I think that I have a screamer on my hands. No wait, I know I do. Neither of my other children ever screamed like my little guy is doing. Yesterday, we took our little guy to church as usual on Sundays, and we were sitting in class and he was playing with some crayons. He was getting frustrated because he was not able to take them in and out of the bag that they were in easily. So, he started screaming. I am not talking about a cry, but I am talking about a scream of frustration. It seems this is a new trend with him.
I guess that maybe since he is the third child, and still too little to be super vocal, this is his way of communicating when he is upset by something. But, it is starting to get to me that he is screaming all the time. For example, someone takes a toy away, and he screams. He can’t do something he wants to do and he screams. He is being told, “No” and he screams. Does this mean that we are in store for some serious melt downs in the future? I hope not. In fact, I think at this stage in the game, having a screamer is more common than one might think.
One idea to deal with the screaming can be to get down on the baby’s level and say, “No” in a very calm, quiet voice. This may take many times of doing this before baby makes the connection that the screaming is the issue.
Also, talk to older children that may be instigating the problem, and tell them to walk away if the baby is screaming. He very well might be doing it to get attention.
Last, consider teaching your baby some sign language. This will increase the attention he gets from you while you are teaching him, and may give him some valuable words that he can use that might help him eliminate his frustration. With just a few simple signs, your baby can communicate a lot of what he is trying to communicate through screaming.
Whatever method you try, just know that it is probably a phase, and your baby will be using his words instead of his lungs to communicate in no time.
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