“Give me a minute…” or “I’ll be there in five minutes,” or “Hold on a sec…”
When any of these things are said to me, and I actually legitimately need help because my stroller is going to topple over or I am danger of dropping my kid because I am holding too many other items, I want to FLIP OUT on the person. I don’t care WHO they are, they are not helping in the moment and that is unacceptable as far as I’m concerned.
I suppose in the case of relatives who do not have children of a toddler age, it can be difficult to understand that there is no “hold on a sec,” in the world of toddler. But still, give me a break and help me in the moment. Not five or ten minutes later, because my son is not on your time table.
The point is, when someone with a small child asks for assistance, don’t placate them with a time limit. Just help them.