I Can't Take the Screaming Anymore :(

I told my Son to stop screaming and when he didn't.I picked him up and placed him in the corner and I said I will not listen to that so if you want to do that you have to stand here until you are done.He didn't scream for long then.Everytime he would start it I did the same thing.You have to be consistant with whatever you choose.

I also agree that ignoring is the best policy. But that is a LOT easier if you have a great pair of noise cancelling headphones. Put them on and crank up some music for yourself. You can still see her but you can't hear her. Ofcourse you also won't hear the door or the phone! LOL

There are times when I NEED that few minutes of absolutely no child related noise. Since I run the daycare 24/7 I even get really sick of the normal little squeals, babbling, mouth noises (car sounds, spitting sounds), banging objects etc. So I put those headphones on, make sure I know where everyone is and I can see all these happy noisy little kids but I can't hear them at all. I just have to make sure that I know that no one is expected at the door and I am very alert since I wouldn't hear the fire alarm or tornado alarm either. I bought a pair of headphones from Bose. They are the best headphones I've ever had in my life!

Suzi

Hey there L.. I have done the same thing. Scream back at mine. She didn't laugh however. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. Once the startleness was over she went on playing and hasn't done it since. Good luck!
B.

L.,
My sister, who is a behavior modification specialist, has this problem with her son. He was doing it for the reaction that he got and it sounds like your daughter is, as well. You have to be very consistent with this, but it works! Every time she screams, turn your back to her. The screaming will get worse before it gets better, but eventually, she'll realize that she's not getting a reaction from you, and she'll find something else to drive you crazy with:-)!
Good luck!
C.

just for fun one time...i screamed back at mine and she thought it was the funniest thing ever. it was much better to hear the belly laughs then the screams!!! sorry that's not the best advice but it's all i got.

good luck

Hi L.,
Well like Brookes advice I have actually done the samething and then they look at me like, have you lost your mind or something. No matter if it is because they are mad or not, I do it right back to them. I then let them know see I can do it too and louder than you. Try it and see what happens. You will either startle her, make her laugh or make her look at you like what is your problem, lol. W.

My daughter was really bad at this, too, probably right around the same age. Somehow she's getting the reaction she wants, even if you are trying really hard to ignore her.

The best thing to do is firmly tell her "no", as soon as she starts screaming, and give her a warning: ("if you scream like that, I'm going to put you in your bed...time out...crib....corner, etc., until you're done screaming"). The next time she screams, do exactly what you said you'd do, and walk away. She doesn't come out until she's done screaming.

Give her absolutely no attention, no talking to her, no more warning her, etc. If she leaves her time out spot before she finishes screaming, calmly, and without talking to her, return her to time out.

She is really more than capable of understanding exactly what you've told her, she just can't quite talk back yet. Believe me, it may take a week to break her of the habit, but if you don't break the habit, she'll end up like my niece, and scream at everything...even when she's a teenager! UGH!

Good luck! I think all moms go through it with their girls, just depends on how you deal with it NOW that will determine how they conduct themselves when they're older.

S.