Help! Baby Hates the Car!

Hi T.,
She might just be bored and not enjoy looking at the seat. I know my son was much happier when he had something to look at. We bought these little toys that hang from the big plastic handle that you use carry the infant seat. He loved them. They're colorful animals with patterns on them and chimes inside them. When you drive they swing so the movement catches their attention and the chimes (not very loud) sound like a wind chime. They attach with magnets so once she's old enough to bat at them and grab them they come off easily. He would stare at them until they finally moved within reach then grab them off. It helps their fine motor skills. We didn't leave the house without them. We lived in Houston when he was younger than 9 months and we came to Austin frequently to visit family here so he got used to long road trips.

My little one was like that too when she was that age. We would crack open the window next to her and that seemed to calm her down - the noise, the airflow. Good luck!

Find a song that is soothing and play it everytime you get in the car to make him feel safe. When my son was little and we were in the car and he would get upset, I would play 1 song and he would immediately quite. It was deemed "the magic song". Choose something that is pleasant to you also.

i've heard that it actually may be car sickness. Check w/ your doctor.

.

dear T.,
i hear you. i have a car lover and a car hater. i tried a binki with my second one, and car songs which really seemed to distract her. you could also try getting baby mirrors, shes probably perterbed because she cant see your face. good luck :)
M.

Ours screamed in the car often when she was an infant too. Sometimes it worked to turn the radio to a station that was just static and turn the volume up some in the back. It seemed to sooth her at times. I also tried to plan as many trips as I could after I had just fed her. At least then she was full and more happy to start with.

Oh I feel for you! Mine hated the car too, it seemed like forever! I wish had some helpful suggestions but ours just outgrew it. We did do the music thing and sometimes that would help but other times he would scream right through it. I think it was much better at around 6 months or so. Ours would usually only cry at night, but it was winter and getting dark early, so it was a challenge. But now it has been so long since it was an issue, that I have almost forgotten how trying it was. So be encouraged, it won't last forever :)

Unfortunately, you're right, some babies love to ride in the car and some babies just hate it. My sister-in-law has three kids, two of them loved car rides, and the other one from the time she was tiny hated the car and cried every single time they got in it for the whole time. My sister-in-law just had to get used to the screaming, yikes. Then, after several months, one day she just stopped and after that rode along just fine! So hang in there.

My little one hated the car rides when she was tiny too. She is still not so fond of them but she deals! (she is 4)
On the way home from a 30-40 minute car ride with a screaming 3 month old, my 9 year old had the genious idea to crack the window closest to her and amazingly she stopped instantly! I am not sure if the "white noise" sound did it or what, but for whatever reason it worked then and many times afterwards! Sometimes it is a simple solution that in our new mommy fog would naver have thought of! (I also played the Baby Einstein movies at times and that would keep her content for a bit!) Hope it helps!

My baby hated the car at that age, too. With time it seemed to get a lot better. When my daughter starts to get fussy, I usually sing to her (not that I have a great voice!), turn the radio on, or just talk to her about what we're doing. It really seems to calm her down. My other advice, even though it sounds crazy, is to keep taking him out in the car. The more he is exposed to it, the more he'll get use to it! Best of luck!

Hello T.
My daughter did the same thing, but my son never did. It was making us crazy. I know this sounds strange but someone said try taking out the mirror. We had a baby mirror in the back seat since the day we brought her home. Anyway I tried it and the day after I removed it she stopped crying in the car. I am not sure if it make her carsick, scared or if the sun was reflecting in her face but it worked right away. Good Luck!

My daughter was the same way! She got over it, but....I would touch her & talk to her while in the car. It really didn't help that much. LOL I ended up buying this lighted mirror that plays music & is remote controlled at Babies R Us. It was great!! She could see herself & she liked the lights & music. I could make it start when she started to get fussy. When she was really little she would scream the ENTIRE ride! Sometimes that was over an hour. I would pull over & hold her & try to calm her until she just passed out from shear exhaustion. It was stressful. But the Mirror helped. Good Luck! I feel your pain.

Hang in there T., my baby grew out of the constant car screaming around 10-12 weeks. Of course she still crys when she is doing something in her diaper! We had some luck with light classical music, someone sitting in the back seat with her when possible, having the AC running before putting her in, holding a finger or pacey to her mouth, and sometimes we just pulled over and nursed until she fell asleep. We also had much more luck on a highway... she still hates red lights when she's tired. Good luck.

Try putting him in the car seat while you are in the house, (maybe for a nap, if he will nap that way) (don't use the straps)but put blankets under him so that it is comfortable, more like a little reclining bed. Also, make sure that the strap adjustments are correct for his size. If you haven't adjusted the straps since he was born, this may be the issue....he has probl. grown and needs to be accomadated. This happened to me a couple of weeks ago myself...my daughter is almost 9 weeks and she was not happy in the car either....I adjusted the straps and all is well now. She still gets upset if we are in there too long, but at least it isn't from the time I put her in until the time we come home and I take her out. Hope this helps!

My second was just like this. It was very unnerving and I got stressed about it (especially with a three year old jabbering away while she screamed, it was always a calgon take me away moment!). I always made sure she had her paci and I taped some bright, bold black and white pictures to the back of the seat for her to look at. She finally got better at I believe around three months or so, something just clicked.

Hang in there, this too shall pass!

I totally feel your pain.From the first click of the car seat buckle on the way home from the hospital the screaming began. My daughter is 18 months old now and has learned to associate the car seat with going somewhere, seeing new people and places and doing fun things. This started around 3-6 months. She still is not fond of long car rides, but we just have to take breaks; get out, move around a little etc. It makes long distance trips take a little longer than preferred but it is better than the screaming. Hang in there and good luck. Wish I had thought of the static radio or opening the window. Let us know what works.

My 2 year old was the same way. She would scream for 3 hours straight when we traveled. We finally discovered he love for white noise. I would just find an off station on the radio and turn it up loud and she would fall fast asleep., then I would of course change it for my sanity. We also put her in a convertible car seat instead of the carrier, that seemed to help for her too. Once she was a little older and more comfortable with the car we out her back in the carrier and she was fine. She also sleeps to the white noise, we have a noise maker in her room and she has slept to that noise since she was about 2 months old. Good luck, I know there is nothing more frustrating then having a screaming baby while you are driving.

My mom talks about my younger brother always crying when he was in the car. When he got to be about 4 years old he started getting so car sick he would throw up every time we drove a long way. As an adult now he is very prone to motion sickness. Unfortunately, I have have become so as well. We both have to take motion sickness meds just to ride roller coasters and forget getting on a carousel (I can't even watch them spin around).

My mom theorizes now that maybe my brother's crying when he was a baby in the car was because he was car sick. Maybe that could be your baby's problem too.

Have you tried popping in a "baby einstein" cd? I had the same problem with my now 11month old when she was about a month or so and my neighbor let me borrow it to play in the care and to my surprise it calmed her down, actually relaxed her enough to put her to sleep....

My daughter was the same way! It helped if someone sit back there with her, but I hate to tell you this, she cried until we could turn her seat to a front facing position. I know it is hard on you, I've been there. Good luck!

My son hated the car too. I noticed that the carrier would restrict the circulation of airflow and he would get hot and sweaty. He woould then get really upset and cry even harder and make the situation worse. I took the advice of my friends and did away with the baby carrier and purchased a Britax Marathon Car Seat and faced it backwards then carried my 9 week old in a Baby Bjorn as oppose to the carrier. This change was the best for everyone involved.

S.

I know how you feel!! My son was the same way. It will get better. It is just the age and you cannot do anything about it. It will get better, I promise. Just hang in there and try to time your car rides when he is most happy....just after eating.

My son is now almost 6 months and he and I went on a trip to Austin together (just the 2 of us!) and he was an angel on the way there and back. Only had to stop once each way for a feeding.

Hang in there mom.....

K. H

I can certainly feel your pain on this subject. My baby is now 3 months old and he's hated the car since birth! There are certainly times your baby is gonna scream and you can't do anything to console them. But remember, this is far harder on the parent than the child. It is obviously way better to have your baby scream than not have him in the protection of the car seat. However, there are some ways to minimize the screaming at times. Here's what's worked for me: 1) hanging toys on the car seat 2) If someone else is in the car with you, have them sit in the back seat and entertain him 3) if he takes a pacifier, put it in his mouth before you start driving. if he spits it out wait for a red light and turn around and put it back in. 4) Play some calming music and talk or sing to him. These are just some suggestions but I hope something works for you. Eventually he will grow out of this so remember there is light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck!

My oldest hated the car when she was a baby. We found music helped. We collected some songs she loved (for her it was 80s music) and burned a cd that we turned up LOUD. Also, we had to find a more comfy car seat and make sure it was adjusted just so (she was very sesitive to certain fabrics and would cry if we dressed her in things with frills or elastic). We got the little strap covers from babies r us that helped a lot (to go over the car seat belts). Eventually she was like the steriotypical baby, falling asleep in the car soundly.

I've had the same problem with all three of my children. The older two eventually outgrew it, don't remember when though. Look on the bright side...if they're not sleeping in the car, they'll sleep when they get home. Oh, and bring some Advil, it always gave me a headache.

hi there,

I am a 33 yr.old...married...mother of a beautiful 16 mo. old son. Fortunately my son never had that problem but I have read that it may be the car or infant seat in uncomfortable to them.. you might want to check that first off. Second, my nephew who is now 3 did not like the car in the least....unfortunately for my brother is lasted for about a year or so. seriously though check and see maybe if the seat is too tight or maybe doesn't fit him right.

I don't really have advice - just wanted to say that my daughter went through the exact same thing at that age. She went from always sleeping in the car to always screaming in the car. We got a little mirror/light-up music toy (baby einstein) and that helped a little bit. But really, we just had to wait it out. I think around 3 months, she started being okay again. Then when she was big enough to move into a bigger seat, that helped a TON! Hang in there!

Is it the car or the car seat? My daughter doesn't seem to like her seat. They're hard and uncomfortable. I suggest getting a cd of lullabies to play that will calm him down. Especially if there's one that you sing to him often. That's the only way we get any sanity in the car. Maybe there's a smell in the car that he doesn't like. They're very tender so little and it's probably something you don't even notice.

I know he's so young right now, but we play kid music and our daughter LOVES it!!

My son was the same way. I found myself sitting in the back with him if possible and talking to him. But finally I just had to buy him little toys to hang and give him his blanket or whatever comfort him. Then I put baby music on and then he finally got over it. He was so bad he would get car sick and vomit all over himself because he cried so much. It was so hard to let him cry. I would pull over and check him, and clean him up etc. But he grew out of it. When he could hold his bottle I would give that to him and time his bottles so he could have that is the car ride. I hope it all works out for you. I know it is hard!!

I wish i had some magic wisdom but all I can share is experience... my 9 month old did the same thing until about 4 months... he would just scream until he eventually fell asleep. He did stop when we moved him out of the carrier to the regular car seat. I never did figure out why he disliked the carrier in the car... Good luck though

Funny, your last poster said exactly opposite of what I was going to...I was going to suggest a baby mirror that you hang from the headrest so you can see the baby in the rear-view mirror...if you can see him, he can see you. Also you can get the linkable teething rings at Walmart an make a chain from the headrest into his seat. attach rattles or animals or chew toys to it so he has something to rattle/look at. They also have toys that hang from the carseat/carrier handles. Also try some baby music...something soothing like new age or classical...my kids always responded well to music. Good luck.

Have you tried fun music or a special toy that he only gets in the car?