Screeching/Squealing

Willa Grace has started this high pitched super loud squeal/screeching noise when she is excited. I say "Willa Grace shhhhh inside voice" and she pretty much laughs at me LOL. They are 15 months old is it to much to try and teach inside vrs outside voices?

 

My girls have started doing that recently too and usually if we're at home or in the car I just ignore it because I don't want them to think they get attention by screaming. I have been trying to teach them to lower their voices, but even at almost 21 months they aren't really understanding (or are understanding and just not doing it). I'm interested to see what others have to say on this...

 

I tolerate happy noise, e.g. when they are chasing each other through the house screaming and shouting for glee and excitement. This is mostly ok although I will gently remind them to use indoor voices if I can without disrupting.

In all other situations, e.g. shouting instead of normal voices at the dinner table, shouting or screaming to get my attention etc. I just say "Please use your quiet voice, I can hear you very well" and ignore their requests until they use indoor voices. If ignoring does not work I will say "You are hurting mommy's ears. Please go to another room to shout or use your quiet voice" which always works.

Sometimes whispering also works, just to catch their attention and to stop the vicious cycle of all of us getting louder and louder just to be heard which can happen to me.

 

I had to laugh when I read this...I am still working on this with my 4 year old :laughing:. He's often louder and more high pitched then his sisters and easily gets carried away when playing in the house. Like a PP said I try to tolerate increased volume when they are playing and happy but DS has this high pitched squeal that I can't stand. I just tell him "please use your inside voice, that sound hurts mommy's ears". I hope someday he gets it...that being said it might be a looong time before your 15 month old figures it out too .

 

I was thinking that maybe part of the reason she hasn't gotten it yet is because mommy and daddy are giggling when we say SHHH inside voice. its just so funny to hear such a loud noise out of a small thing! LOL oh well I guess we will just keep trying and wait it out.

 

My babies do it too, sometimes when playing and sometimes when they are trying to get our attention (hand me the cup! pick me up!). Since they don't really talk much yet we don't really try and correct them. I know they understand "sssh" but I'm sure my boys wouldn't understand inside vs. outside voices yet. I'm thinking it may just be a phase until they get more words.

 

It's not too early to start teaching, but it's too early to expect them to remember and obey. :ibiggrin:

Our daycare (whose guidance we followed about nearly all things in the infant/toddler years!) started teaching inside voices as soon as the kids were in the toddler room, around 14 months. But there isn't much to it at that age besides gently reminding, "Inside voice, please!" when they are getting loud. It also helps to talk to them in a calm, quiet voice (both in general and especially when they are starting to get loud).

If they're demanding things, they're almost old enough to start learning that you respond better to quiet voices (or sign language, if they know any) than to shrieking. But again, I wouldn't expect them to remember it all the time.

There are times when they're just going to be loud -- I was pretty tolerant about happy loud noises, even inside, as long as they were just being exuberant and not actually trying to get me to do something.