Activities for the Car

Hi
My kids hated the car too. They had terrible reflux and the car rides made it worse. They got carsick in every car ride even 5 minute ones.
I think his misery is from being carsick more than being bored.
We finally , after 18 months of daily throwing up in the car found a solution. The GI doc recommended as a last resort to try something odd.
THe carsickness has something to do with the fluid in their ears and equilibrium.
Benedryl, in a half dose for his size should relieve the carsickness.
I couldnt believe that it worked but it did and still does.
half doses do not make them tired, but it does something to the fluid in the inner ear, stabilizing the equilibrium.
so, if at 14 months he should get a half teaspoon for a whole dose, give him HALF of that amount, TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE PUTTING HIM IN THE CAR.
You MUST wait,(not too long) but twenty minutes is good. i put the benedryl next to or on top of the diaper bag to remember,
good luck. Miserable kids in the car is the worst part of parenting, in my opinion!
at 14 months he is too small for the kids carsickness and motion sickness medicine. I think he has to be 6 to use it. benedryl is safe and in the small dose shouldnt make him sleepy.

small board books (to graduate to big kid pages), and you can get small hand held doodle boards. My girls love them.

This may not be a very popular response but for our son (who has the same issues and is 15 months) I find that the best thing I can do is ignore the fussing. I do always make sure his seat is free of anything wet, hard or otherwise uncomfortable so that I know he isn't in pain. Other than that, I pretty much ignore him. If he's being very good and trying to communicate with me I will speak back to him (he starts saying "uh oh" to let me know he's ready for a 'conversation') or sing a song. But if he starts yelling or fussing I just state "sorry, I would like you to not yell so when you stop we can talk again" and I leave it at that.

My husband tries to passify him while in his car, talking, turning around, handing toys, etc and I find that he's MUCH worse in his car than with me. Basically he knows that with daddy he's supposed to get attention. With mommy, he may as well just sit back and look out the window.

Again, maybe not the most popular choice because I do sometimes have to listen to a fussy child, but overall it works best for us. Also - I have a truck that he can see out the window from his seat. I doubt this method would work if my son could see anything from his seat.

Good luck and hang in there!!

Hi there,

I have 2 kids, when we bought our van it came with a dvd player. My daughter was rear facing but listened at the time. When she became forward facing, she loved to see it too. I suggest getting a dvd player and see if it helps!
good luck!

Try a portable dvd player with his favorite shows or movies if he has any. maybe that will help.

This will pass. His age group carseats are not well padded and very uncomfortable take the cover off and you might see why he is so uncomfortable, like your seat. Their fabrics do not breath to keep cool, or have warmth. They need to provide better padding for the seats. How expensive would it be to add a gel insert for more padding, even for infant carriers. I wish you all my blessings..

Invest in a portable DVD system and some Sesame Street or other videos. It keeps the kids entertained and a little TV in the car isn't going to hurt. It's not like they get alot of enrichment from the car ride otherwise so I figure if it keeps them entertained and allows me to focus on the road, why not?

This is an age when kids seem extra restless whether they're in the car seat, the stroller, the high chair or anywhere they're strapped in. Make sure he's as comfortably (but still safely) situated in the seat as possible, and be sure you have the right seat for him; if he's a particularly big boy, for instance, you may want to look at other seats that would fit him better. And the toys, snacks and music are all good ideas but just be aware that he won't ever be content every minute -- try to ignore him when he fusses so he doesn't get the idea that you react whenever he fusses. It's not necesssary that he feel entertained every moment.

I am not a fan of the DVDs in the car idea. I know lots of parents consider them a godsend especially on long trips, but I think they teach kids that they always need a screen in front of them to pass the time. And it doesn't just end up being for long trips -- friends who have them say that though they try to reserve the car's DVD player for longer drives, the kids quickly learn to fuss for a DVD on even the shortest errands, so they can't spend even 10 minutes in the car without wanting something moving on a screen.

He's plenty old enough for lots of music CDs (both kids' songs and your own music; you'd be surprised how early kids like pop or rock, and be sure to change CDs often so he doesn't get bored with the same old ones). Play simple story CDs or cassettes you can get for free from the library, etc. Some libraries have younger kids' board books etc. with accompanying CDs, so he can hold and look at the book while the CD plays. I would try giving him soft puzzles he can hold on his lap (if he tends to throw things like puzzle pieces, which could be hard and hit and distract you, don't do this, or find soft puzzles). Or reserve a special, new toy that ONLY "lives in the car" like those dolls that have buttons/zips/snaps etc. for him to do and undo, and so on. New stuff that keeps his hands busy. And of course talk to him and play "I spy" and show him things out the window all the time -- it actually will help with his visual acuity and color identification, word association, etc. as he gets older. My daughter used to love to spot shapes, colors and eventually words outside the car. He's too young for most of that but the more you say it to him, the sooner he'll pick it up. I would add that my daughter really used to look forward to long (four-hour-plus) car drives to see family because she knew it meant long, uninterrupted stretches of time to listen to story CDs. Good luck and have fun in the car!

Hi, P.. Car rides can be pretty boring after a while. Have you tried rotating toys? Keep some toys he gets for Christmas, birthday or just-because-gifts for the car only. Also, check to see when he ate before getting in car. Some people get car sick when on empty (or full) tummy. If he's eaten before getting in car, then try to wait a little longer or feed him earlier before you know you're going out. Give him time to digest the food and have good bm or burp. Also, try talking to him and if problem persists, talk to ped.

Ignore it and it will stop - eventually...
The car sick thing - can you move his car seat to the middle so he can see out the front window?? That might help.

My 2yo has always hated his car seat, from the day we brought him home until this very day. He screams non-stop in the car. Even on our four-five hour drives to relatives houses. I was at my wits end. It got to the point where I was desperately seeking any way to not have to take him with me to the store, which is only 5 minutes down the road. I don't usually agree with letting kids watch movies in the car, but I finally broke down and brought the portable DVD player into the car with his favorite movie in it. (Elmo in Grouchland). Riding in the car has been much nicer ever since.

When Son1 was this age, I didn't even have a radio, so I would sing. He was really into Old McDonalds, and I had fun making up silly things on the farm (cars, dolphins, etc). I have a terrible voice, but he just liked that I was interacting with him. He liked the surprise of the unusual farm creatures, and he would sometime suggest some in his way, or make noises. This worked for taking him to daycare every day, he liked the repetition of it, and it just became our routine.

Good luck, Son2 is just getting to that age, so we shall see if this works with him.

He may truly not feel well after even a few minutes in the car and probably dreads getting in. This was the case with our son who began the car sickness problems around that age. We were able to give him a quarter of a children's chewable dramamine and it made life so much better and he had no side effects. It's worth a try. At that age I used to have to dissolve it in juice because he refused to chew it but now he knows that if we are leaving, he needs to take his dramamine. I'm not sure where you live but we are able to find the chewable kind at the CVS.

Hi P.... we have made some cross country trips with a 14 month odl in tow, so I know how bored a little one can get! Everyone has shared great ideas-from "special" toys they only get in the car, to rotating toys, fun kids' music, soft puzzles and books, etc. I was not a fan of a portable DVD player, but at about 20 months we broke down and bought one. We do not own a tv with cable at home (on purpose, didn't want our kiddo to depend on shows for entertainment.) So, this is extra special for cartrips and he only gets to watch on a long ride (say, to Grandparents' house 7 hours away.)At 20 months, we only loaned out Baby Einsetin videos from the local library, but since then, we've bought a few longer shows (PBS stuff mostly) from Amazon.com.

Our son (now 2.5 years old) loves little cars, so we have Matchbox cars in reserve and on long trips, he gets a new and exciting one (they cost about $1 at most stores.) The dollar bin in general is a good idea for trips, whether plane, train, boat or car rides! But what I remember most when i was a kid was playing games with my mom while driving...I Spy, Licnse Plate game, etc. Obviously at 14 months too young for that, but it all comes up fast!

Good luck!
RG

I think if i was me i would stop trying to entertain. As you make this effort you are only setting yourself up for failure. As with everything with children. As you find things to entertain you have to out do it the next time. Now if your on a trip that's one thing but if you have to entertain every time you get in the car it will get harder and harder as time goes by. So i would stop entertaining and let him deal with the trip. Also Children at this age don't have car sickness often... I'm not saying your child doesn't not but i would have to assume with what else you have said he's bored and wants to be entertained and this is one way to get you to. It's kind of like throwing a fit. I don't like being in the car and if you don't let me out I'm going to throw up. They say children are not capable of doing this but i know they are. I do childcare and i see it everyday. (Dr. will disagree but they also don't think children get a temp. with cutting teeth) So if it was me i would clean it up but ignore it. good luck

I agree with Leigh - he is way too young to pacify with a DVD player. That is setting him up for bad habits later on and you should not have to spoil a 1 year old every time he whines. They say that toddlers under 2 shouldn't be watching that much any way. I would bring a little basket of picture books...and maybe one of those leap frog learning books...so it is a little more interactive, and may keep him entertained for longer. He will eventually grow out of this fussy stage and hopefully start enjoying sing-a-long time with mommy. :) Also - not sure if this is how you are currently doing it- but give him a 'special' toy that he loves and only gets in the car...that way he won't take it for granted or let it get too old. And - if it is a long trip, try driving during nap time or at night, so he will want to sleep through most of it.

My son gets car sick too. Putting the seat in the middle helped. He might be hard to entertain cause he really is feeling badly. Ask your dr what you can give a child that age for carsickness. He probably is feeling pretty off prior to him showing visible signs of carsickness. Having cold air blow on my son helped a little. Luckily he still liked the car and if he was sleeping it was OK. Good luck. My son still hasn't outgrown the car sickness thing.