6mo screeching is driving me up the wall -- please help!

[madscimum]

6mo DD makes this high pitched scream/squeal/screech, which she picked up somewhere around 4mo. She goes through phases of using it a lot and has just entered another one. She did it throughout most of the day yesterday and just started up again this morning. I'm not sure, but I think it indicates some kind of distress: she often does it when she's rolled over on her tummy and is frustrated at her inability to crawl, or when she is very tired and resisting sleep. Yet she also often seems happy she screeches and then looks over at me with a smile.

The sound is actually physically painful. I love my DD, but when she makes this noise all I want is to get as far away from her as possible. How can I get her to stop? I've tried trying to fix anything that might be wrong changing a nappy, feeding, putting her back to sitting or her back (this last doesn't work at all she rolls back to her tummy immediately), picking her up and hugging her. I've tried saying a stern "No"; I've tried ignoring her; I've tried whispering to her or blowing bubbles to try to get a different sound. Nothing seems to work for more than a minute or so, if that.

I think she might be teething -- yesterday I gave her calpol thinking she might be in pain, but it didn't seem to help. She likes teething toys, but screeches around them.

Any advice? I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through another day of this...

I know you don't want to hear this, but it is a phase. DD is 7m and doing this, and I watched all the other babies at the groups I go to go through the same thing at the same age. It lasts about a month.

I know what you mean about it being painful though. It is like my brain has been flossed!

My 5 month old does the same thing, it's truly ear piercingly painful. A midwife i know assured me its normal but my dd definitely does it more when tired. The only thing I find helps sometimes is to distract her by my singing....which may be where she picked it up to begin with though...:0

Ah, I hadn't thought of singing. Maybe I'll try that. I don't think I can make ignoring work -- I can't do it consistently enough, and that seems to make things even worse.

She was a better for much of the day. I wish I knew why she does this!

She is finding her voice, my dd used to do it around the 6m mark. Screamed then looked pleased with herself . The noise used to ring in my ears afterwards.

It may not seem like it but it will pass

yup, ds does it too. its ear piercing isnt it? i just try to get him to make another noise so say 'ba, ba ba or something in the hope he will imitate that instead.