I know there's other threads about this, but I couldn't find anything specific to my issue in the search. What do you do if a child screams/screeches constantly? Either in anger or happiness? Either way it's like nails on a chalkboard to me and it gives me headaches. This is my non-napper who I'm having major issues with already. Well, he's started to scream/screech - doesn't matter if he's happy or mad, it's the same screech - high pitched and ear-piercing! I've tried telling him "shhh" and "indoor voice" (even though he has no clue what that means) but he continues to do it. By the way, he just turned 1. I had another dcb who did this, exactly the same, and I ended up terming him - he was making everyone (including the other kids) miserable because he would do it all day long. The dcb I have now doesn't do it all day long, but he does it enough that I want to curb it now before it gets any worse.

Reply

bless your heart...when you find out how to stop a screeching 1 year old post it for the rest of us Good luck

Reply

Yes, please! We have a 3 yr old who does that constantly. Have tried everything we can think of consistantly, but nothing has worked. The other children usually copy this child, so immediately we have everyone screaming. It awful, you can't even think staright when it happens! And when it happens when a parent is on the phone or coming in the door? What fun...

Reply

I don't know about you all, but the minute they do it, I send them in the corner, they get the hint after a while, I'm mean and I don't put up with anything. You need to nip it in the butt right away or it will continue. Or even if you use your mean voice and hollar stop that should work.

Reply

This is kind of what I was looking for....lol. I used to hollar at him to stop, but that was when it was warm enough to have windows open and I can just imagine what the neighbors were thinking!! When he mad screams I put him in his pnp, but I don't know if I want to "punish" him for being happy and screaming Will it break his little spirit to get him to stop screaming at all costs??

My grand-daughter (2 1/2) does it too, very occassionaly and we get after her for that, but it's so rare that I don't worry about it crushing her spirit.

Reply

Oh wow, this is fitting. I have been experiencing this myself, unfortunately it's my son who is doing it! I think it's just him venting about sharing toys/mom now since we just started caring for a couple of other kids. It's SO annoying though, you're right. A friend who used to do childcare said I should yell "Surprise!" really loudly and with a huge smile whenever he does it. I tried it twice today and he started laughing--better than screams and whining!

Reply

Try a crying/screaming bowl. If he hears how much it hurts maybe he'll stop. Before I used the crying bowl I would blow into the screamers face and that worked also.

Reply

For that age, I would actually start giving him the words to express what he's feeling. "Wow! That made you mad when he took that" or "I know, it's so frustrating when I wipe off your face! You don't like it!" and "I know! That's so exciting that there's a doggy outside!"

Start teaching him signs for things, so he has another way to communicate things. It sounds like he's just trying to communicate, in this case.

Reply

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how that works. Would it be a bowl that you put over his mouth and ears, so he can hear how loud it is? (I'm picturing a kid with a bucket on his head....lol) Just a little confused here....lol. And I've blown in his face before, but that only works as long as it takes for him to take that breath and he starts screaming again. Although, a few times it was enough of a distraction to get him to stop so he could get interested in doing something other than screaming.

Reply

EAR PLUGS

Reply