Anyone else have a toddler who screams instead of crying?

[UpToMyElbowsInDiapers]

Any time he’s mildly upset or uncomfortable, forget little sniffles or tears, my two-year-old goes straight for ear-splitting shrieking. It sounds like he’s having his leg cut off, any time I pour the cereal the “wrong” way or his big sister has said he can’t have a toy he wants, but equally for bigger things like when he got a large splinter in his finger from an old fence. It feels like “the boy who cried wolf”. Not to mention it being unfair to everyone in our surroundings.

Any tips? He’s perfectly normal and well adjusted in every other respect!

Yep my 2 year old is a screamer too 😅 I feel like I have to constantly distract him away from his tantrum, or i will completely ignore it depending on what he's shouting about, my soul left my body today by 2pm 😂 it gets exhausting I feel your pain

Please help! We’re at the 35 minute mark of an epic screaming tantrum because his DF left and didn’t give him “enough” hugs (there were many hugs!).

I’ve tried talking to him soothingly, hugging, holding, singing, looking at pictures of DH, distraction tactics (books, songs, even a video on my phone which is usually not allowed!), now I’ve had to leave him in his room with the baby gate to “scream it out” while I tend to the newborn. Im checking on him every 5 minutes and trying to be soothing but he refuses a hug and my presence seems to make it worse. It makes no sense, we’ve had a lovely day together and he’s well fed and well rested! Heeeeeeeelp!

@UpToMyElbowsInDiapers it sounds bad but I'd honestly leave him to cry it out and tend to your newborn, I honestly know how hard it is, I've got 12 months between my boys and I had to do it that way in the end because I was at the end of my tether I had a 1 year old and a newborn... it gets easier I promise
Go and make yourself some coffee and ignore ignore ignore
I hope your ok

My 2yr old dd is the same. I dont know what to suggest OP. We sometimes try distraction or ignoring with mixed results. I do also tell her to use her words properly in her indoor voice but I've only been trying this the last few days and it hasn't worked yet. I'm sure my neighbours hate us!

Thanks for the commiseration!

In today’s case, my mum came over which made DS even more furious because only Papa would do… but after the insult of his grandmother trying to be kind to him, he was willing to settle for me. We had a hug and watched a 10-minute episode of his favourite show while cuddling, then went downstairs to play and he’s been in a delightful mood ever since. These toddler mood swings are wild!

Can you try earplugs OP?
In desperation..

I am able to tune him out now and don’t need earplugs, I don’t think… but I’d love to get to the root cause of the screaming and try to actually prevent it rather than just ignoring it. My DD never screamed like this. Although I feel like I’ve raised them pretty similarly, sometimes I feel like I’m failing my DS somehow. Like I’m not able to help him process the depths of his 2-year-old emotions. Or I’m too strict or not strict enough…? No idea!!!