11 Month Old HATES the Car!!!

My friend had this same problem. Her little girl loved the vacuum cleaner and the hair dryer. She actually taped the vacuum and played that in the car. He daughter fell right to sleep.

PLEASE EVERYONE WHO HAS SUGGESTED SWITCHING TO A FORWARD-FACING POSITION SO SOON READ

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

You should wait as long as possible to switch.

If that doesn't mean anything to you...Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

Have you tried music you listen to? My daughter, 10 months old now, doesn't like baby music, she prefers the kind I listen to, which varies from country to rock to R&B/hip hop, and dance. She goes thru phases where most times being in the car isn't a problem, but every now and then, like longer trips (I freguently go from Lutz to St Pete) she'll start screaming. I've found that if I give her a bottle she'll stay pretty quiet the whole time, and I've also discovered that now, more often then not, she starts fussing b/c the sun is in her eyes, even with the sunscreen we have up. If I'm somewhere that it's convenient for me to stop, obviously not on the highway, I pull over and put her hat on, or her sunglasses. I know you said you've tried all kinds of toys, and no they don't always work, but I do have a few that I keep in the car and those usually work. Also, my daughter in particular likes being the center of attention, which she obviously can't be if I'm driving, but I'll talk to her and reach back and grab at one of her feet, and turn around at red lights to tickle her and laugh, so that she will laugh too. On the negative side, sometimes she is just cranky and nothing works, and I just have to grin and bear it and keep reminding myself that home is only so far away and the more time I take trying to quiet her down, the longer I have to listen to the screaming and crying, so I just drive to get home as soon as possible. And of course, once I pull in the driveway she stops like there is nothing wrong. I wish you luck, and hope you find something that works.

I feel for you, my daughter was the very same way. I was driving with her for over 4 hours a week, and the screaming was fraying on my nerves and giving me migraines. I tried getting different car seats, toys, everything. The only thing that worked was getting a portable dvd player, and letting her watch Barney during our drives. It was the best $100 I ever spent! She went from screaming for an entire 2 hour trip to smiling. And it made my life so much better!

L.

Well, I'm afraid it might just be the way things are. My son has never minded the car, but I have a friend with a daughter that always has been, and still is, a nightmare in the car. There might not be anything you can do, but I would give the DVD player a try. My son didn't get interested in TV until well after a year, but I kept NOGGIN on anyway to try to get him familar with some characters. He now loves Dora! He still won't sit and watch the whole thing, but he likes to have her on. So, when we had to make the 8 hour trip to Key West a couple months ago, I brought Dora DVD's along. It was a huge help because he couldn't move around, so they did keep him entertained. So, even though your son doesn't watch at home, it might still help in the car. Try to get him familar with a character: Dora, Diego, Thomas the train... and see if that helps.
When my son does start freaking out in the car, I have found that giving him his favorite snack or drink helps too. I hide it until I absolutely need it and then it is a great surprise for him.
Good luck, you must be going crazy!

Hi E.! I know EXACTLY what you are going through! My daughter was the same way. Hated the car from day one! Just hang in there! It gets better! As soon as Maddie was able to turn around she has been so much happier in the car! She also has a DVD player now that she watches and is VERY happy with that! Hang in there! I know it's tough!
Jenn

I feel your pain, and had the same problem. Our son is now 14 months and we have figured out a few tricks, allthough nothing works when he is overly tired and cranky. We have a carseat that is rear and front facing, but we still keep it rear facing for safety. His seat has a cup holder attatched, and now we plan his snack time around car trips if possible. We put his cheerios, puffs, bits of cheese or the freeze dried strawberries and bananas in the cup holder and he snacks down the road. When we are putting him in the seat, he now immediately looks in the holder for his snack, and does not screem when being strapped in. This only works if he is hungry and not too tired. If he is cranky he arches his back, stiffens up and grabs the door with all fours like a little monkey. The only down side to snacking in the car is that you must stay on top of cleaning, and I really prefer to only feed him at the table. But....desperate times call for desperate measures, and we live thirty minutes south of Tallahassee. We also have some of his favorite toys, that he only gets in the car. He loves that leap frog blue spider that sings the alphabet when he taps the tummy, he sings along with it. We also have two mirrors back there so we can see him, but he loves looking in them while he eats. We also have things for him that he is never allowed to have like his own remote control(our old one without batteries) and a safe pair of sunglasses. We also try to reserve his water, juice and milk time for car rides. Hope this helps, good luck.
Sincerely
E. P.

Riding in a car was sometimes torture when my dd was a baby. She would also cry so hard she would throw up. So on top of her screaming, I would sometimes have to pull over and clean her up. If dh was driving, I would sit in the back to talk to her. With her, it was because she couldn't see me. If I was back there, she was fine. I didn't work, so I didn't have to deal with it all the time like you do. I also remember her starting to scream when I was in a drive-thru. By the time I got to the end and got my food, she had puked. So I feel your pain.

I found that it changed a lot once she was facing forward. She could see me and seemed much happier. I know you have a little time before that happens. Could you somehow hook a DVD player where he can see it? Maybe throw in a Baby Einstein video to distract him?

Or try those sets of mirrors out there where he can see you? It fits on the seat he's facing and you have another underneath the rearview mirror. If it's because he can't see you, maybe that would help?

Other than that, I just don't know. Just remember that this will one day pass.

L.

My daughter also screamed in the car. I thought that was always the way it was going to be. when we upgraded her car seat....magic. No more screams. If the DVDs don't work, try a new carseat. I am sure you could try it and return it if it doesn't help. My daugther also never slept in the car before, now she always falls asleep. It could be something simple about the seat that he doesn't like.
Good Luck

You will find that he is much happier when you turn the car seat around to face forward. Also, put him in the middle of the back seat so that he can see the road. This also helps. Both of my children HATED sitting backwards! The day they turned 1 was the day we got them out of the baby seat and into a upright forward facing seat. Hang in there... it gets better when they can see where they are going! One more thing that helped my son... roll down the windows, he always liked the breeze... even if it was hot, I would ride with the back windows down and the air conditioning full blast. Anything to make him happy in the car!
S.

Have you tried changing his car seat?

I just read everyones responses- some from people with the same problem. Yet, a little newborn can not determine what they hate. They don't even know hate. So if you are showing anxiety about the baby in the car, the baby is going to react. Just be possitive about being in the car, show her baby that the car is fun. Maybe have some toys that are only for the car. Play inside the car when you are NOT going anywhere so you both can be less stressed about the car. And position the seat so that he can see you. Hope this helps, and remember you have to teach (by example) hate.

My son was the same way until i tried rolling his window down just a bit- he loved the sound of the wind and like to see and hear the other cars and trucks passing by. It still works when he is cranky whether he is hungry or sleepy. Boys are naturally curious and to see all the things that go by are so fascinating that he forgets he doesn't like to be strapped in.

I know just how you feel, my son (now 4) also hated the car the whole first year of his life and it was miserable. He stopped hating the car when we finally put him in a forward facing carseat, he hasn't cried since. Good Luck!!

i agree with the others, that it may just be because he is rear facing. (at least, i'm assuming he is still rear facing..) of course we all know that the age is supposed to be 12 months....but i would say,. check the weight limit on 5 point harness seats. if your son is within those weight guidelines, there shouldn't be any problem with switching him. if he is even just 2 pounds shy of that guideline though....wait it out a few more weeks. his safety is obviously whats most important. hang in there!!!

Hi E.,
I went through the same thing with my daughter. The key for us was turning her around to a front facing car seat. Once we did, she loved to ride in the car. If your son is still riding in a rear facing seat, I would go ahead and turn him around as long as he meets the weight for a forward facing seat. Hope that helps. K.

Is he still rear facing? If so try turning him around!!! Thats what I had to do with my 10 month old!!! Good luck...