high pitch screaming

First, was she drug and/or alcohol exposed in utero? The drugs especially can account for the high pitch, prolonged scream. I had one foster son who I described as having a scream an octave above a mezzo soprano and 3000 decibels. Second, is this something new or has she done it the entire time she has been in your home? Third, does she go to sleep and then wake up screaming? If so, she may be experiencing night terrors. True, 4 hours is a long time for screaming after a bout of night terrors, but I have had it happen. She is the right age for this. In my experience, I have found that swaddling (yes, even a 1 year old) and holding her firmly, yet gently as you rock her helps. I have also found that it helps if I have very quiet soothing music on the the background and just kind of croon to the wee one. The faster you can get them swaddled and rocking the shorter the time of screaming. Eventually it only takes a hand laid on their back, with some gentle rubbing of the back to calm them and get them back to sleep (without picking them up from their crib/bed). Another thing that may help is a warm bath with lavender just before bedtime. You can top it off with lavender lotion. This helps to calm the toddlers and prepare them for sleep time. Good luck.

There is no evidence that she was exposed but we have her sister and she was exposed. She has always done the screaming. And she does both either while she is awake she screams or when she goes to sleep then wakes up screaming. We have started occupational therapy and they have given me tips. I will also try the bath. Right now it is way too hot I think to try the swaddling and we don't have air condition so I'm afraid she would get too hot. Thank you for the tips!

Have you looked at the foods she has been eating or formula? A child with food allergies can cry all night. Milk is a common culprit. My son is on Soy milk and it has helped. Good luck!

Yes, She is on soy formula and soy milk. I even tried almond milk to see if it was the soy. They have started her on something called brush therapy where I use a soft brush on her every 2 hours and then do some other therapy massages. She seems to be better but we will see in the long run if it works.

I'm sorry that you are going through what you're going through but I am also relieved to know that someone else is going through the same thing that we are. My FS who is just 10 months old will scream for hours and I am at my wits end about what to do about it. He want to be held constantly and I have a 2 year old as well so it is not condusive sometimes to sit and hold him. He just never seem to be happy and I just don't know what to do. We make sure that his basic needs are met and we are also very loving but he only responds to being held and if you put him down he'll throw major fits. My husband and I work full time and he goes to daycare and the providers state that he doesn't have any problem there it's just when he comes home. I don't know what else we can do...

I recommend some type of therapy. We have only gone to 2 sessions and I have been doing the brush therapy for a week and I am already seeing a difference. The therapist also told us she needed more sleep to help her deal with things so we are back to 2 naps and putting her down earlier at night and she is sleeping so much better. I don't know if therapy is an option for you but I would look into it.

My bio son used to do this. It wasn't until he was 4 that we started realizing he had a form of autism. I'd make sure I ruled out medical issues as well as emotional & psychological issues.

Boy, do I know what you're dealing with! My foster son has done this since he came to live with us, too. He came at 5 months, and would scream for an hour or two constantly at the top of his lungs. My husband called it a "cry of ultimate human suffering" because it was unbelievably loud and frantic. NOTHING I did would help. I tried rocking, I tried singing, I tried rubbing him, I tried soft music, I tried a bottle, I tried swinging him, all different kinds of holds, the vacuum cleaner, EVERYTHING I could think of! Nothing ever helped at ALL. Finally, his doctor and social worker told me just to leave him there while he screamed. I tell you what... I did it! It was so hard to listen to him screaming, but he seemed to do BETTER when I didn't do anything for him! I think he just needed to get some kind of tension or stress or whatever it was out by screaming like that.My foster son was drug exposed, and when he was born, he showed the affects of it by his high-pitched scream. It could very well be that your foster child was drug exposed, or it could be a form of autism, as another poster said. At any rate, my foster son is 13 months old now, and he no longer screams for hours like that. He still screams throughout the day for short intervals, but he outgrew the 2 hour screaming sessions. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I can at least relate and tell you to hang in there!Stacy