How to calm down my son in public area?

Question

My son is 3 years old, he doesnt like to stay in the shopping cart, if i try to keep him on it, he starts screaming, if I let him go down he runs away from me, Am I have a problem or he needs help, what can I do?

Answer 1

take him in the bathroom and spank him!

Answer 2

Pick your battles wisely with a toddler there will be many...

Keep outings adventurous and upbeat, distraction works well too - Keep activities and snacks ready.

Set boundaries and ground rules before. "We are going into the church now and they expect you to be quiet here"If tantrums break out -it is best to find a quiet place like a bathroom  talk about good behavior and why they are being removed or just leave to show that bad behavior is not tolerated.

Make long outings after naps and meals.

Make sure they are included in store outings - put them in charge of holding the coupons making small choices "should we get this or that?" so they are a part of the outing and feel included. Threes are people too no matter how small!

Answer 3

my daughter is the same age and when she acts that way I spank her on the bum. alot of people don't like using spanking as a form of discipline but you know what you can't put him in timeout when he gets home he will have forgotten what he did in the fist place. you also need to tell him befor you go that you will behave when we go into the store or you will be punished

Answer 4

You need to enforce discipline. Before you guys leave the house say like If you act up I am going to put you in 15min time out. Or you will take away play time.

I think there are some parenting books you can buy or websites.

You have to get him used to the idea of re enforcement.

Answer 5

call nanny 911

dont take him with you in public areas

keep him busy with food or a pacifier

put him to sleep

Answer 6

Give him tasks, let him think he is being a real help to you, promis him a reward for all his help, no matter how silly the task you set, it will give him a scence of worth.

Answer 7

3 y.o. will understand punishment. If he wants to get down, he will have to hold your hand or stay with you. You might need a 'leash' to keep him close to you. Explain to him that if he breaks that rule, he will get time-out. Time-out can be in the car for 3 minutes (you wait with him) or at a bench at the mall or the quietest part of the store where not many people shop. Make him sit / stand. Try it out on short runs first so you can concentrate on making him understand the consequences of his  actions. Be patient and don't give up. If you have a friend with you, tell your son that if he misbehaves, he can sit outside with your friend and wait while you shop.

Answer 8

i wouldn't say it's a serious problem. he's testing his boundaries is all.

when you get to the store..instead of making the long walk dreading it (which I'm sure he can feel the tension) try making it a game.

my middle son was this way w/me. he would throw a fit. it was SO embarrassing. what i finally ended up doing was on the way to the store we would make up an adventure or a story. i would ask my son...okay Brandon, where are we going today?

and he would say..."A CASTLE!" and I'd say okay, well let's go get your horse! then I'd let HIM pick the basket (aka horse) that he wanted to ride in...then we would make a grand adventure while in the store...he would supply the story some of the time and i would supply it other times.

of course some ppl looked at us like we were nuts cause we were battling dragons w/French bread or what-not, but who cares! i got my shopping done and my son was happy and calm.

we still play games...esp on road trips! pretending the car is a rocket ship and everyone is part of the crew. lol sounds silly but it makes for wonderful memories and they enjoy it when you "play" along w/them instead of making things un-fun.

Answer 9

Two words.

Spank him.

Now I know the "touchy-feely" people that are out there are cringing and saying, "You can't spank a child, he is just expressing himself!"  To which I reply, "Yes, he is expressing that he is a brat."  

Furthermore, the child has three, count them, t-h-r-e-e years of experience.  As a parent, although a female human is capable of reproducing as early as her first menses, you are probably between 21 and 43, meaning that you have between 18 and 39 years MORE experience than the child.

When you spank him, you are expressing yourself.  I guarantee, unless you hit like a 5-year-old, you will get your point across.  Now, I ask the "sensitive" types.  Whose expression is more valid, someone whose life experience involves mostly crying and defecating in ones pants, or someone whose experience is more broad and is more grounded in reality?

Our society is built on the principle of discipline.  If someone commits murder, you don't just tell him that he is a bad person and expect that to change him.  Likewise, telling a person who has just committed public indecency to go stand in the corner will likely not yield positive results.

Your child depends on you to be his moral compass.  If he does not listen to your guidance, up the ante.  Let him know that you are not afraid to correct his behavior.  If he still refuses to listen, get his attention.

Now I'm not advocating that you tie your child to a pole and pull out the bullwhip, I am just saying to smack his bottom with your open hand between 1 to 3 times.