19 Month Olds High Pitched Squeal/scream

Well I don't have any advice but I know exactly what you mean! My 18 month old does the same thing. It's usually when he is excited. It's ear piercing!! His favorite book is Goodnight Moon and b/c of the little old lady whispering hush...he has learned to put his finger to his lips and say...shhh. So sometimes that helps. Otherwise...the only advice I can offer is to give her something else to do. My son LOVES silly noises so I will make a quiet noise and he will copy it. Many times he is happy to make the new noise and stops squealing for a while.
Good luck and remember...at least we have happy kids!

1 mom found this helpful

Have you tried ignoring her or just walking away when she does that? It may be attention that she's trying to get--even in a negative way. Just a thought....

Maybe continually asking her to do it softer may work. You don't want her to stop altogether (c'mon Mom, it's fun!), but if she can learn to do it a little softer, maybe it won't be such a nuisance. As far as disrupting your newborn's sleep, the more noise he gets used to while sleeping, the better for everybody. For example, all 3 of my kids can sleep through a lot of noise (TV, vacuum cleaner under their swing or in their bedroom, dogs barking), but I had a friend who wouldn't let any noise in the house, but her son was a terrible sleeper. He would wake up at the slightest noise or movement.

Congratulations on #2, and good luck!

Just lie a little. :-) Tell her you can't hear her when she screams like that, and she needs to tell you or show you what she wants a little more quietly. If you stick toit, it'll work.

And, frankly, babies go to sleep when the noise volume is too high. Baby #2 is going to come into a much different world, because it will have a big sister who will create lots of visual activity that wasn't there when she was the baby. Don't worry too much. Your little(r) one will simply join the family and accept it as it is. It's we adults who are always molding it to our own tastes. :-)

Oh, yes, and best of luck with labor and delivery; and the sleep challenges ahead as you all become a slightly bigger family !!

My youngest daughter, 22 months old, does the same ear piercing screams when she doesn't get what she wants or someone takes something away from her.

I just look at her with a very stern "don't mess with me" kind of look and say to her in a stern voice, "Don't you dare yell at me!". This usually stops the scream. And I have noticed that the screams are happening less often.

Good luck.

If she is doing it just because she can, you could try what I tell my two-year olds (at the preschool where I work) and my own two...

if you think you know what they want, talk to them and see if you've figured it out and then let them know how to ask with words in the future...

if not, simply say please stop as screaming isn't how we treat our friends, I cannot understand you when you scream, use your words if you having something to say, and finally... if you continue to scream you will find yourself sitting by yourself. Usually the thought of sitting by themself is enough to get them to stop.

Good luck!

I like Ali's advice, and Emma's too. Children this age are so excited that they have learned this new skill (to them it's a skill!) They like to hear the sound it makes. I imagine it makes them feel powerful (not a bad thing!) I agree with Ali---try making another sound for her to mimic and see what she does. Whispering noises can be fun too.

K.
www.joyfulconnections.net

If it's a scream when she is excited, whisper to her to use her indoor voice and put her into time out if she doesn't. When she does give her a treat.

If it's because she's mad or to get her own way don't give in! Everytime you give her what she wants to make her stop then she learns, "Oh, if I scream this way Mom hates than I get my own way." In essense, you teach her that's what to do. Instead ask her to use her words and only give her what she wants when she attempts to use sounds instead (if she is pre-verbal).

My little ones are 20 months apart and I lived through exactly what you're talking about. It is a phase that will move on to something more annoying, I'm sure. Turns out my infant slept right through it. Guess she got used to all the screaming while in the womb and was completely unphased by it upon delivery. It is truly so unnerving to you right now because you are pregnant. You're nerves get recallibrated after you bring the new baby home. They have to or we'd never survive it all. Cause you'll have 2 screaming babies to deal with. :-) You are very fortunate to have your husband at home what a blessing, but then again that situation can have it's own complications. Lived through that too w/my 1st child. I'd just try and help her use any words she may have to express herself. My son was very excited to use the word "Yay!" in between squeals. Best of luck! Not sure if I helped at all, but knowing you're not alone may bring some comfort. Feel free to email me if you need any coping advice post-partum. The 1st few months are the hardest. My baby girl is 7 mo now and the experience is priceless. Still rough at times but I'm so glad I had them this close together. Watching them interact at this age is so worth it.

Hi N.,

Have you had your child assessed for developmental delays?

Does your husband have a problem with her screaming during the day? What does he say?

Here is a web site.

http://life.familyeducation.com/toddler/behavioral-proble...

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.