Absolute exhaustion!!!!

[clep]

I have a two year old girl I have had for about a year now. She is awesome and have never had any major issues with her.

About two weeks ago she started screaming for her mom for hours at a time. She screams when mom drops her off and for the next few hours consistently. It is a shriek and she absolutely loses it.

Diversion is not working at all. We will be right in the middle of playing and she will break out screaming. I will be reading, playing play dough, painting, singing and dancing, whatever we do, she starts screaming.

I have tried consoling her, but she screams louder and just doesn't quit. The other children are exhausted with her screaming and they are getting upset with her.

Mom tends to try to find out whats wrong and is very consoling. She is doing this at home too, but mom says not that often. I am wondering if the seriously concerned reaction mom gives her can be feeding it.

She is fine all afternoon btw. No tears or upset at all.

Ideas?

[mimi]

At two the kids know what basic social behaviors are not acceptable. I had a two year old boy who would scream at the top of his lungs intermittantly for half hour at a time. Of course trying to get them to stop in almost impossible so I showed him that when he wants to scream he will do so in his bed. When he stops he can rejoin his friends and I. If he starts up again, back to bed. This is not teaching him bed is for punishment because I explain to him he can come out anytime he stops - his choice. After about a week (he's f/t) there isn't anymore screaming fits.

[sunnydays]

I use bed as well for my own children. My daughter just turned two and has meltdowns at times and now she will actually ask to go lie in her bed...again it is not a punishment, but just giving them some time to calm down and cool off and they let me know when they are ready to rejoin us. I haven't had a dck do this yet, but I would do the same.

[clep]

She has an area kind around the corner in a very short hallway that leads to another room to go to. She will take herself there when she starts to scream, and will come out when she is ready. It has been about 20 - 30 times in the morning alone that she will go there. I won't let her go to bed because she will just stay there all day, literally. When she has to go around the corner, at least she get some interaction with us in between the screams after the initial first three hours.