[dacia]

Hi!

My 5 month old baby boy likes to scream, very loudly, in high pitch. He'll scream even after his feed, diaper change, or play. He'll scream anytime anywhere. He'll scream when we take him out for strolls in the stroller. He'll scream when we're playing with him. Most of the time when we go out, we have to wait for him to sleep before we can have a meal. Otherwise, he'll be screaming the whole time we're eating. When he screams at home, i'm sure the whole apartment can hear him. I have NO idea why he screams. He usually looks angry when he's screaming so i don't think he's playing. I've tried teethers and pacifiers, but he doesn't like it. I've tried making him laugh and breastfeeding but it's only for a few min before he starts to scream again. I don't know how he can scream the whole day without getting tired. His scream is so loud i can't hear myself. HELP!

[shadow]

you might want to order a new book entitled "The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer" i've ordered one through geobaby even though i'm only 18-week pregnant...... good luck with your little angle!

shadow

[dacia]

Thanks shadow,

The problem is my baby is not exactly crying. He will cry when he's tired or hungry, sometime after the screaming. He just likes to scream angrily when he feels like it. He isn't so much a crying baby as i'll talk to him, play with him, take him for walks and breastfeed him on demand. He's more of a screamer and no matter how i tell him no, he just wants to scream. Baby Einstein DVDs work but i don't want to turn him into a TV junkie.

[scr]

Has this been happening long ? It might just be that he has "discovered" his voice and is trying it out ? Does anything other than DVD stop it ? Talking to him or distracting with a toy..does that help ? Is he doing it to gain attention so you will pick him up and cuddle him ? If he's just experimenting with his new found voice I suppose you will have to just hang in there till the novelty wears off ! If he's doing it to be picked up then I guess I would pick him up and give him the attention...though my mother says that way you spoil a baby. But I don't believe a 5month old can be spoiled :)
Take care

[jdang]

Been there with my twins - started when they were 5 mths too. When one started screaming, the other would join in just for sheer fun. Two lil monkeys looked very pleased with themselves! Happened everywhere, all the time. Whole family was going bonkers with all the noise! Luckily, it was a passing phase, lasted around 2 weeks. I read this is normal, babies trying to vocalise at this age. I remembered at that age, we took them out a lot. When I cut down on the activities & let them take longer naps, they were less inclined to make such noise. In short, they really needed a rountine at that time.

So, take a deep breath, place your palm on his mouth when he screams, and say 'wawawawa!' (like the Red Indian whoop!) Maybe you can distract him this way, maybe not..In your case, if the DVD works, let it work, believe me, he'll soon get bored with it one day. On the bright side, few mths down the road, he'll be saying, 'mama' or 'papa' a lot!

BTW, my girls are now 9 mths, very 'chatterbox' and still scream sometimes when they're excited and happy! Good luck!

[aaa]

Do you believe in "superstition"? This happens to my son several times before he is one year old. We simply put the Chinese Budda Book at the front of his bed, and everything is fine afterwards. This could be a coincident. But, it makes me feel more comfortable.

[dacia]

Thanks for all your advice.

My baby boy is now 7 months old. He screamed almost 3 weeks. I agree with scr and jdang. It's just a phase. At that time, i was so worried about his screams i took him to the doctor's. Turn out, he was a little constipated because i just started weaning him. Took some medication and he was better several days later.

He's still screaming now, though much less and not as piercing. Now it's clear he's testing his vocals. Previously, his screams were so sharp it's like someone is abusing him. That was a scary phase. I'm glad it's over.

[sahd]

oh good lord...I'm glad I found this forum because I'm starting to lose it. My 3 month old girl is a screamer. She cries when she's upset, needs changing, or is otherwise needy, but she just finds it hilarious to scream. I'm thinking it may be a precursor to laughter right now, because she's only starting to laugh and sometimes she looks like she wants to laugh so hard this high-pitched scream comes out instead. Other times, she screams at the TV (DVD's don't help, I did try but I think she's too young anyway), at me, at the dog, my wife...it's insane. I will tap her cheek or lips with my forefinger and say, "No no" but she just laughs at me and screams again. How do you reason with a 3 month old?

It just gives me hope that (even though I know this already reading it is different) I'm not the only one who has dealt with a screamer. Hopefully it only lasts a few weeks, but your kids all seem to be two months older...I'm hoping that's not a bad sign for me...