Toddler screaming - Help!

[curiouscanadian]

DS is coming up on 14mos but has been having very "scream-y" days, where he screeches/screams at the drop of a hat! And I mean loud, ear-splitting screams.

I really can't figure out the why behind it because we try to make sure there's no underlying issue (hungry, tired, whatever) and he'll do it even when someone is right there interacting with him. It's gotten to the point where his babysitter is saying that if it continues we may have to find another childcare provider for him! (And considering she's got 15yrs of childcare experience and STILL can't deal with it is kinda scary!)

We really need some suggestions on how to deal with it. We've tried ignoring it (although that's VERY hard to do after even half a day of it), but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Help, please?! We're at our wit's end here!

[bethanymama]

screaming for fun

I don't know... my 19-month old didn't really do this, but does scream/yell from time to time for fun. Is he doing it for fun or frustration? If we are at home or in the car I let him scream, and do it along with him, making different sounds and mimicking him. Not like continuous screaming but little yells. He thinks it's hilarious. And it never lasts too long. Not sure if this will come back to haunt me later, but if he needs to scream I figure he needs to do it at some time. I guess my hope is that will help him not scream in inappropriate situations. But he's never really done it at a time when I wouldn't want him to. Good luck! I hope you don't lose your childcare over it.

[swd12422]

Mine does it for fun. And unfortunately, he does it when Daddy gets home from work and during dinner, not outside at the park, where it would be better tolerated! I ignore it as much as possible, and when it does bug me I shush him gently and tell him to use his "inside voice" even though he doesn't know what that means yet. I get a couple more screams out of him, but he stops pretty quickly.

I also try to minimize the noise level when the screaming starts, so it doesn't feel like things are so chaotic in the house. (For example, no music or TV on, turn off the fan or the running water if they were on when he started yelling, etc.)