Well, I'm assuming that at 16 months old, he can't talk. So, as a BABY, there really is no other way for him to tell you if he is unhappy, uncomfotable, sad, itchy, sick, wet, ect. ect. ect. - crying or screaming is pretty much his only language at the moment. I think hitting a BABY for crying and getting on your nerves is terrible. If your nerves just can't take the antics of a baby perhaps you should not be in charge of taking care of him. Just my opinion.

I'm sorry that you feel like I resent this child and beat him. I guess my choice of words was poor. IF he gets smacked on the leg, it is rare and only to try and get his attention. I understand that he can't vocalize his feelings, but these fits appear to happen for no reason at all. At what point do you start to teach proper behavior? A 16 month old has the attention span of a knat, but how early is too early to expect a minute or two of patience instead of immediatelly and insistently demanding something. I don't claim to be perfect...far from it, but I also don't want to be made out to be a child abuser either. I love this child as if he where my own and he lights up my world with his smile/laugh, he is a blessing from God and the best thing to happen to our family. I understand that this is probably a stage he's going through and in the next month or so...he'll move on to something else. I was only trying to get some advice on how to handle these outbursts and some insight as to why they might be occuring. Again I apologize if my wording lead you to believe something else.

You handled that comment very diplomatically....good job! I did not get what that poster got by reading your post. You wer at your wits end and tried to be funny. Anyway, I agree with tam that you should find a safe place, like his crib and leave him there until he calms down. Eventually he will see the connection of him screaming to him being put alone in his room for a time out :)

I agree with junieg, sending the child to their crib only creates a second problem at bedtime. They'll feel that they did something wrong when nap/bedtime rolls around.

Your child is just trying to communicate with you and without words, they only have a few options. It's your job to teach them how to communicate. It may be frustrating, but try playing 20 questions with them and ask them if they way more, want up, etc. Also reinforce each question with some type of sign. Check out http://signingbaby.com/ for some of the specific signs.

We've found it very helpful when our daughter has a fit and starts screaming. She's usually better once she knows that she has successfully communicated with us, even if she doesn't get her way. Worse case scenario is after five minutes of playing 20 questions, your child will have forgotten what they were upset about ;-)
Good Luck!
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Just a question. Do you babysit your nephew regularly? By your comment, it sounds like you spend a lot of time w/ him. I can understand how such an ear piercing scream wld make your head want to explode. But remember, he's the child and you're the adult. Although I'm not a professional, I've spent a lot of time w/ young children, both in day care and as a nanny, and now as a mom. I've learned to differentiate between the screams and cries, and handled each situation as appropriate. If your nephew is bored, as you say, try playing simple games like finger plays, patty cake or peek a boo. Babies love that. You can even try floor exercises where you lay the baby on the floor and rotate his arms and legs to music, or try the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song. Also move your nephew from room to room, walking w/ him, talking to him, letting him explore his surroundings. Take him outside or to the park on nice days. Babies love to explore, and they also need change of scenery. If you need to get something done (prepare a meal, switch laundry...), sit your nephew in a swing, bouncy seat or exesaucer that plays music or has lights to stimulate him more. These are all things I did w/ my children that helped me.
As far as your nephew screaming to get his way, that's normal too. It's your job as caregiver to set the rules and stick to them. I think it depends on the situation in this case. If your nephew wants to open a cabinet to get at the tupperware containers, so what. However, if he wants to put his finger in an outlet, that's a whole different story. When it comes to discipline, I wld try to distract your nephew and redirect him as best as you can. From my experience, time-outs did not work w/ my kids at that age. I don't think a light tap on the hand and a strong "NO!" is such a terrible thing in a danger situation. I just wldn't use it regularly for every little thing. This is my opinion, but every parent is different. I hope my advice helps make the time w/ your nephew a little more pleasant. Overall, though, he sounds like a sweet little boy. Good luck!