# Discipline in public

**How do we handle misbehavior in public?**

How you handle misbehavior in shops, restaurants and at other people's houses: same rules, removing the child, doing what gets you through, or avoiding hard situations.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Same rules everywhere; Remove the child and handle privately; Do what works to get through it; Avoid hard settings until older. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: toddler.

- Area: Discipline and behavior
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: Toddler
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/discipline-and-behavior--discipline-in-public

## Discipline in public: what are the options?

1. **Same rules everywhere**: The rules and consequences are the same wherever you are.
2. **Remove the child and handle privately**: You take the child somewhere private to deal with it.
3. **Do what works to get through it**: You do whatever ends the scene, and deal with it later or not at all.
4. **Avoid hard settings until older**: You stay away from difficult places until the child is older.

## Discipline in public: what does the evidence say?

**Your call.** No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.

AAP advises planning ahead for situations where the child may struggle; no research found

Sources:

- [HealthyChildren.org](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-discipline/Pages/Disciplining-Your-Child.aspx)

## What else is worth knowing?

Embarrassment and an audience make it harder to respond the way you would at home. Some parents keep the same rules everywhere; others simply get through it. Agreeing on a plan helps when it happens in the supermarket.

## Questions to ask each other

- How embarrassed do we get, and how does that change what we do?
- What do we do when our child melts down in a restaurant?
- Are there places we would avoid for a while?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=discipline-and-behavior&topic=discipline-and-behavior--discipline-in-public