7 1/2 Mo Old screaching/screaming....depends on Who You Ask?!

Babies use crying as a their main way of communication since they can't talk yet. Therefore, when they cry they are trying tell us something. We should never ignore a cry from a baby. It could be teething and if so you could try simple things such as letting him carry around a cool cloth to chew on. That will soothe his gums. Also, numbing gel will help determine if it's teething because if he stops crying after you put it on then you will have your answer.
One of my daughters cried all the time as a baby and I couldn't figure her out. Therapists and doctors wanted to shrug it off as nothing. Come to find out she had two issues going on. One, she was autistic but too early to test. And too much stimulation would upset her. Two, she was having headaches and pressure and couldn't tell me. Eventually we found out by MRI she had a condition called Chiari Malformation Type 1.
Babies cry for a reason. I commend you for looking for the answer as to why your child is. God Bless~

my daughter is 8 months but was a month early so really she is 7 months and she just started to do that screaming deal. she is not crying just yelling i took it as she wanted my attention when she does that i look at her and ask her and even me just looking at her she stops. My mom said is because i spoil her but i think it has to do with their personality. he may just be wanting your attention. But yeah there is no tears just yelling also he may just learned that his voice can get that loud and he just wants to do that so sorry if i didnt help i am having the same problem

My guess without having met your child is that it is probably teething. I have an extremely outgoing 18 month old. She is generally happy, but when she is teething she can do exactly what you are describing. My only question is has he watched your other child act out for attention? I am not sure if they can truly start copying other's actions at such a young age. I guess anything is possible. However, my gut reaction is that his teething is probably making him cranky and the only way that young ones have of communicating is their cries. Trust your instincts. I think that mamas are usually spot on when it comes to understanding their children. Hope that the screaming lets up soon! Hang in there!

I would suggest to try giving him attention when he is not screaming. If you could not go out with him for about a week, maybe you and your husband take turns staying home with him when the other is grocery shopping etc and eat at home. Then on top of ignoring the screaming (I liked the earplug idea, or put him in his room with a gate up if that helps) try to find those brief moments of quiet when you can give him lots of praise, play and attention. Of course, something to chew on for any teething is a good idea too. Good luck and I sympathize. But remember, this too shall pass. :-)

I agree with the others that he may be teething. Is he drooling, biting, low grade temperature? Have you looked or felt in his mouth for any cutting teeth?
However, are there any other symptoms like congestion, cough, or pulling at his ears?
Have you tried any Tylenol like Dawn suggested? Have you found it to ease his behavior?
If you don't see any signs of teething, or if he doesn't easily improve with a dose of Tylenol; sure it may be a behavioral stage like Jennifer mentioned. But, please, make sure to have the pediatrician check him out before you make that assumption.
My youngest, now 18, was my only uncolicky baby. Jonathan rarely cried at all until he was 22 months old, and then ...
He was already on antibiotics for a (painful) sinus infection when he developed a (painful) inguinal hernia necessitating surgery. Four days post-op, my middle son pierced Jonathan's eardrum with my stepson's Lego space needle. (I watched from across the room and couldn't reach the boys in time to stop them.)
With these events one after the other, he screamed for many of his waking hours for three weeks straight. It changed him for life. He developed a certain "edge" that he didn't have before that.
So, the bottom line is to make sure to have a pediatrician rule out other problems. Good luck!

My 6-month old recently started doing this as well. For her, it seems to be a neat noise that she's discovered she can make - fun for her, but earsplitting for us... and don't even ask the dogs what they think about it! She doesn't seem to be at all upset when she screeches, nor does she seem to be trying to get attention with the noise (at least, I haven't noticed her looking at us while she does it, and we try to ignore it anyway). She usually escalates from babbling to screeching when she's playing in her exersaucer or rolling around on the floor with a toy, and every once in a while when she wakes up from a nap I'll hear her over the baby monitor babbling to herself, interspersed with screeches. Anyway, it's not usually too awful or long-lived, but when she really gets going and it gets to be too much, we distract her with a frozen teething ring. She's teething as well, and the frozen rings are the one sure-fire distractor we've found - great for both screeching and general crankiness! So if you think it's behavioral for your son as well, I'd suggest trying to find something that will distract him from the behavior.

Good luck!
C.

Hi S.,

Have you tried giving your baby tylenol for the pain? My oldest turned into a little monster while teething, and the tylenol made such a difference!

Good luck!
D.

Sounds like teething. The best thing I ever found was Gentle Naturals Teething Drops. They are homeopathic and you can get them at Target, Babies R Us, Meijer and maybe some others. It has a picture of Pooh Bear chewing on Eyeore's ear. They are miracle drops. You put a half drop under the tongue and it works for hours. It doesn't wash away like baby orajel, etc. At this age, if he's crying I wouldn't ignore it. Especially if he's in pain, he needs your comfort and attention. Good luck.

My youngest (almost 1 yr) has had that ear piercing screech since birth. He has never cried, he screams. Since yours is a new thing, it could very well be teething. Or it could just be that he discovered a neat noise that really gets people's attention. My oldest was very laid and around 6 mths started squealing, usually it was a happy like squeal or an emotionless squeal. There was nothing wrong with him he just mlike making it. If your son's screech sounds upset/angry then he could be in pain or just found a more effective way to get a response than regular crying. If he doesn't sound upset then he's probably just doing it to do it. Eventually he'll find a new sound or just working on a new trick and will move on. Just try your best to ignore it. Even a grimace is enough of a reaction to keep them at it sometimes.

S.,

It very well could be the teeth. Try to find Chamomilla, it is for teething and irritability. I buy the Hyland's brand off the internet. I have been giving it to my my daughter since she started teething at six months. I give it to her now because her adult teeth are coming in and it does help to relax her so she can get to sleep when she hurts.

Good luck.

E.

Try wearing earplugs. Really. They'll help you cope with the noise, while you figure out the reason for it.