RaaahhhHHHHHHHHH!!!!

[bitzermaloney]

is what my 8-month-old likes to shout out of nowhere, really, really loudly, then he giggles. I thought it was funny but today when he did it in a cafe where I was meeting a friend and her baby, he made her dd cry by doing it suddenly... and the whole place seemed to turn and look and then she told me I should be discouraging it. Surely this is just a passing phase of him trying out new sounds? Am I supposed to be doing something about it? If so, what?!

He sounds fab.

I suppose, I guess... if it's really loud in a cafe you should be telling him to be quiet, just from a sociability point of view, but to be honest if the child at the next table did it I'd just laugh. Especially with the giggle afterwards. Though if he did it a lot...

Your friend sounds a bit over protective to me.

My dd was a shouter starting from that sort of age, just out of blue SCREEEAAAAMMMING at the top of her lungs. Is still partial to a bit of a screech for no apparent reason other than it's funny to her. I think at 8 months you can't really explain the whole 'loud voices outside, quiet voices inside' concept to him. My dd is 2.3 and only just gets that idea now!! Let him roar!!

Thanks... I did try 'shhhhh!' but tbh he drowned me out! I wonder if he does it for the attention (in which case wouldn't me shushing him just be more attention? I don't think he knows what shhh means anyway!). He does actually do it a fair bit, usually in places like shops while I am pushing him in the buggy. People turn round to see what on earth I am doing to him . I feel a bit powerless to stop him short of stuffing a sock in his mouth!

Don't think you can do much when he's 8mo! Your friend would only have been thinking of her dd being upset, I bet that's why she thought you should discourage him.

My dd had an incredibly high-pitched squeal at that age and no amount of shhing would stop her. I learned a beatific, 'not bothered' smile to aim at all the frowns when she did it in public...

I think they love practising different noises and experimenting - he must be loving it!

woof woof btw bitzer!

quiet there, doggiesays! [throws shoe]

I think all the other characters are on here too.