Help with screaming baby?

Question

Hello,
I am new to this forum and am at my wits end. My baby is 8mths old. He screams a high-pitched scream over 300 times day (yes I have counted). Most days my ears cry out in pain and I have had to get earplugs. I cannot take him shopping or out of the house too much because his screaming is so incredibly loud. I have headaches from it most days. He will scream in pain, joy, hunger, frustration, excitement and at anything else. He is a very happy baby so he will often scream for joy!! They don't all sound the same so I can recognise what he needs. We went to the docs and he is perfectly normal and healthy. The doc suggested not rewarding the behaviour which is what my husband and I have been doing for several months by ignoring it. But when he screams in pain or hunger we can't ignore that so the message is probably inconsistant for him. It has not been helping anyway.
Any help would be gratefully received as I am ready to take him back to the hospital.
Ringing Ears

Answer 1

Have they checked him out for acid reflux...does he have ANY of these symptoms..(besides screaming in pain)

arches his back as if he was throwing himself backwards
sounds congested but nothing is there mornings may be worse
spits up
gets more upset after he eats
gassy even at times being able to hear their tummy roll
hoarseness
may even tend to gag hisself several times a day
how is his weight gain?
sleeping patterns?

also does he have regular bowel movements, ever tried switching formula if you are not breastfeeding...If you are breastfeeding then trying to eliminate dairy products from your diet along with reducing as much caffeine as possible...

Take care of yourself! Try not to get too stressed out...I know how you feel with the screaming and not knowing what to do...If your doctor will not at least check into things for you I would really think about seeing another doctor to see what they think. Just for your childs sake and your peace of mind. To hear that scream (and I can hear it now) is heartbreaking.

Hang in there...

Have you tried the Gripe water that is in the baby section such as http://www.wellements.com/gripewater.asp

Answer 2

At this point, I'm sure u would fit in the Calgon commercial. lol...
okay, now that you are a mom, you know when something is wrong. It doesn't matter what the doctor says, you know in your heart that SCREAMING constantly isn't normal. (this should be the sweetest time between you and him) Have you had a second opinion? Could it be acid reflux? maybe he needs prescription gas drops, they saved me. I hope that I have helped a little. If all else fails, the other day (a week and a half ago) on Oprah, she had about 8 new moms, like yourself. A couple of them were at their wits end also. There was a woman on there that could speak "baby language". I REALLY thought , "how crazy", until the end of the show. No fussy little ones, all were resting, when they would get the first e'sound out, the moms knew exactly what they wanted. My children are 9 and 6, but if I had a baby, I would give it a try. Just go to oprah.com and see what you can find out. If you don't see any link, e-mail them-they will get you the information you need. Good luck to you. (remember, its better to let him lay in his crib and cry, than for him to push you too far. Take deep cleansing breaths-you will get through this-YOU CAN DO IT!)

Answer 3

Who is the person that suggested flicking water in a babies face to teach right from wrong? That is ludicrous!!!!!!!! You do that to cats for climbing on the furniture, not to babies!!!! You can not punnish an 8 month old for his behaviour. There is no right and wrong for a baby. It is a tough one. At this age he can not talk so this is his way of communicating. His hearing is the first thing I am inclined to think of. If you are standing out of view and call his name at a normal volume does he turn to the sound of your voice? If not then perhaps a hearing chek is agood idea, even if it just rules that one out. It always seems like a process of elimination with babies! Try not not responding straight away, or try pre empting what he needs. If he screams to express happiness, then it can't be anything like colic. Good luck, I wish you all the best and hope you can get to the bottom of this for the sake of your sanity!

Answer 4

Have you had his hearing tested? I had a friend whose child did this (not as often probably but he was really loud all the time) and they found that he had problems hearing and eventually had to have tubes put in his ears at 1 and a half years old. I don't know really what else to tell you other than that his lungs are really developed well by now. I know this is frustrating but rule out the medical possibilities first then worry about discipline. Try talking to him very softly for a few days and see if he responds in the same way. Good luck with your dilemma. Just wait til he's grown, you'll wish he was still screaming in your ear!!!

Answer 5

Tough one. My daughter is 13 months and cried a lot at night...so we had some similar concerns albeit not as intense as yours. The one thing we learned is that the screaming is for a season, this to shall pass - let that be your light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe you can anticipate his hunger so that he doesn't have to scream and/or be stern and do not reward it even when he is hungry. Try telling him "no don't scream, i'm right here" and wait....hold your ground. Children are very trainable, yet very controllable if we do not train them.

You also might try making sure that you don't fuss around him and monitor the tone you use around him when talking to others.

I hope this helps as I know ringing ears are quite tough to deal with...but this too shall pass.

Answer 6

Hey sorry to hear this. Maybe he is teething, or colic. He could also have an ear infection which hurts bad for babies. But if it were me, i would just take my baby and hug and kiss him and put him on my shoulders and let his heart touch mine. I know sometimes it is very stressful and can drive a person crazy. But sometimes that is the only thing u MUST do. You can even go and get some soft lullaby cds to soothe him, also you may want to try getting a vaporizer. It can be anything bothering him. But just try getting a teething ring very cold and give it to him. Or get some lavender calming bath gel and wash him up with, and some lavender lotion and powder. this will calm his nerves.

Answer 7

I don't think that there is anything that you can do at this age if you are sure that the baby is happy and healthy. You can start disciplining him for it when he is old enough to understand. My Grand daughter is like this as well. She is 19 months old and always throwing loud hissy fits. I think that until they get a little older, you will just have to grin and bear it. Have fun.

Answer 8

You didn't mention when this began. I suspect your baby has "discovered" his voice. He likes it. He also sees a quick reaction from you. (Even a wince in pain is feedback to him) Just tell him "don't scream, that hurts mommy's ears". If he ever does it deliberately after being told that then put him down. He'll get the point. I imagine he'll outgrow it in a few months.

Answer 9

Hello,
The most common symptom of GERD is persistent heartburn. Heartburn is experienced as an unpleasant and painful burning sensation in the esophageal area.

If you have already been diagnosed with GERD / acid reflux you can also try out this natural remedy http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=568
I hope it helps

Answer 10

he need to be held youre need to calm down enjoy baby all baby are a blessing when you are upset the baby feel it and you never ignoring baby at eight month he need you more then every i have 5 kids and i walk the floor many of night with the baby its take two to take care of a baby and i am the father and they are older now and we are close let the baby watch tv with you hold the baby talk to him so he feel important