Shrieking 11 Month Old

I never had this problem with my kids - altho I've been around babies and toddlers that do it. So, I might be off base here but it seems to me whatever "punishment' you're doling out is not reaching her. If you are at home and she does it I would put her in her crib where she can't see and interact with you or anyone else. When she shrieks at wake-up tell her from another room to quiet and then don't go in until she does. Its more difficult out in public but if you're at the park and she starts you might have to just leave and take her home. Maybe this sounds harsh to you but from what you describe she seems to enjoy the attention and reaction she gets by shrieking - so you need to take that away. Good luck!

Hi K. -
I can't really help you b/c I have the similar problem!! I have always meant to ask the moms on Mamasource but always preoccupied myself with other baby issues (milk production, solid food issues, etc. Anyway, my baby girl (who is 9 months) has been shrieking since she was 5 months. I always thought she would outgrow it but it has been a long time now. I am going to the doctor tomorrow and will ask her about it. She is a sweet baby too but the shrieking is piercing and makes for very uncomfortable public situations. I feel your pain.

At 11 months, she is too young to understand inside voice. All you can do is talk to her very softly and see if she will model that but she may or may not and you will likely have to wait until she is older - closer to 2 before she will start to understand the concept of quiet. She is also too young for punishments and they only put distance between you and your child. Luckily, this too will pass. Good luck.

Your sure her hearing is okay right?

My son likes to shriek and he's 11 months old. I have to gently put my hand over his mouth to muffle the sound and then tell him very sternly NO!!! He typically quits. If he didn't, I would put him in his crib and tell him NO screaming and then leave. When he quiets down I go in and hug him and get him. If he starts to shriek again, I walk out.

Many will tell you that she can't understand you, but I disagree...at that age they really start to understand much of what you say...NO, sit down, no screaming....

My preacher's pastor in college had infants his wife kept in the service. He once asked her how she kept them quiet during service. She asked him to take a look at her little dog. She told him that if she can train a dog to go outside, sit, and do various things on command then she could teach her children to be quiet. Not sure I could train and infant, but I can certainly start to train an 11 month old child. They are way smarter than we give them credit for.

K.,

My niece (I take care of her while her mom and dad go to work) did the exact same thing! I tried everything with her and unfortunately, nothing helped. Thankfully it was a phase that she grew out of. Just get some ear plugs and pray it doesn't last too long.

Wishing you the best of luck and no headaches. :)

C. S.

are you sure she's feeling ok? Maybe her tummy hurts? Esp. since she wants more food, maybe she's not absorbing food well

children's memorial has great food allergists that you can consult with - glenview or lincoln park
800-kids doc

also kidswithfoodallergies.org - i'm sure there's parents there w/ the same issue

it doesn't need to be a typical food allergy (hives etc) to be food allergies. There are eosinophilic and enterocolitis possibilities

good luck!

My 10 month old son does this exact same thing! He has been doing it since he was 6 months though. It's like he discovered his voice and just WILL NOT stop! And my 5 year old has a melt down when he does this in the car! I have figured out that he does it when he wants something really bad. So now the hard part is figuring out what he needs. He is teething, so that has a lot to with it too...the pain and all. He is usually hungry, bored, sleepy, dirty, or in pain. And sometimes he just wants me to hold him. When he starts I just pick him up and go down the list...dirty? hungry? sleepy? bored? If those are all "no" then I put teething gel on his gums and give him a different toy in hopes that that works.

If we are in public when he starts doing this, we have found that holding him and blowing gently in his face will make him stop! And he usually starts laughing instead.

Good luck...I know it is very hard. But with all things with babies, I am sure it is just a phase that will soon pass! Stay encouraged.

Hopefully it is just a phase and it sounds like you are doing all the right things. Sadly, it still hasn't ended. If you record her, it may bother her or she may try to imitate it more often. I do love the line about... "bringing an entire McDonald's playland to silence"... Impressive. My son had that kind of shriek, as a baby, or would get that REALLY BAD, ear piercing pitch when he would cry. Yep... an ice pick to the brain! However, generally he was such a happy toddler. WE can laugh about it now. He has always been able to project his voice well.

I know you don't wish to hear this but...my son is a tween now... If he is really, really upset (very infrequently!) , sometimes I can still hear THAT pitch!

My son had a screeeeem cry... it was not fun... I had to hold him most of the time... IS that what you have....
It started with his first shot.. got worse with his DTaP shot... At 2 months worse then at 4 months. Thank god our 6 months DTaP was put on hold.. but still he was up days on end... IF this is how you are.. Check with Early Intervention for Maybe sensory issues...
My son has Sensory Processing Disorder.. Fun fun fun...
HE is Jumppping off everybody and every thing.. Needs that Deep pressuer from Jumpping off everything...
You say you show her to show her expressions.. but shaking head.. makes me wonder my son does that too... but for other reasons... he likes the way it feels... many kids do that has SPD and ASD...
I hope she is ok... Many hugs!!!
is she talking much??

Hi K.,

Your request does not sound crazy to me at all. I am the mom of a 2 year old and also a speech language pathologist.

You mention that your little one shrieks across the board, when she is happy, sad, wants something, (etc.). It sounds to me like she is using "the shrieks" to communicate with you. Babies and toddlers go through a normal stage of development where their receptive language (what they understand) is much higher than what they can actually say. Coordinating the muscles of the mouth and vocal cords is hard work. This creates frustrations as I'm sure you can imagine knowing what you want to say but not having the motor ability to say it.

One thing that I have found helpful to bridge that gap is baby sign language. Learning to sign is as simple as waving bye bye and gives little ones the tools to be able to share their worlds with their parents and make their wants/needs known until the words come. I offer classes in the city but there are loads of resources available.

For additional information visit http://www.babysignsprogram.com/bywendyauffant/ or send me an email (____@____.com). I would be happy to chat more with you.

Sincerely,
W.

I have one of those. She doesn't do it too often, though --thank god.

I always just give her my 'mommy is very upset face' and tell her 'no, that hurts mommy's ears' --and I put my hand over my ear. It seems to work.

Maybe something to that effect, getting through to her that it HURTS you?

Try bringing her closer to your body and, with your face mere inches from her ear, whisper something very very softly. If she wants to hear you, she will have no choice but to stop what she is doing and listen to you.

What I used to do when mine were in that screaming phase is to gently put my hand over their mouth and tell them "shhsh". I would have to repeat it pretty often but then they got used to it and it would quiet them- useful especially in church!

My son did that around the same age. Nothing worked, he grew out of it. It was awful, however it is now a distant memory. Our friend's daughter of a similar age did it too, also grew out of it. Patience my friend...its not easy but so much at this age isn't

I have a 10 month old who used to do the same thing. We tried saying no, ignoring it, gently smaking her hand, nothing worked. The thing that finally made it stop was she got a cold. Anytime she would go to scream she would start coughing and then would have to stop screaming. By time she was over her cough she was over her screaming, and now her talking has absolutely taken off. She is quite the chatter box, but now it is must more pleasant. Hopefully your little one will get over it soon. Hang in there, I know it is VERY stressful.