Mall to start up kids’club

Paisley’s Piazza Shopping Centre is setting up a kids’ club to help parents avoid dreaded temper tantrums.

The centre’s owners, NewRiver, has carried out a survey of 2,000 parents and found almost a third claim their child has thrown a tantrum whilst shopping and a quarter, said they’d rather avoid a trip to the shops with the kids for fear of their child misbehaving.

It is working with child psychologist Sam Wass, who has given top tips on managing tantrums like managing time, keeping a checklist, having regular breaks and offering rewards later in the trip.

NewRiver plans to provide security staff with ‘tantrum training’, as well as bringing in fun things like treasure trails, free play areas and activities for children in food courts.

Piazza manager Maureen Hill said: “Most of us have all experienced our own kids having a meltdown or felt the pain of other parents struggle to keep their toddler happy while shopping.

“At The Piazza we’ve been working with Sam to come up with several tactics to make shopping more fun for small children.

“Our Kids’ Club will offer free events for children throughout the year, special offers for parents who sign up, and a ‘child safe’ scheme giving parents peace of mind when out shopping.

For more insights and advice from Dr Sam Wass on shopping with children, and details of NewRiver’s Kids Club, go to www.nrrr.co.uk/ kidsclub