How to Stop Your Baby from Screaming

While writing this I will use the example of an 11mt old boy so picture a cute cubby cheeked 11 month old baby boy. One day his cute little babbles will turn into high pitch screams that make you either want to scream or lock yourself in the bathroom.

I've often heard some parents say "Well, he is just a baby. Nothing we can do." Or "Maybe this is the start of the terrible twos." Do you feel that way too? You may be glad to know you can teach a baby or toddler how to be quiet or at least when to scream and when not to scream. It isn't simple but it can be done. If a child is old enough to scream without a reason and just does it to hear himself then he is old enough to learn to stop too. He is showing he has control over his voice.

The first real step though is both parents & or any other care takers need to be on the same page about the child's behavior. If you are not it can cause stress and tension between the parents and child. It will also confuse the child being allowed to scream when grandma cares for him but not allowed to scream when grandma leaves.

Keep in mind that the minuet a child learns to disobey they are old enough to learn to obey.

You can do a few things to help your child learn not to scream.

1. Teach him to whisper. Kids can get a kick out of this and yes even 11mts can whisper. If they yell they have control over the tone of their voice.

Make it game. When he screams cover your ears, lean towards him and whisper "No. Let's be quiet." make it more fun talking without making sound. Do this next to his ear and it will be like a soft blow into his ear which most likely will make him giggle. Tickle him a bit and do it again saying "Can you be quiet??" then "Shhhhhh" which will tickle his hear & say again "(child's name), can you whisper like me?" Then if you are brave turn your ear towards him and say "Whisper." Sometimes they may blow with their tongue spitting a bit but he just may get the hang of it quickly. My kids loved this game & it helped them learn to be quiet during church.

Just remember when you put your ear to his/her mouth they may be scream instead of whispering. This is where the next step comes in handy.

2. Another thing to do is show him how loud noises can hurt ears. When he screams cover your ears and say "OW. That hurt." then say something like "Did that hurt your ears too? Let's talk quietly inside." Lower your voice just a bit and see if he follows. Do this each & every time he screams. You have to stick with it.

3. My middle daughter is a very LOUD TALKER like her dad & I use to tell her to be quiet because she'd wake up her baby dolls . She loved babies & if she was loud I'd say "Shhhh, you are going to wake up your baby." I'd pick up the baby and act like it was a real one. I'd pat the baby and pretend to quiet him/her down then put him or her back in bed and say "Shhh, the babies are sleeping."

For a child of 11mts & a boy this may work with toy cars. As odd as it sounds you can pretend the cars sleep to. Or use it with pets, a fish or anything else. Use your imagination & be creative.

These methods do work and you can teach babies to be quiet. The Amish have long 3hr services and they don't have a nursery for young kids or babies. The babies are taught early on sit quietly in mom's lap for a full 3hrs. All babies are born the same so these are not special Amish babies. They are normal babies & learn to obey early in life.

Just remember both parents & all care givers needs to do this too. If one parents doesn't agree maybe if she/he sees your example of teaching him/her to be quiet and making it a game she/he will see it is a good idea. But you have to work together.