Help! Six Month Old Does Not like to Be Buckled into Her Carseat!

I was glad to see this question because my 9 month old little girl just started this. She has never really liked her swing much so we hardly ever use it. So I don't know if she would do the same thing with the swing. Sometimes she will fuss when I first put her in her highchair but nothing like the car seat. She will use her feet to try and push herself out of the car seat while she arches her back. It does make it quite difficult to buckle her in. I just gently but firmly hold her there while I buckle her in. She is small for her age so she still fits easily in her infant carrier. I have noticed that she doesn't do it quite as bad if I put her in the carrier while we are still in the house. Not sure why that matters for her but eventually we will have to switch to a seat that stays in the car so I don't want her to get used to that. She doesn't take a pacifier anymore so that won't work for us. I have found 2 things that work. If she is hungry, then sometimes she will take a cookie if I offer it to her. Other times she just throws it back while still crying. I have also found that singing helps her calm down once she is in the seat. It doesn't make any difference while putting her in the seat though. I have tried putting a variety of toys in the seat with her and she will toss each and every one out of the seat. Some of these are the same toys that a month or 2 ago she would happily hold during a car ride. I am really hoping this is just a stage that will pass.

mine has been struggeling constantly, recently we have been making it a game and a whole conversation about how wonderful it's gonna be so on and so furth.

My 7 mo old boy also throws a fit when I strap him into the carseat. The only thing that helps is for me to put a pacifier in his mouth before I buckle the straps. I also give him a toy or rattle. Once he has something in his hands he stops fighting me. I try to make it a little fun by saying,"lets go bye bye" and give him his own set of keys(teething keys). I think they just don't like the idea of being strapped in so you just have to distract them for a bit. :)

Oh wow! Sounds like you're getting an early taste of toddlerhood :-) At home, when our kids have battled the buckle for high chair, etc., no matter what age, they get "time out" in their crib or playpen. The crib works best because it's in another room. We've had to make 2 or 3 trips to my son's room before he'd give in and buckle up peacefully. Don't feel bad about the "time out" either. If she's old enough to fight you, she's old enough for a consequence. Come up with a good re-usable phrase for buckling, and for the consequence. In a sing-song voice you can say, "Dinner time! Time to buckle up, buckle up, buckle up!" As soon as she refuses, say (also in a sing song voice) "Uh-oh! looks like you're not ready to cooperate. Sounds like you need a little room time" and whisk her off to her crib. Stand out of sight for about 30 seconds to a minute, then cheerily pick her up and try again. Do it as many times as necessary for peaceful buckling :-). If a kid knows she can wear you down eventually, she will (yes, even at 6 months) so be consistent.
For the carseat -- if it's when we're leaving the house, I do the room-time thing. Literally leave the car running and whisk my little guy off to his room. When he was younger I used his pacifier as incentive. I'd give it to him after I sat him down and he'd quit thrashing for the buckling. We've also taken toys to the car for this, and now that he's older, the portable DVD player works wonders.
If you're out and about when she's throwing the fit, try the toys/pacifier/DVD thing. You could also have a ritual of singing her favorite nursery rhyme either while you buckle or use it as a treat for after she's buckled. Singing "itsy bitsy spider" or "wheels on the bus" has worked several times to distract my kids long enough to get them buckled in.
If all else fails, you'll just have to pin her down as best you can. However, try to stay calm and keep a cheery voice, acting like it doesn't bother you at all for her to throw her fit. When you're done, you can say "Man! What a workout! I think that was your best fit ever!"
When my daughter refused to buckle in recently I just kept singing a cheery "buckle up" song over and over again until it annoyed her that I wasn't getting angry. I wouldn't stop singing until she was safely buckled. :-) Granted, she's 3 1/2 so it's a little different, but the point is that keeping my cool brought an end to her resistance.
Good luck! and happy buckling!

My daughter went through a similar phase like this. We stopped putting her in the swing, and ignored her tantrums & calmly (although we didn't always feel calm) put her in her carseat, highchair. It seemed to work the best with her. After a month or two she calmed down. It seemed the more attention we paid to her while she was having the tantrum, the worse the tantrums became. Good luck! I think it's just a phase she's going through. -JM

My girls were the same way when they were younger and it gets very frustrating and tiring fighting with a child to get into car seats. She may be afraid of being strapped in because she feels that she is locked and can't move the way she wants when she wants. I would try sitting her in the seat unbuckled in the house while you are playing with her to get her used to it. Let her explore the seat while playing and try to slowly get her into it and buckle it up whenever she gets closer to getting in by herself praise her and make it a big deal. When she sees that you are happy and give a lot of attention for doing this she will eventually do it herself. It may take some time but be patient and remember lots of love and praise when she does what you want her to do.
L. Benson

Hey C.-
Isabelle does/did the same thing with her car seat and sometimes her swing. She arches her back and throws a small fit. There are only a few things in life that a baby can control at that age, and they think that is one of them. I just continue to put her in the swing/car seat and by the time I get the first buckle on she stops. I would not be embarassed at all, I am positive that this is not something that your daycare provider has never seen. I think Reagan is starting to see what she can and cannot get away with. But I would definately make sure that she is comfortable in the seat (belts are okay, etc..), but it sounds like she does it with everything so I am sure you are fine.

does your daycare provider have problems strapping her in a swing or high chair, or is it just for you? I would not be embaressed because I am sure she has seen it before. Mine did this for awhile, you can avoid some things, but not the car seat, you just have to forcefully put her in it. My child outgrew it but I dont remember how old she was when she did. Also look into if she has any sensory type issues that the straps could be bothering her. Good Luck.

Wow! Our son hated it too. I'm having another baby in a week and hope she won't hate it. The ONLY things that marginally helped (other than time) were:
1. using a regular infant seat rather than the carrier car seat.
2. Baby einstein music cd's.
3. Sitting in back with baby.

These would help some, but really it didn't get significantly better until 13 months. In fact I remember b/c my mom lives in N Dallas and we in SW Ft Worth and we couldn't visit her for 13 months until he got to where he wouldn't scream the whole way. Even now, our son still hates the car and violently protests being put into his seat. In fact, we're getting an RV so we can actually go some places and he won't have to stay strapped in so long. LOL : )

BTW, our saon had severe reflux as an infant, and I always wondered if the angle was uncomfortable (facing backwards)??

Good luck!
R.