New high pitched cry in 4 month old

[Bellyrub1980]

My 4 month old baby is developing normally and sleeps and feeds pretty well. I've often felt quite lucky that she doesn't really cry very much. However, over the last few days she had developed a very high pitched screeching cry. Its ear peircing.

I'm sure I read somewhere that a high pitched cry can indicate pain. She doesn't have a temperature and I feel no teeth coming through. I can often stop her crying with distraction/toys or a cuddle.

I can't help thinking its a cry or boredom or frustration (and occasionally tiredness), or maybe she's just learned that I react to it.

Either way, I'm not sure my ears can cope with much more!!

Should I try calpol to eliminate the potential pain factor?

What else can I do??!

Mine found she could vary the volume and pitch of her voice at 4 months ... All sorts of odd noises came out.
If she stops crying for a toy, I doubt it's pain. I took "high wail" to be the noise they make when they have their injections!

Yes my baby is certainly making lots of new noises. Some are very cute and funny. But this screech is horrible :( I think it's what she does when she's tired

I think the screeching is pretty common, though irritating, at this age! My ds is 5 months now and for the last few weeks he and the other babies in our NCT group of a similar age have been making what we call the dinosaur noise! He did it a lot for a week or so but gradually is replacing it with a wider range of sound .

Has she recently had a vaccine? High pitched crying that won't stop, can be a sign of a vaccine reaction.

I think you'd know if it was a pain cry, there would be a feeling of upset/distress I think.

They can sometimes do this when they realise they can control their sounds, and they can try different noises out.

I think the making velociraptor sounds stage is something that all babies go through. I remember when mine was that age and he was capable of clearing whole restaurants with an ear-shattering howly squawk. This too shall pass.

The vanishingly small chance of it being a "vaccine reaction" would be the last thing I'd attribute it to, to be honest, particularly as the OP has said she can distract her with a toy. But there are some who blame vaccines for everything.

Thankfully not a vaccine reaction. At least not a serious one. Today she only made the noise once!! Ears bleeding slightly less.

Good to hear she isn't the only screecher!!