It seems that I am always telling my toddler to use his “inside voice.” I don’t know why he feels the need to scream on a regular basis. I have considered the possible reasons that toddlers scream and how to cope with each reason.
One of the reasons that toddlers often scream is because they are not getting their way. This is often the case with my son. For a young child, he seems to have many anger issues. I’ve even wondered if I could find an anger management class for toddlers.
When my son isn’t getting his way and begins to scream, the last thing I want to do is reward bad behavior. Therefore, the only thing I can do is to acknowledge his anger and frustration. I kneel down and speak to him in a soft voice. I either ask him what he is so upset about or, if I already know, I explain the situation to my son. I try to help my son understand that things cannot always go his way.
Another reason that my son screams is apparently just to hear the sounds he is capable of making. I realize that toddlers are still learning what noises they can make with their voices. In this case, I often ask my son to lower his voice until we are outside for playtime.
When my son starts screaming at home, I make a game out it. I scream and he thinks that is funny. This distracts him and he then moves on to doing something else. Unfortunately, I can’t use that technique in the supermarket or restaurant.
The last thing that I try to do to lessen the frustration of having a screaming toddler is to avoid quiet places. When my son is high strung and I feel as if a meltdown may occur, I try to cut errands short. If I have to go into a market or restaurant, I go to one that is normally loud. Therefore, if my son does start screaming, it doesn’t create the scene that it would in an otherwise quiet environment.