First-time parents of a cute, plump-cheeked infant look forward to each stage of their child's growth and development. What they don't anticipate is that their little sweetheart is going to develop a mind of her own -- along with a set of pipes to match. It is going to happen: You are going to be in a store or restaurant, and she is going to cut loose, so be ready.
Screaming is Fun
Your toddler screams because it's fun. At 18 months old, your child is learning about himself and his world. When he screams at top volume, scaring you -- or irritating you -- he's experimenting with his voice and how he is "magically" able to control his environment, writes the WhattoExpect website. Your toddler has little, if any, impulse control. This tells you to be ready for anything. If you are at a fast-food restaurant or in a grocery store, and your baby unleashes his voice, realize it is going to happen. Look at how your son enjoys life; every day is a new adventure, so it's a natural reaction for him to release an eardrum-shattering screech, says the BabyCenter website.
No Volume Control
Your little one doesn't know that it's not appropriate to yell at the top of her lungs in a crowded place. She's still learning how to behave at home and in public. If she's excited by the toys at a pizza restaurant, her first instinct is likely to be a shriek when she sees the games, blinking lights and toys. When you're at home, and your toddler is playing a game, she may become so caught up in the fun and play, she screams as she's playing. While you drop the laundry basket and run to see if blood has spilled, she's grinning and having fun. Relax -- the screaming phase will eventually end, according to the WhattoExpect website.
Limited Communication Skills
Your child is still learning to communicate using words, so when he doesn't know a word or has forgotten the name of something he wants, he turns to the next-best and most effective method of communication: a blood-curdling, toe-curling yell. Remember, because he doesn't have the same ability to communicate that you do, one scream is more effective, and it gets results.
Tantrum-Related
When your toddler doesn't get her way and she has thrown herself on the kitchen floor, kicking and screaming, keep in mind that, for her, screaming and anger go hand in hand. The usual toddler tantrum does involve plenty of tears and high-volume shrieking while she is worked up. Expect her to kick walls, doors and possibly you. She also may throw objects. Because she has limited ability to control the world around her, she perceives that the only way she can affect her environment is to pitch a high-decibel fit, states the PregnancyBabyCare website.
Screaming Equals Attention
When you're engrossed in making dinner or figuring out the month's bills and your child decides it's time for mommy and daddy to pay attention to him, he will resort to the one tool guaranteed to get your attention -- the toddler bellow, says the BabyCenter website.
If your little one has decided he just has to have the truck on the shelf at the store, he may believe that yelling at top volume, thereby embarrassing you and your partner, is justified. Again, this phase of your child's development will pass into happy, hopefully misty, memory.
