Tell me about your public toddler meltdowns to cheer me up

[Rosadela]

I’ve got a 22 month old DD and she’s started getting to the age where she loses her shit over the smallest of things she’s always been great in cafes/restaurants/public spaces, however today I took her to a village down the road for something to eat at a nice little cafe. The plan was lunch there and then walk to the park 5 mins away and spend some time there. Sounded nice in principal.

Anyway we got to the cafe and I ordered her a baby chino (warm milk with foam on top and choc sprinkles) the waitress gave her a paper straw and DD started to drink it. I’d just ordered food too. Anyway the paper straw starts disintegrating (the milk is warm so it didn’t last long) DD starts fussing so I show her she can drink it from the cup itself. Nope she doesn’t want it, she wants the straw back NOW. I ask for another straw but DD specifically wants the mashed up soggy one which no longer works. She desperately tries to use it to drink and it obviously won’t work. I’m trying to show her alternative ways to drink but she’s not having it. I have her my phone to play with, colouring crayons, but we were past that.

She starts screeching so loud, the other 4 tables went quiet and started staring. I pick her up out her high chair and her shoe falls off in the process. She screams even louder and does that annoying “throw head back and bend back” thing that toddlers do. She’s flailing around screaming so loud it’s deafening. Everyone is looking and normally I’d just leave but they’d started cooking the food. I took her outside to calm her down without everyone watching, leaving all my stuff at the table. I could see everyone looking out of the window at DD throwing herself on the floor and crying. Anyway it took a total of 20 mins for her to calm down and we went back inside to eat. I was very on edge she would do it again and there were a few moments she started fussing but luckily I stopped them before they got worse.

Afterwards we walked to the park but DD wanted to splash in a puddle on the road, of course I didn’t let her but this angered her and it all started again. I had to walk back to the house carrying her whilst trying not to drop her as she was arching her back and throwing herself all around.

I feel pretty defeated now as a nice morning turned shitty. I’m anxious about going out to eat again as I can’t deal with the embarrassment again.

To help me feel better, please could u share a story of when your toddlers have had a total meltdown in public? Much appreciated, I need some lighthearted humour!

Honestly but happens to everyone. My mum loves to tell me what a nightmare especially when my son is going mental. Apparently I had a bad temper to😂. My little one is a bit older he is nearly 4. Last night he got told of for trying to kick which isn’t like him. Instead of a screaming match I had my son saying now mummy I trust you not to tell me of again. If you tell me off I will put you in time out. Do you understand mummy🤦‍♀️ I was really trying not to laugh he can be a monster but also such a kind gentle boy. Ahhhh it’s so hard sometimes

Trying to leave the Disney shop in a busy shopping centre with my then 2 year old, I was 8 months pregnant, my toddler did not want to leave. Threw himself to the floor, cut his head. Tried to pick him up, he was screaming to leave him alone. Security guard tried to help, he got covered in blood. I had to rugby tackle him and carry him, screaming and dripping with blood, back to the car. I felt like I was kidnapping a child although no one ever stopped to ask me.
It was my birthday as well, we were meant to be meeting my mum for lunch after. We didn’t, I went home in a rage. He forgot about it before we even left the car park.
How I didn’t go into labour through stress I don’t know!

My DD used to take her shoes off and hurl them across the room mid tantrum. She did it in Sainsbury's fruit and veg aisle. That was fun.

When she was a bit older, she ran down the street...I chased after her and she screamed "stop following me" . I nearly expected someone to call the police!

Went to Morrisons with my DD whose 2..she hates sitting in the seat bit of the trolley and likes walking. We get to the toiletries aisle and she picks up a bottle of matey bubble bath and wants to carry it around.. Get to the check out and she throws the most almighty tantrum because i wasn't going to buy a bottle of bubble bath we didn't need.. The level of screaming was so loud that everyone in the checkout area fell silent.. Needless to say Matey got purchased and is now sitting on our bathroom unused since said date of purchase.

My 3yo has just had a massive rage because I was doing yoga, he climbed on my back, and I made him get off before I went into downward dog and he fell off face first onto the floor or throttled me. To be fair, we've been isolating for 9 days, I feel crap and am on the verge of a tantrum myself.

I took him to his room for some quiet time, he raged screamed and cried then went back downstairs. I am now sitting in his room having quiet time alone.

@pebbledashery I once purchased an England World Cup rugby ball in Sainsburys (heavily reduced after they were utterly trounced) because then-1yo DD was turning purple and the rage was about to explode.

For a 1yo she handled that ball pretty well!

@OrangeGinLemonFanta sometimes it's just easier isn't it 😂😂😂

Oh I feel you! My 3.5 year old ha had some stinkers recently. The worst one was outside of nursery. I had to pin her into a corner so she didn't run off and get squashed by a car in the car park. Nursery staff watching, parents watching.

She'd dropped her coat and her bag in the process and people were having to step over it to get through the gate. It was awful!

All I could do was wait until she burnt herself out. Which she didn't....! I ended up calling my partner to come and calm her down and collect us!

I’m sure my two had many more tantrums that this, but the one I remember vividly was dd after we had been at toddler group.

I walked into town o get her some new boots. That all went well, but as we started to walk home, all of a sudden, she snapped.

Laid on the floor and just screamed. People were walking around us with a an expression on their face like someone had left a turd under their nose.

Tried to pick her up but I had ds in a pushchair so I couldn’t carry her too as she was flailing too much.

Ended up laying her on the hood of the buggy (it was strong enough for this) and pushing the pushchair at the same time.

She eventually calmed down enough to sit up, and she went straight for a nap when we got home

Learnt a lesson there

My little angel once screamed "help me help me she's not my mummy" as I was carrying her fireman style out of supermarket after she had a massive tantrum because fuck-knows-why, something to do with the trolley being "wrong".
People actually stopped to check I was her mum. Which I was pleased about in retrospect. At least anyone trying to kidnap her would have a hard time...