8-Month Old Screams on Car Trips

My son started that at about 8 months old, I bought some kids cds and it consoled him. He is now 19 months old and as soon as he starts, we pop in the cd and it works like a charm and sometimes he even falls asleep.

Is one of you sitting next to her? If so, try moving both parents to the front seat. I found out on long car trips from Texas to New Mexico that my babies seemed to expect me to do something with them if I was near. But if I sat in the front they were much more likely to be content.

She may be getting car sick...try giving her a bottle of water for the trip and make sure the air is blowing on her. Also, have a bag of "new" toys (or maybe ones she has forgotten about) in the car and pull them out for the car ride as a distraction.

On Dec 22, 2008 another mom wrote for help on a long car ride. This is part of my response. The mom asked the question right before they were leaving so she did not get many responses.

I know how you feel. That crying is awful when you are driving. Try to stay calm. Just use soothing words and purchase some earplugs. You will still hear your daughter but it will not be so loud.

I used to try distraction by asking her questions. Even though she was so young, each time I asked her a question I would say her name. "Suzy, what color are your shoes today? Suzy,I think they are red. Suzy,do you see the HEB? Suzy, what color is your jacket? Suzy, I wonder what you will eat for lunch today.

Remember, this is one of those moments where your and her safety is more important than figuring out her needs at that moment. Concentrate on the driving.

"My daughter went through this phase for a while. The thing will be that for this trip you may end up doing things you will not be able to do in the future in regular car travel.

First of all make sure the car seat belts are not too tight. Make sure it is sitting up at the right angle. Make sure there is not glare from the sun shining in her face. Make sure that the cushions are not too hot for her. My daughter did not like her car seat because it was so warm. I would pick her up and she would be drenched on her back. I purchased a lot of thin cotton blankets that I would place on the seat cover. This seemed to help putting the cotton closest to her. I also did not dress her very warmly even in winter since we were traveling in a well heated car.

Next, you may want to give her some new "car toys" to play with. These should be toys that she only plays with in the car. Also take her "lovey" if she has one.

Some kids get car sick. She may get a little queasy back there. Mint will calm her tummy. You can add a little bit of mint tea to her watered down apple juice. Grape juice and orange juice can be too acidic for car rides.

You can take turns sitting back with her for parts of the trip. Read to her, sing car songs."

This will pass. She may also just be having a little separation anxiety in the car, since this is one of those times she cannot see your face.

I can sympathize. I know that it is really frustrating driving anywhere with a screaming baby. My little guy is 13 months and he has been unhappy in the car since about 8 or 9 months.

We tried everything from new toys to music, juice, loveys you name it. Once we ruled out any comfort or car sickness issues we decided to try the portable DVD player and see if that would keep him occupied. Worked like a charm.

We don't use it all of the time, but it is amazing what a little baby einstein can do!

Now that he is older and facing forward I give him a little snack cup full of gerber puffs and raisins and that keeps him occupied and happy as can be. I think that you just have to keep modifying your strategy as their needs and personalities change. It is always an adventure that's for sure!

I got my kids a mirror with a remote control button that plays music and lights. They were so excited that they could see themselves it was cool. Then when they started to fuss I would press the button (like a garage door button) and set off the music and lights. Only long enough to get their attention then I shut it off.

It seemed to help with my first 2 and we will try it on the third when he is about that age. I don't use it until they are about 7 months because that is when he mirror is really a big deal. They made faces at themselves and if I looked back around my seat at red lights they could see me.

Hope this helps, oh I got it at babies r us
R.

I wonder if it is the car ride or the car seat she hates? My son gets car sick and used to throw up when we would go for a short drive. It may be that she just doesn't like being strapped down and not in charge. Try bringing her carseat into the house and let her watch tv in it and play on it. Let her play with the straps and try to learn to put the top straps together (they are much easier to get together than apart). You could even pretend you're about to go for a ride and say "okay, lets get into the car" strap her in and pretend to go for a drive (make it a short one. Hopefully after having some fun with her carseat she won't hate going for a ride. Good luck and God Bless you!

Boy do I know your pain! We have had this problem with several children. With one of our guys he'd be great on road trip until the last 45 minutes and then he'd scream and could not be consoled. With our first she would do just what yours would do. All I can say is 1) make sure she's buckled, safe and fed when you put her in. and 2) Ignore Ignore Ignore...sing songs, listen to music, laugh and have fun...some day she'll be old enough to join in. 3) if you think the crying is for a reason go ahead and stop and check. (One time our second child was crying and we were about 45 min. from home and we thought maybe she had a dirty diaper, so we stopped and she was crying because she'd been sucking her thumb and twirling her curls and had gotten her finger stuck in her hair and had cut off the circulation OUCH!)
If she's 8 months maybe she's bored...try finding a travel toy or book for her to look at...

If she does this on every car ride then she is probably getting car sick or she may have an ear infection. Being in a car with an ear infection can make a baby sick sometimes because ear infections affect their balance--the motion of the car can make them feel queasy. If she shows no signs of an ear infection then it is probably car sickness.
Although I don't remember it, my Mom tells me that I screamed every time I was put into a vehicle. There was nothing to be done about it, babies cannot be given pills for motion sickness. My parents kept car rides as short as possible, tried not to drive roads with a lot of twists, turns, and hills because that made it worse, and learned to just tune my screams out. It does get better with age, although I do still occassionally get queasy if someone else is driving. I've learned to carry motion sickness pills with me for long car trips.

My oldest daughter did that for some time. My suggestion, what worked with her was to have someone else drive while I sat in the back with my cheek against hers and whispering "shhhh" in her ear while lightly tapping on her temple or lightly rubbing in between her eyes. Although a bit uncomfortable leaning over the carseat, this would usually calm her down and it also worked when she would not go to sleep at night! I really hope this helps!

Good for you sticking to your guns on leaving her in the car seat for safety. This could be a new thing which will go away when she learns that you aren't going to let her out. It COULD be that the straps have gotten too tight or uncomfortable in some way as she has grown. Check it out. You didn't say if this is every ride, or just sometimes.

My daughter (now 22 months) started that at 12 days old. It was awful! We figured she hated being strapped in and confined. It's not safe to loosen the straps so you may have to put up with it for a while. What helped my daughter was when we were finally able to turn her carseat around (1 year AND 20 pounds). She likes looking out the window and being able to see me. Do you have one of those mirros so that you can see her? Sometimes that entertained my daughter.
Another possibilty is motion sickness. My mother-in-law says her youngest son HATED the car, swing, bouncer, anything that moved like that because he got really naueous. Just a thought.
Good luck!

Hi A., Unfortunately, I have no magical solution but a few things to think about. Like other's have mentioned, could it be an ear infection that she has or had? Ear infections cause fluid in the ears and vibrations from the car could be causing vibrations of the fluid and making her crazy. Even if she had an ear infection a month ago, there could still be fluid in her ears. Another thing could be a stage. Babies go through random phases. My daughter started fighting the car seat at about 6 months. Lastly, you didn't mention if this just started or has been going on for months. If it continues over the next 6 months to a year with no obvious reasons why she doesn't like the car, you might have her evaluated for Sensory Processing issues. My son has SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) and long term car seat screaming 'can' be a sign. Doesn't mean this is the case with your daughter but put this little tid bit in the back of your mind, just in case. Early intervention with an Occupational Therapist will do the trick. Don't panic over this, I just wish I had of known about little things my son did when he was younger so I could have put him in OT sooner. btw...he's doing great now (4 yrs).

Greetings, Take a deep breath. I am a mother of a 7year old son whom at one point use to be 8months old. Life at that time for me was so kaotic and stressful because as an 8month old baby symbolizes newness, change and adjustments.
The baby may just need some one on one bonding time before the rush begins for the day. Like some holding close to your heart, so she will fill your calmness, and reassurance.
Sometimes our children as babies, toddlers, young adults exhibit emotions that reflect how we are filling inside but don't take the time to acknowledge within ourselves at the moment. If all else fails, please have the pedestrian have a look over. The motion(movement) in the car could be bring up some visual disturbances. T.

Sounds like she might be getting motion-sickness! I would make an appointment with her pediatrician and tell him/her all this and ask if there is anything to give a baby like Dramamine

I've been in your shoes and had the same problem but it started when my baby was about a month old and lasted till he was 3 mos. Finally, a friend of mine told me to crack the windows. He is now 6 mos old and as soon as he starts to cry, I crack open a couple of windows and that quiets him down. H. this helps and good luck to you.

I would stop trying to make her content.. You are going to just have to let her scream and learn to tune it out. My son is 3 and until he was about 2 he would scream in the car after about 30 minutes of being in it.. For your safety, as long as you know she is fine, ignore it, someday she will realize it isn't worth it. Have you tried playing soothing music? Whenever my Mom has to take my son and he screams because he doesn't want to go with her, and she listens only to classical or new age type music, and she puts it on and it calms him down in an instant. So I guess that is my only suggestion, otherwise, tune it out.

There are many baby/toddler musical CD's available. I bought some at Walmart in the baby department. There are several to choose from so I let my baby listen to the sample
recordings to see which one she responded to. She is 3 now and still enjoys listening to her music. It's worth a try but it's best to start the CD before your daughter starts crying.

My daughter did the same thing when she was a baby. She is now 18 yrs.old and I still haven't forgotten what it was like to try to go anywhere. Sometimes her brothers (10 and 12 yrs. older) could console her and entertain her. She was not in pain. I think she hated the confinement of the car seat. I bought a booster seat and couldn't wait to see if that was better. Here, a child has to weigh 40 lbs., be able to sit up, and have support behind her head. Well, she was 36 lbs. when I tried her in the booster seat. She was a different child! I was amazed. So, I think it was being so strapped in that upset her. You may have to try another car seat. I would borrow one if you can, to try on your child. Hang in there. It does eventually stop. Pray for patience. I did a lot of praying!