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Home › Articles › Discipline › Screaming Babies and Toddlers

Screaming Babies and Toddlers

When Baby Shrills and Screeches

By Teri Brown

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So developmentally, the typical toddler is exuberant, intense and enjoys her own growing physical capacities, including the sound and volume of her own voice. Because they are growing into their sense of self, screeching gives toddlers a feeling of competence when they can produce such a loud noise. This is often why requests to be quiet are often met with even louder responses.

"Continuing the loud behavior can be seen as an attempt to assert themselves," Gilkerson says. "It can be helpful for parents to remind themselves that this annoying behavior is more connected to the toddler's development of a sense of mastery rather than an attempt to provoke the parent. With this in mind, the parent can set limits in a more matter-of-fact, less reactive way. For example, parents can set rules about 'indoor' and 'outdoor' voices and keep reminding their child of this rule."

One way parents can view the screeching baby or toddler is as a normal, happy, developing human being. It may not save your ear drums, but it can go far in helping you deal with the noise!

Toddler Taming Tips

"Toddlers' enthusiasm and energy as expressed vocally can be a wonder, but as parents know, there are times where this is appropriate and other times when it is not," says Cindy Jurie, co-director of Partners in Care in the Erikson Institute, Chicago, Ill. "Because so often toddlers get a big reaction from parents and others when they use a big voice, this can be a way for them to get adult attention. Being consistent with the use of 'inside' and 'outside' voice reminders is important. [Give] them times where it is OK to use an 'outside' voice and a reminder when we go inside we use our 'inside' voices."

Toddlers are beginning to develop a sense of self, and this newfound autonomy feels very powerful, especially at gaining attention when others are around, Jurie says. "[Help] your child understand that we take turns in talking and it is not always their turn. Paying attention to children's nonverbal cues can be helpful. At times a child's increasing noisy-ness may be a sign that they are having trouble 'keeping it together' and may be looking for adult help in calming their very powerful emotions, whether it is tiredness, over-stimulation or fear. Making a game out of 'quiet voices' where one can use whispers in the toddler's ear can appeal to the part of the toddler that greatly enjoys silliness."

* Last name withheld to protect privacy.


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Screaming Babies and Toddlers by Anonymous on 02/18/2010 08:45AM

This article is pointless. No one cares why my 20 month old is screeching. We want to know good tips or techniques to stop it.

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