Hi Moms!
I have an 8 week old little girl who all of the sudden hates to ride in the car. A few weeks ago she was fine and fell asleep every time we got in the car but lately it's been the complete opposite. Every time we get in the car she cries her head off. Nothing seems to help calm her down and she is the type of baby that when she cries she escalates in a matter of seconds and is practially hysterical and choking on her own saliva in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, it's extremely difficult to go anywhere now because I am constantly pulling over to try and calm her down so she doesn't stop breathing! She takes a pacifier very well but will NOT take one in the car during one of these fits. Has anyone had this problem with their little ones and if so do you have any advice you can share with me?
Thanks for all of your input. I tried many of your suggestions. I ruled out that it is not her carseat, not motion sickness, and she doesn't care about music. I bought her a toy to look at and listen to. I tried several kid cd's and a classical one. I thought for a minute she needed the fresh outside air because she seemed a little better for about a day with the windows rolled down but that quickly changed and she is back to screaming again. So, basically I have concluded that I don't know what it is and I think I am just going to have to accept that she cries and minimize my car rides as much as possible.
Is she starting to get mobile, crawling or scooting around. Sometimes when they learn some independence and learn to move, they don't want to be confined to the car...
My first did this also. It wasn't until I realized that I had the straps in the wrong slot that she stopped crying. She was a long baby, and it took her a few weeks to uncurl but when she did, she didn't fit comfortably.
Hi Autumn. I feel your frusration! My daughter, now almost 2, did exactly what your baby is doing! It was so heart breaking to hear her cry like that. I felt like I was constantly pulling over, or sitting in the back seat with her if my husband drove. She cried like that every time we were in the car until she was over a year and we were able to turn her car seat around. We tried everything, from switching car seats, to baby music, to a mirror and toys... and nothing worked. I don't really have much advice on what else to do. Just be patient and keep giving her lots of love! Good Luck! :)
I do not have any advice from experience but have you tried playing a baby music CD while in the car? Do you have toys on the carseat that she can play with? Maybe your 2 1/2 year old son could try to entertain her by making silly faces or singing or just playing with her.
Autumn,
I had that problem with my dughter when she was that age. She got gassy stomach. I gave her some mylacon before we got in the car. This stopped the screaming. Maybe your little one has gass in the car and she is just reacting to the gas. It might be worth a try.
Ally
It may be her carseat. Some don't have padding right under their small back/butt area and as your daughter is now older she realized that it is uncomfortable she is letting you know. You can try to use a dish towel as padding and see if that helps.
Good luck!
My little one had one or two favorite songs I sang him, and had one and only one c.d. that would calm him down. It was the Little Einstein Playdate c.d. It's kind of a trial and error until you stumble on a favorite like that, but he was one to throw those kinds of fits and somehow it would always work.
It may sound a little weird, but I would seek out a homeopathic rememdy. Seeing a Certified Classical Homeopath (CCH) is best, but will cost about $200 for a 2 hour visit. The plus side is that if you are having any other issues with her, those will probably clear up, too. If you are the research type-of-person, you could get a book on it and try to figure out which rememdy would work best. Most homeopaths recommend Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines by Cummings and Ullman. In looking up motion sickness (didn't see another match in the index) you might try Nux Vomica in a 30C potency prior to a car ride. Also, Nux types don't like to be cold so I wondered if the A/C was blowing directly on her.
Just guessing really. I use homeopathy for almost everything with my kids (1 & 4) and I have great success.
Good luck,
B.
One of my kids did that and it turned out he had a bone misaligned in his back and it hurt. I had our chiropractor adjust him and his car screaming stopped. Poor little guy was in pain!
