we're in public? Like we're at the grocery store, we're at a birthday party, or we're at grandma and grandpa's house and there's a whole bunch of people there. I think you want to be respectful of your child, and try to get them away from an audience.

00:28

So if you're at the grocery store, and you're checking out and your kid sees that Snicker bar, and they want the Snicker bar, and you say no, and they decide to lay on the floor, and kick and scream, what you really, the best thing to do is to pick them up, and take them to the car calmly, not with a lot of mad emotion being non-verbally communicated, but very calmly, pick them up, kindly take them to the car, and let them calm down in the car. And then you can talk about it.

00:57

You don't want to give them the candy bar, which is easier said than done. I can admit, as a parent, sometimes you really just want to get things done, and you don't want to deal with the temper tantrum. And it might be tempting. And we may not even think about it, but we may just give them the candy bar because that's what we want to do at the moment. But try not to do that because it just teaches them that they're going to get what they want.

01:18

Same thing like at birthday parties and big crowds and gatherings, you know, toddlers get extremely overstimulated at those types of things. And it is, it is the perfect setup for temper tantrums because not only is there a lot of things that they might want that they really can't have, or they have to wait their turn and they don't like that. They're tired. Sometimes they're eating candy and not getting nutritious food. So just make sure that you think about and plan your time. Don't overstimulate your child. Don't over schedule them. Make sure they're getting enough sleep. Make sure that they're getting a regular, you know, scheduled three meals a day and snacks before you put your child in those situations, and yourself.