Problems with Infant in a Car

My daughter is seven months old and was (still is sometimes) the same way in a car. A few of the suggestions listed below have helped us . . . a mirror, playing kid music, and giving her toys to entertain herself with. I would like to comment on the suggestion about baby Einstein videos, or any other kind of TV/video for that matter. The American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as many other reputable agencies and academias, recommend NO TV for children UNDER 2 1/2-3 yrs. old. A recent research article discussed the potential links between early TV watching and hyperactivity/ attention issues later in life. An infant's brain is in rapid development and does not take in the stimuli from a TV the same way an adult would. As the author put it, the young child will be drawn to the TV because of its novelty and rapid movements, but that does not mean it is good for them. A great book for more information on how early TV watching effects the brain development in infants is "Bright from the Start" by Jill Stamm.

Hi D. ~ Have you tried playing some classical or soft music in the car? Even at such a young age, music can sooth!

B.
www.belleserelle.com

My 4 month old daughter gets very antsy sitting in the car seat even for short rides to the grocery store. She'll fall asleep eventually during longer car rides, but she'll still fight it and fuss and cry. She received a carseat toy for Christmas and it has been a lifesaver!! It is a bar that straps across the handle and it keeps her occupied. I sometimes have to reach into the back seat and spin one of the toys or make it play music, but most of the time, she just enjoys staring at it. My sister found it all Wal-Mart. Here is a link for a different one at Walmart that has pretty good reviews. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4645513
You might want to give it a try, maybe she just needs something to keep her busy while she's in the car. Good luck!

I had similar issues with two of my three children. It does get better, though. My youngest is 2 and she is really good now, but until she was about 1 she wasn't overly fond of her car seat, either. Definitely give your granddaughter something to stare at, something that will keep her interested. I think it is mostly boredom, especially since they are rear-facing at that age and how exciting can it possibly be to look at the back of the car's seat?

That is a tough one. My little girl from the time we took her home from the hospital never slept in her car seat carrier. One she was older, from time to time, she would fall asleep in the bigger car seat. We feed her right before a car ride and that seems to help as well as put some toys over head or in the car seat that are age appropriate.

D., let the pediatrician now immediately and check for CP or muscle tone. Our grandson was exactly the same way. He loved to stand a lot as well from a very early stage (2 months) we laughed at how strong he was.I also thought he was fussy in the car but it was the same everytime. Finally he was diagnosed with high tone in his legs when he was 4 months old. He was having spasm that made his legs stiffen straight and it caused pain in the car seat because they wouldn't straighten. He had a mild version of CP. This causes a lot pain for babies. We had to get a specialized seat and no more issues. Good luck.

You might head to a car seat check up - I think Toys R Us is sponsoring one this month, and I think you can call the sherrif's office and they usually have an officer trained to do it. Maybe the car seat isn't at the right angle? Maybe the straps are too tight, or, maybe she just doesn't like being confined. My last child hated the car seat until he was a few months old, and then he got over it. The main thing is that it's important to keep them in there! You can't take them out while you are driving!

My first born NEVER did like the car seat. It kept us at home more than we wanted. Traveling was awful. BUT as he grew it got easier. He is 7 now and is no trouble at all.

My other boys did fine in the car (and after the first one I really appreciated it!).

I would make sure the carseat is comfortable and if so...get earplugs? Really, I am kidding but know what you are going through.

If you need a laugh here is a carseat puzzle:
http://www.junecleavernirvana.com/2009/02/ultimate-parent...

I used to work as a Pediatric Nurse in an office setting. One patient particularly comes to mind when I read about your grand daughter. You should see the Pediatrician and discuss this with him or her to eliminate obvious problems like inner ear fluid problems. Sometimes it is that particular child's processing of the motion going by in the window. Don't guess, though. Make sure there's not a problem, and get some good advice on how to help her be more comfortable if it's just an unpleasant experience for her.

My daughter was just like this and it was so hard for me. I felt trapped at home because I was afraid to make her cry in the car... she has gotten much better as she has gotten older (now 21 months). It is lonely and boring facing backwards. I suggest playing kids music, providing a good sized mirror so you can see her and she can see that you are there (even if it isn't your face). Car seat toys are handy. It'll get better with time. This is a more expensive but possible option- a car DVD player (ours is removable and attaches to headrests so I place it where I want it) and baby einstein videos.

Yes, sounds all too familiar. I agree with others that when they get older it does get better. Both my children hated the car seat (and it was not a medical problem, etc...). I tried everything from music to toys... It is frustrating but keep the time in the car limited and make sure you travel when they have had a good nap or in the morning right after breakfast etc... or right after their nap and a snack in the mid afternoon. Everyone I knew all had kids that slept in the car and loved riding... They had no clue what I was talking about! It is nice to have a forum so you know you are not the only one. Blessings to you! It will get easier!

Our second child has the same issue. I really think it will resolve when we can turn her carseat around at 1 year of age. We did put a mirror there with lights and music (comes with a parent remote control so you can turn it on and off-- bought it at BRUS) that helps some.... sometimes I roll down her window -- the wind takes her breath away and makes her stop screaming for a bit... sometimes I play music... have even tried the Happiest Baby on the Block CD with the womb sounds--- it is a bit creepy at first but works sometimes......... we also figured out that she is fussier when she has teeth coming in......so when she isn't teething it is a bit better-- but not much...... good luck! I know it is so hard becasue you have to keep driving and watch the road in front of you but she screams at the same time. Hang in there!

My middle child HATED car trips & the only thing that worked was my husband sitting in the back with her, singing verse after verse after never ending verse of a song he'd made up. Thank goodness, she grew out of it at about 6-7 months.

When my daughter startes to get fussy in the car I went and bought a toy bar at Wal-mart that goes acroos the carrier handle. I believe it is made by Infantino. It has a frog, a mirror and it spins around and plays music when you push the frogs eyes. She would play with that thing for hours on long car rides and absolutely loved it

Make sure there is not anything wrong with the carseat. I had one that a spring or something came loose from the handle and was sticking out through the upholstered part of the seat, into my son.

We had the same problem, our boy would scream for hours. We had to travel, our dad was very ill five hours away from here. I think we have to assume that little ones who are crying for a sustained time are really suffering in some way. We found out later our son had sleep apnea from enlarged tonsils, and was terrified of the confinement. Singing and talking to him helped, the mirror too. The problem was solved with facing front (I think they sit up straigter in those seats,) tonsil removal, and especially the DVD player, very distracting!

My son was the same way. I also thought maybe he was car sick but that wasn't it. I tried lots of things for him and one time I even made a poster board with lots of shapes of different colors on and taped it to the seat in front of him so he would have something more interesting to look at than just the seat but that didn't work either. The best thing that worked for me was getting some kids CD's with songs on it, or if you have a CD burner on your computer you can even download songs from iTunes which I have done also and make your own CD. Songs like the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle, you know all the classic toddler songs. Little People also had a CD I bought from Wal-mart that he always liked. He seemed to enjoy the music and it always made his car ride more enjoyable. He was more content and would even sleep sometimes. So maybe if you haven't tried this already it would help you. Good luck!

My five year old hated the car seat, and started getting violently car sick before his first birthday - he got better around 3. I second the big mirror attached to the back window - if you can see her face in your mirror, she can see yours in hers.. and the dvd player with leapfrog videos.

S.

My daughter hated riding in the car until about 5 months, so I wouldn't worry too much. We have the Baby Einstein music & lights mirror & she loves it. She is 8 months old tomorrow & now knows how to kick the button with her foot to turn the music on! It keeps her entertained & I can see her cute face! Good luck!

wuw thats just like my sons he is 18 month and he hate's it.. These is what realize, he diden't like it since he was born i will go pick at my daughter from school and he will cry the whole way and back so image my level of stress i try everything feeding him before we go make sure he is not wet i bought a britax car set thinking they are more comfortable but is the same he is 18 months and he hate it so I think they are born with that really I know is very fustratin for you I can imagine I was there so just hey take one day at the time there is nothing that you are doing wrong they just don't like it!!
so he is 18 month everytime I have to put him in the car seat is a battle is so hard so everytime that i set him down I make sure I have something to distract him he is so strong he dosen't let me close the belt...
No Worries Maybe they will like it some Day..

My son (now 19 mo.) never like riding in his infant car seat. When he turned 1, we bought him a "big boy" car seat. Now he's much happier! I like the infant car seats b/c I could easily carry the carseat inside if he was sleeping, but I don't think he liked it very much. With our next baby, I'll probably get a convertible carseat that is a little roomier, even though we won't have the option to take it inside. Also, make sure she has something to play with or look at. They have toys and mirrors that attatch to the car seat. Hope that helps!

My daughter was the same way, my son would sleep as soon as you put him in the car (still does and he's 6) but every time I put her in the car she would scream until we got to our destination and she could go on for hours. It finally ended when she was old enough to be flipped around and face forward. I think she just didn't like being isolated, only seeing the backseat. I tried everything too, no amount of toys or distractions in the backseat helped. I just learned to be patient and get to my destination quickly.