what do i do when time out isn't an option?

[chipkid]

On Christmas day wqe are going to MIL's house. Ds is bound to kick off at some stage he always does whilst there.
At home use time out-but sometimes he is so past himself that he causes damage to the time-out room-or to things in it-which is why we chose the room that we did. At MIL's just daren't put him in a room and leave him-worried about what he might do/touch.
what strategy should I have?

I saw a woman using Time out in the hairdressers today.. all it involved was placing son (3yrs) on her lap and holding him securely for 3 minutes (not talking or looking at him)

He had been given warnings in advance, and she was consistent and not remotely worried by the fact that everyone was watching.

I applauded her and she told me she had been a nanny and reckoned this was the best strategy to use.
(she had 2 other kids with her too- I was dumbstruck at her cool!)

THreaten to go home immediately then straight to bed?
How old is he?

agree with santaslittleunicorn.

I dop this with my dd at my mothers- when she starts kicking off and I've warned er then I just hold her on my knee. I don't talk to her or look at her- she calms down very quickly

If DS kicks off while going to school or in the yard,I do "Time out", by making him stand by me and hold my hand, instead of running off and playing with his friends.
It's just a matter of stopping them from doing what they want, for a few minutes.

he is 4 and very very strong! it all becomes a game with him very quickly!
he is just recovering from a nasty virus and so his behaviour has been trying to say the least over the last few days.

I would also try to hold him. If you tell him that he's going home and then you don't then he won't take your demands seriously.

You could also tell him that you are going to collect all of his Christmas toys. Then if he still continues, do this and put them somewhere he can't reach, and give them back, one by one when he earns them back with good behaviour (over the course of his time at your MIL's) so that he knows what he's missing out on. You may well get tantrums but hopefully he will see that good behaviour equals being praised and rewarded.

Hope you have a great Christmas.

I would pop him in the car for time out - obviously you will have to stay with him, but you could just read a book in the front seat.

Or use a room in the house (bathroom maybe)and just read a book or send texts or just generally ignore him.

I do the same as unicorn's hairdresser's lady. I sit ds on my lap in a boring cuddle.

I did the lap thing the other day when visiting a new friend.

Was utterly embarrassed by DD's behaviour in this poor womans house (jumping on her leather sofas, pulling at the xmas tree, pinching me, pulling my hair and top, kicking ds in the head and pulling his hair whilst sleeping on my lap) and was at the end of my tether, it didnt work straight off but she realised eventually that i meant business and when i then turned my back on her she finally started to behave.

When ds kicks off and I have no time out option, I put him over my knee (like the Beano comic, but without the slipper!) and hold him there untiol he stops screaming. Crying I can hack, screaming in stroppiness is timed out.

He is 2.8 BTW, not a baby