To all of you that have kids...... OT

[Still Kate]

Sorry this is a bit off topic but I am at my wits end ...... Millie has a habit of screeching.     I know she does it when she gets frustrated and as she isn't speaking properly right now its her only way to get immediate attention.  BUT its getting deafening.  Any ideas?

I tend to ignore the actual screech and ask her gently what she wants but being only human I have to really check myself so as not to shout at her.    

She did it in the store today and this old lady told her to shut up.... which obviously got my back up and I ended up telling this old woman what I thought of her, though I could see her point.

Any help would be appreciated.    I'm not working at the mo, so she gets most of my attention all day as Liam sleeps.

Thank you all.
Kate. xx

[Jennie]

I hate to say this, but it isn't going to stop as long as it is working. If you really want this to stop, you can't reward it when she screeches.

The first thing to do is to see if you can identify signals that she is trying to communicate something BEFORE she gets to the screeching part. Pay close attention to her focus and to any reaching, pointing, or other movements and body language that she may be using to indicate interest or desire, and then offer what you think she wants, if it is appropriate for her to have. When you offer it, talk to her about it - this will help her learn vocabulary and she will be able to respond to questions with a nod or a shake of the head long before she is able to articulate what she wants. Have you considered using baby sign language? This might give her a way to communicate that is less frustrating and may circumvent the need to screech for attention, and will go a long way toward eliminating the need to guess what she wants.

[Gryphon]

I have to agree with Jennie. By talking to her and giving her what she wants after the screeching just reinforces the behavior.

I forget how old Millie is right now, but it appears you have a bad habit in the making.

The Rabbit had a habit of kicking if she didn't get her way as a toddler. The only thing I could do was remove myself from her reach. You may have to do something similar. Since the screech is aimed at getting attention, having her behavior reacted to in any way only serves to support it.

If she screeches at home walk away from her. Do something else. BEFORE she screeches, when she is behaving well, talk to her about acceptable alternatives and warn her that you will have to do something else if she screeches.

My cousin's 1 year old was talking in sign language quite fluently. The last time we saw her, she had just learned the word for milk and since she was still nursing, was signing milk at every opportunity to show everybody she could get mommy's boobie on demand. We all thought it was so cute, although my cousin was getting a little tired of the routine since the baby wasn't really hungry. But it sure beats a screeching child and interfering old bitties any day!

[Picador]

You might want to check into exactly what could be wrong with a doctor or the like. I'm no health professional and I don't have kids (not for a long time yet - I'm sixteen) but this sounds familiar. When I was an infant I had expressive-receptive disorder,  a learning disability that impaired my communication. Because nobody understood me, I'd just scream. I don't know the details, unfortunately. Sorry for the vagueness, and hope everything turns out well. =)