Screeching 11 Month Old

You got lots of great advice. However I would never ever pinch or use a spray bottle like some of these other moms said to do. That is actually very crule. Good luck.

My daughter does this and recently, especially at dinner, it's HORRIBLE! So as silly as this sounds we have a small spray bottle filled with water and when she screaches we say "No screaming" and spritz her once. It gets her attention without yelling and is actually helping.

Good luck!

You hit the nail on the head...he's figured out how to get your attention. So stop responding to the screeching. Either go to another room or take him to another room and walk away. When he discovers that he's not getting attention for his actions he will stop.

I'm writing this more to express my empathy than to give solid suggestions on how to fix it. My 7 month old has been screeching since he was 5 months old. There's obviously not much I can do that he would understand at this point. He wouldn't understand anything about saying, No!, etc. I have noticed he screeches more when he is constipated or bored. I also noticed when he started sitting up he barely screeched for about 2 weeks. My guess is that he had something new to occupy him, so he was happier. I figure when he starts crawling he might screech less again. Is your son about to hit a developmental milestone like walking? Things I have tried include: talking quietly and calmly back to him, saying "no" (even though it doesn't do much), and ignoring. One thing that has really helped when he does it in public is wearing him in the sling on my hip. I think it helps to calm him down a little.

You are not alone! When all else fails...break out the earplugs!

My nephew did this also. At first it was cute and that is why he continued doing it. Your son is so young, so I would try to cover my ears and say Ouch! so that he can see that his screeching is actually causing a negative effect. Say that hurts mommy's ears.

Hi SAM,,,
dont react when he does it ,, pretend you dont hear a thing and go on ,,he will stop ,,,by the way does he talk?? if not you may want to have his hearing checked if
he doesnot talk ,,,all he does his yell
good lucl L.

Do what my mother told me to do with my daughter;ignore him when he does that soon he will realize that its not a good attention getter. warn your friends and family not to give him attention when he does this but to give him attention when he does things u like.

The more you react to annoying behavior the more your child will want to do it. He's doing it for attention and that's exactly what he's getting. Ignore it and tell anyone that's around to please ignore it. It won't be an instant reliever but it will work over time. It's how kids work. Also make sure you pay a lot of positive attention to him while he's not screeching..so's to let him know that you enjoy him enough to love on him while he's quiet.

Like I said it won't work instantly...and the first time you start ignoring IS AND WILL BE the hardest..Don't even look at him. Just act like nothing is happening. Lol...And you might want to take some Tylenol or Aspirin before you start. He will get the hint if he's not getting attention. He will move on to a better way of getting your attention..Hopefully a less annoying way. Haha. Good luck!

Shaena

The best thing to do is when they start talk to them in a Whisper after getting his attention. They really like that, and they will have to quiet down to hear you. This is what worked for me, and the times it did not I just ignored my daughter! It does not take long for them to stop. Then they start talking ALL DAY LONG!!!

Hi Sam :)

*****IMPORTANT****
For some reason I thought your son was 2 (spacey today). Please disregard my earlier statement. At age 1 and younger I always told my babies No in a firm voice and held both hands until they stopped.
Thanks! M.

I screech with my daughter when she screeches. She laughs and I take it lightly. But I do tell her often when we are inside (the house, restaurants, etc.) to use her inside voice and I whisper. It's a process but it'll work.
RELAX, RELATE, RELEASE

PS ask your mom about all the "irritating" things you did and I am 100% sure you will let up some! Karma is funny.

Hey Sam,
We are in the same phase, but it's dwindling. Hopefully it will end sooner than later, but it is just a phase. They discover their voice and realize how loud they can be (my 11 month old girl can get an extremely loud- blood curdling, I'm being murdered scream). It's really obnoxious, especially in church! But this is the second week of it and she's not doing it that much anymore already. It's just apart of their discovery mode and perfectly normal, although not all that pleasant. I don't have any advice other not giving them attention when they do it...Good Luck :)

Hi Sam,
When my son did that I just told him that if he's going to hurt my ears he has to go in a room by himself until he is done. He hated being by himself so it cured the problem real soon.
W.

Sam,
Hi! I am going through the same thing with my son. He just turned 1 and when we wants something, he screeches! Drives me nuts! But, the last 2 weeks I have been making him try to say "please" instead of the screech... any sound will do.. "mama", the "p" sound... anything other than the screech and he can have what he wants. And it is totally working! As long as he makes an effort to say Please (or something like it) I reward him... and in turn, my headache has gone away =). Good luck!

Do the opposite! When my babies did something like that for attn...I turned my back on them. I didn't say anything. I did it slowly, not dramatically in a huff. You wouldn't want them learning that behavior!! It took about two days for the behavior to stop all together. In between, when they are being funny and playing in a normal tone...go on and on about how much fun you think they are when they aren't hurting your ears. It works for throwing themselves on the floor and saying 'potty' words too. The hard part is having them learn that at home before taking them to a playground full of other children. There...when they screech or scream...it gets 10 other children to follow and they think that's cool.

This is a phase he will grow out of - in a few weeks or months, and then he will be doing something else to drive you crazy. Until then, make your plans accordingly - if he starts in a public place that is supposed to be quiet, just resign yourself to leaving asap, and try to reinforce him being quiet (maybe try to teach him the new trick of whispering), but realize you can't really control this behavior at this age - he is just too young to understand and as you said, he has found a new skill of using his voice and it is part of his development to practice it and see what it can do and what reaction it gets. Give it little reaction as you can other than try to redirect him and get out of there if you are somewhere it brings too much attention to you.

Good luck, and keep your sense of humor - parents need it these days!

Put your hand FIRMLY over his mouth,(not his nose, slightly pulling downward so that his upper lip doesn't block his nose either) until he calms/quiets down. It is uncomfortable and he will fight you. But, once he realizes that he isn't going to win, then he will quiet down. Eventually, all you will have to do is lightly touch his lips or threaten to do so and he won't scream. But, you will have to be consistent and not give in no matter what! It works. They don't like it, would you? No, but it gets their attention as well as stifling the noise for others. Start it at home for awhile before going out. It is easiest done by holding them in your lap facing outward.