Help! Infant Son HATES riding in the car.

[LilGMom]

I feel for you!! My youngest was like that for basically the first 8-10 months and I had a 30 - 45 minute drive to and from work each day, sometimes longer in the afternoon/evening with traffic. I was miserable in the car, lol. The good news is that he did eventually grow out of it.

What we did when we traveled was had someone sit in the back with him and basically try to 'entertain' him the entire time. Luckily his older brother (4 yr. old at the time) could just look at him and the youngest would smile. But there were times when even that wouldn't work. It will get better.

 

[somechick]

My DS5 hated the car, too. He was a very difficult baby and the car was one of the worst things. He did outgrow it, but not until he was old enough and big enough to be forward facing.

However, we had a cassette tape of lullabies that he liked and that was our lifesaver. It was all classic lullabies sung by children and it was the only thing that soothed him in the car. You could try finding some music that he likes,or perhaps the heartbeat therapy cd might work. That actually made my son sleep for two hours at a time when he was about a year old.

Look for some soothing music, my DD4 really likes the classic instrumental lullabies by Twin Sisters.


Good luck!!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Is it worse at night?

DS was fine when he was really little, but as an older baby, he would cry if I went anywhere late in the day (it was winter in New England, so it was dark by 4:00.) We finally realized it was because he was facing backward in the dark, and couldn't see any of us! The day he turned one, and we turned the car seat around, was a big celebration in our house.

So, since you're far from being able to turn him around, I like what someone else said about taping a big picture of your face to the back seat, right in his view.

Good luck!!

 

[mom2my3kids]

My youngest was that way from birth, hated the car seat. He would scream and cry from the moment he was strapped in until we got home. It got to be where we would just stay home a lot of time and dreaded when we did have to leave with him. I tried everything, the toys that hung from the car seat, sun visors on the windows, toys etc. Nothing worked he finally grew out of it around 2 years old..

 

[justhat]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but there's nothing you can do. I speak from experience. My daughter was exactly the same way. From birth she would scream literally everytime she was in her carseat. Whenever possible, someone would sit in the backseat with her and try to amuse her and no luck. It was terrible. We live in DC and my mom is in NJ and we made that drive often, with Madison screaming the entire trip! We'd pull over every hour or so just to give her (and us!) a break from the screaming. She NEVER slept in the car. Ever.

Around 8 months old she got considerably better, but still cried at least part of every car trip. Then we switched her from the Graco infant seat to the Britaxs (Roundabout and Marathon) at 9 months and she was much, much better. Not sure if it was the seat (our Graco infant carrier does not look very comfortable) or her age or what, but driving was peaceful after that.

Now my son, otoh, was totally fine with his carseat as a newborn. He very rarely cried in the car, usually only if it were stopped and as soon as it started moving he was quiet. Then, around 8 months or so, he decided he did not care for his carseat anymore. He'd cry as soon as we got to the car and I opened the back door, fight me about getting in the seat, and generally cry most of the time we were driving, unless he fell asleep. And my daughter is almost always in the backseat with him, and she talks to him, holds his hand, tries to amuse him, but he just screams. Oh, and we moved him out of his infant seat at 7 months, so it wasn't a problem with the infant seat. In fact, he'd sleep in his infant seat inside the crib whenever he had a cold.

He's almost 13 months and is better, but still generally annoyed if the trip is longer than say 30 minutes. He doesn't continually cry, but he'll cry on and off and otherwise complain.

 

[Oceana]

No suggestions but I know how you feel.

He did grow out of it and was much happily foward facing when he was old/large enough.

I did discover I could nurse him while he was strapped into his car seat rear facing while uncomfortable for me it made him stop screaming

julie

 

[GiGi30]

Just wanted to say I have a 4 month old named Mason!

 

[nessz79]

Been there with both of my boys! It lasted about 6-9 months like some previous posters mentioned. Nothing we did really help. Once they were able to hold and play with toys, that would sometimes help temporarily.

My oldest was ok as long as we were moving most of the time, but as soon as we stopped at a light, we were doomed.

My youngest hated it no matter what!

It's probably nothing you can do anything about except grin and bear it. I feel your pain- we avoided travelling with the youngest since he was so much worse.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Just wanted to say I have a 4 month old named Mason!

Great name!

My friend Kevin named his son Mason (born in June) too. I never knew the name was so popular - it is my children's Godmother's last name (that is where we got it from).

 

[disney_fan_fam]

My dd is 20 months old & STILL hates her car seat!!! I have no advice for you sweetie .....

 

[Avonlady1001]

My sister put on some white noise in the car - really LOUD. Drove me nuts, but seemed to calm my niece. Now she's a year old and has started to SCREECH!!! Worse noise I've ever heard in my life. LOL We miss the crying.

 

[grlpwrd]

All 5 of my kids went through this, too. I really, really feel for you.

There are car toys, like the kind you can attach to the seat, to keep your little one preoccupied. I also had a car safe mirror.

I had a music DVD, too, that I would use at home and when they heard it in the car it seemed to be familiar to them so they wouldn't scream as much. Of course, having someone next to baby is always ideal. Oh, how I loved it when someone could sit next to the baby.

Something funny to tell you.... my older kids would always help preoccupy and play with their younger siblings while in the car. My youngest dd was just not digging it (lol) and screamed when we drove to go on errands, etc. We all made jungle noises just to make it home. She loved hearing us mimic jungle animals for some reason.

Just remember... This, too, shall pass.

 

[OneBoy/OneGirl]

This is bringing back some bad memeories! My ds, who is 6 now, HATED the car as a baby. I don't think anyone believed us when we told them--babies are supposed to LOVE the car right? Not this one! He would scream like someone was killing him. It was awful. I avoided going places I didn't absolutely have to go. I even hit my mailbox one time trying to stuff a paci in his mouth while backing out of my driveway (never worked, was not a paci baby).
What worked for us was Barney music. Yes, it sucks having to listen to it in the car, but it is so much better than a wailing baby. SO much better.
Good luck. I know how it is.
Jill
dd 3
ds 6

 

[bookgirl]

My 12 week old son Mason absolutely can not stand to ride in the car. He was originally in an infant car seat with the snap in base and we switched him to a Britax Roundabout and he hates both of them. Whether we are in the car for 2 miles to the grocery store or the 70 miles up to the airport in Philly - he screams and screams until we take him out of the seat.

We have gone over the seat and nothing is poking him. We have a shade on the window so the sun isnt in his eyes. We have the vent pointed so it doesnt blow directly on him and keep a blanket on his legs when we do run the a/c so he doesnt get too cold. We went out and bought a Baby Einstein musical light show for the seat and that keeps him quiet for about the first 5 minutes of the ride then he starts wailing again.

The poor guy is miserable and making the rest of us miserable too.

We are supposed to drive to NYC for my baby sister's wedding in 3 weeks - 3 hours each way. Just the thought of the car ride is making me cringe.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Could he be getting car sick at this age?

My nephews both went through this stage at different times. One it turned out that he is a warm baby and the car seat made his back sweat. Unless he had air blowing on him he was hot. The other just wanted to be out of the seat and held and we had to do lots of short trips around town before he learned that the car seat was just part of life. At 12 weeks I don't know what you'd do. Hope you find a soulution.

 

[shmedly123]

we bought a portable dvd player for my youngest daughter and a carrying case that slides over the back of any headrest...I think in total it cost us about $100 at toysRus and it was the best $100 I ever spent.

 

[dawnball]

Boy does this bring back memories. Badger Bager Mushroom was our solution. http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/ DH and I would trade off chanting. I have *no* idea why it worked, but it did. We reserved it for the most desperate situations and it never failed. But you couldn't stop chanting once you started until you got home.

The second best was to open the rear windows about 2" - she wailed less and the white noise helped the driver to ignore her. Mostly we drove the absolute minimum. Forward facing helped immensely.