8 Month Old Yelling

Hi Jessica

My little boy didn't scream, but his best little girlfriend did and I thought her mother handled it beautifully - and it worked.

When she screamed her mother would calmly simply say, 'No, we don't scream in this house.' and walk away so she didn't really get any additional attnetion for the screaming and any attention she was getting - like if her daughter screamed while they were playing - immediatley ended.

She would come back a few minutes later and say, 'Are you finished screaming?' and if she stopped screaming she would stay and continue whatever they were doing, but if she screamed again she would repeat the 'No...' and leave scenario.

It took about a week, but she is no longer a screamer and trust me we're all happier for it.

Hope this helps. D..x

I would go back with the ignoring. You can use the "stop" method along with it. When she starts to yell, have a designated place (away from you and the action) and place her there while telling her, "you may not yell at me, when you're ready to stop, you may come back." It's something that may need to be done A LOT, even for one instance, but consistency is going to be key. And making sure that your voice is as calm as can be when communicating the message so as to model the behavior you seek.
Just know, this too shall pass (and be replaced by something else fun, like talking back!) :O)

Hi Jessica,

Some babies just yell because they've found their voices :o) My oldest was a yeller/screamer......it was a little bit embarrassing....My youngest never did anything like it.

At 8 months old, your baby is certainly not trying to get into trouble. She is simply expressing her new found voice.

Be patient with her :O)

~Nicole :o)

I agree with those who say she is yelling because she can. I also agree that the best method is to ignore it. Since that isn't working, go with the firm no and move her to a quiet place alone. When she stops yelling, she may return.

S

You might want to try giving her a place where it is OK to yell and start teaching her that yelling at any other time, unless she is hurt and needs attention, is not appropriate. I know 8 months of age seems young for a child to understand, but she can begin learning even at this young age. Some parents allow a child to yell as long as they are in their own room. Others limit yelling to an outdoor play area. Whatever you decide is comfortable for you would be the place for your to choose. All children seem to feel a need to yell and be loud at times, so giving them boundaries on when and where they can do that is a good idea.

Jessica,

My son is almost out of this phase, and yes, he too is/was not lacking in attention. From what I understand it's possibly two things.

One - she's tired and doesn't know how to tell you.
Two - and this one's the kicker, she's finding her voice and likes the way it sounds.

She gets your attention. My son sure got mine. When possible, ignore it, I know it's difficult.

When you can’t ignore it, I suggest you calmly and I know this is hard when your ears are ringing, tell her not to scream.

Good luck!

It seems pretty normal developmentally to me. I'm a mother of five and I've been a foster parent and it seems like all of the children have gone through this. I have not found the ignoring the issue to work, though I suppose it may work on some kids. I always start there though. Sometimes I have made a game out of it as well. I'll yell back (though certainly not as loudly as I could - it is a quieter version of a yell.) and then she'll yell, then back and forth. It fizzles out eventually and we had great fun together. Even though she gets a lot of attention, as you said, maybe she needs more or it could be that she wants to be in control of when and how she gets it. I've noticed that babies this age do this. I've had babies at the same time - and one would yell and shake his head like "no" and laugh and then the other one would do it. It was like they were communicating -so that is when I started doing it, as it really has worked for me-so far anyhow. What works for one might not work for another though. Anyhow, she is experimenting and learning about her world. If it is truly driving you crazy, you could always put her in her crib when she yells as well. She'll eventually figure out "when I yell, I get removed". Return her only after she quits yelling -and you have to been firm on this or don't even bother. HTH

Hi Jessica,

Here's how I dealt with my daughter and her "opera" stage. I will never forget, my Mom and I were in the Folsom Costco and all of a sudden, Dakoda (at the time about 8 months old) she lets out a wild yelp of "opera." My mom just laughed and "opera-ed" right back. And you know what, after the shoppers around us got over the initial shock, it was very sweet - she was just excited and happy and learning to express herself. In short, I would just embrace this stage - it won't last long and she is just learning to communicate.
Best of luck,

I highly recommend participating in a Baby Signs Class with your daughter. We began signing with our daughter at about 8 months, once she started waving, and I believe because she had a means to communicate, the "yelling phase" that you are describing was very minimal to us - and we have a high spirited girl. By using her signs she was able to communicate effectively and receive a tremendous amount of internal satisfaction from being understood. I truly cannot speak highly enough of this program, and in all I think we used just about 15 signs but it made a terrific impact on our family life and daughter's happiness. We have a very verbal little one and this may have been a secondary outcome of the signs as well. Best to you on this journey.

Sharing link for more information https://www.babysigns.com/

You were probably right to just ignore it. Now she knows that yelling gets your attention! You will find that they want your attention all the time, even if you give them plenty of attention. Try distracting her. When she starts yelling, swoop down and pick her up, and immediately call her attention to something else. ("OOOh, look at the doggie... nice doggie!" or "Where is your bear?? Let's look for that bear! Oh, LOOK! Here he is! He was lost, and looking for YOU!!") In other words, just make up any old chatter that will grab her attention.

Hi Jessica,

My family just allows her to "express" herself. Because we don't give her that extra attention, she only does it once in a while. My husband (along with our parents) and myself love hearing her voice. We think it's just so much fun because she smiles and laughs afterwards. She's such a happy baby and why would we want to stop her when she's just learning to explore. It'll pass and then you'll miss it so I would just enjoy this time. We cherish every moment we have with our daughter. She's going to be 1 yr old this month. Time will fly by fast.

You may be right that it is for attention, but just in case: If you have not already done so, determine if there is any possibility of a hearing impairment (talk to her pediatrician). Also, check her ears for excessive wax production (some people, like my husband, get 'plugged' ears from wax, and it can affect their hearing at times).