The sad part is, a lot of the time that technique does create the attention they want. Just not from us.
A few years ago, myself and two other women were riding our motorcycles from Gettysburg to Detroit. It was the end of June and a very hot day. We stopped in to a rest area for lunch off of the Ohio Turnpike and was met with a situation like that.
I went into the building first and went right to the restroom where a kid was in there fighting with her mother that she didnt' want to go to the bathroom. I hurried out and my friend was was walking in as I was walking out and heard blood currdling screaming and did an about face and muttered, I can wait till THAT stops.
Then, as we are eating a bit later there is a lady doing that following her kid around looking for attention thing. We think it was the same kid as the restroom. Well, the building had a dome in it so the toddling and noise making brat was echoing thoughout the building. As she wondered by us nasty looking biker chicks, I looked at her and snarled "Not everyone thinks thats cute!" She muttered some excuse about how she just learned that abnoxious screatch she was doing, applolgized and went an sat down. My co-riders thanked me.