My 2-week-old daughter HATES riding in the car. She starts screaming the second I put her in her infant carrier and doesn't stop until we get where we're going. The farthest we've been is 20 minutes away from home, but we have a 3 hour trip to Grandma's this weekend. It's pretty much a MUST GO situation or I'd stay home.
Any suggestions to make her more comfortable?
Thank you! Thank you! I used several of your suggestions. I used a rolled towel to level her seat base, adjusted the straps, made sure she was fed, burped & dressed comfortably, and I invested in a snuzzler. She was quiet & peaceful for both directions of the trip. Oddly enough when it was time for us to head home, she was screaming & refusing to take a bottle. We tho't, "Oh, boy. It's gonna be a long ride home." She screamed until we were on the road and then instantly quiet. So thank you, one & all!
Extra padding... can you strap the car seat in a laying down position. Maybe she does not like sitting up.
Well none of my kids have hated riding in the car this much, but when they do scream I play the Baby Einstein Baby Mozart cd as loudly as possible in the car until they stop crying. It may sound harsh but it has always worked for my kids. They can't scream louder than the music so eventually they stop. I don't feel badly because the music is classical so I know it isn't damaging their brain!
My son was the same way at that age. I can suggest to take plenty of things to try to entertain her, you may have to sit in the back with her to entertain her (if possible). Or maybe you make it a night trip to Grandma's when the baby's sleeps.
My son did the same thing when he was a newborn. We went to a car seat safety fair when he was about a month old, and they showed me that the car seat wasn't properly installed. The seats in our car were tilted downward toward the back for comfort, so his seat was slightly tilted forward which made it hard for him to keep his head up against the back of the carseat. She took a pool noodle and cut it and taped it together to fill in that gap so that his carseat was level. After that, he never fussed again.
My little guy hated it in the beginning and then grew to love it. One time we had to go somewhere when he was going to be hungry so I pumped and fed him a bottle while we were driving and he passed out so you might try that - leave for grandmas right when he will be hungry and give him a bottle. The mixture of motion and feeding might help him to fall right asleep. Good luck!
Two weeks old is definitely still young enough to respond to the S's!
<<“The 5 S’s” — swaddling, shushing, side/stomach position (not for sleeping), swinging and sucking — Karp’s techniques recreate the soothing sounds and sensations of the womb.>>
When my now four-year-old granddaughter was a baby, my daughter would ride beside her and shhhhhhhhhh and "rock" the carseat (swaddle). She would also place her hand on the baby heavily to make her feel secure. Shushing really works with young babies. The shhhhhh must be in the ear and it must be louder than the cry. (It imitates the sound of the embryonic fluid.)
Some people add another 's' for Spank which is not literally, but a rhythmic patting. A little hard to do in the carseat, but helpful.
My twin boys were the same way - as soon as I moved them to car seats, rather than carriers, they were happy. I really think that either they were hot or they just didn't like the motion of the car. I know that it is very frustrating because you just have to listen to them scream the whole way!!! Both of my daughters loved the car and went to sleep right away so that was what I expected from the boys too. But now they are 10 mos and they fall asleep in the car, so hopefully your daughter won't mind when she gets bigger. I took them on a longer trip (like an hour and a half) once and they did finally go to sleep after about 20-30 minutes and slept the rest of the way so maybe that will happen on your longer trip.
Sounds pretty normal to me. We fed our son, burped him, and also gave him Mylicon just in case we missed a gas bubble to help comfort his tummy. I always sit in the back seat with him when I can on long trips, and found a song/songs that soothes him. We used a Lullabye Fisher Price CD but we got tired of that so he's now content listening to Alison Krauss. Her voice is very soothing to our baby still and has been since birth.
My daughter had the same difficulty! She would cry so hard she threw up even in as little as 10 minutes!
-We would try to drive at night when she was asleep or during naptime (night was easier)
-Break even small trips up into smaller trips
-Take the train :)
-Bring a laptop with Baby Einstein videos
-Sit in the back with baby and a bottle (even though we breastfed, we would pump for car trips.
Hope that helps!
My daughter did the same thing. We would have to sing, play--do anything to distract her any time in the car. On one longer trip, she was fussing to the extent we stopped the car and got out. She immediately quit crying. Very frustrating.
As she became older, she is now 26, we found out she got car sick. We think that is why she fussed so much when she was a baby and couldn't tell us she was getting sick.
Not sure the solution to your problem, but it is a thought. When we found this out, it became easier to work with her and to know what a possible reason was. Maybe a doctor could prescribe some kind of car sick medicine for a baby??
Linda
My daughter has always been the same way. She's 13 months and has gotten a little better now that she is interested in books (we get library books for the car), but it's always hard. When I had a 4 hour drive (she was 3 months) half way thorugh the trip I gave in and gave her benedryl- she was just so miserable and she was finally able to sleep. I HATED doing that. Then it messed up her schedule for days. I recommend leaving at a normally sleepy time for her (if she has one) so MAYBE she'll sleep. Have someone sit in back with her and play/ entertain her. Offer her bottles (if you can)(and I know you aren't suppose to give water yet, but I gave my daughter a sip during a car ride at age 2 months and she got REALLY quiet she was so surprised by something new). I also gave her a tin of mints to shake. Play relaxing music. Try holding up a portable dvd w/ baby einstein (you can put it on you ipod if you have one). Just a few ideas. Brace youself though, sometimes crying is what will happen. Maybe she will cry it out and settle down.
I would try sitting in the backseat beside her. Maybe she will be comforted by you.
Give her a nice soothing bath 1st, they have a either bath wash and/or lotion that has lavender in it for soothing (works on adults too), feed her and "ride"! Enjoy ur trip ma!
The good news is that she is likely to fall asleep on this long trip! Don't ever give in and take her out of the carseat while she is inside the car, moving or not. Never. Ever. I believe she will eventually see that that is the way things are and give up the fight. Consistency in the face of opposition is the hardest thing... You have dangly toys? Cover her carseat with a blanket? Don't cover her carseat with a blanket? Pacifier? Bulk rate on earplugs?
Find a pediatric chiropractor. My brother's daughter was the same way, and after just a couple of adjustments (with an activator, so no twisting or pulling), she was fine. From then on, they made sure to have each of the following 3 children adjusted shortly after they came home from the hospital, and none of them have screamed in the carseat. Well, other than for the usual reasons, like hunger & thirst, but not because the carseat was causing them pain. I recommend Dr. Erica Mueller in McKinney. She's really gentle, and takes most insurance. ###-###-####
My son (now 9) also hated riding in his carseat - I can only tell you he did outgrow it. He would cry from the moment we pulled out of the garage until we pulled back in - he would do okay in the seat in the house. Make sure it isn't the seat that is uncomfortable, that the baby is changed and fed before attempting to go anywhere. I wish I had better advice!!
I did have a clip on music, vibrating thingie for the seat that helped at times.
J.
When my kids were tiny, they LOVED looking at black and white pictures. We had something very similar to the Car Seat Gallery by Manhattan Toy. http://www.geniusbabies.com/cargalawwinb.html (Check also Amazon.com and eBay.) You attach it with velcro to the back of the seat of the car so your infant has something to look at besides the backseat. It stays out of reach of the baby, so you don't have to worry about her chewing on the cards at all. I was simply amazed how much happier it made them on car rides. A road trip requires having lots of tricks in your bag, so I agree with all the others about things to try with music, etc. Your son could try to entertain her by holding up black and white books for her to see during the road trip. Most libraries have a good selection of infant board books.
Good luck! I feel for you!!!
Your daughter is experiencing something sensory. It could be the feel of the seat or the ride itself that is causing her discomfort. Her crying is how she is alerting you to that. I would take the seat in the house and experiment with her sitting in the chair. Make sure there is nothing poking or pinching her. Once that is ruled out, place her in it and see if she bucks as if to get out...if so it is the texture of the seat and perhaps the shape. Make sure she is not being choked by safety harness. If I can find it, there is a article about infants experiencing claustrophobia. Being in the womb in the enclosed space and than having to be confined in a carseat is sometimes hard. Try swaddling before putting her in the seat..try singing to her or playing music so that she does not feel lonely...good luck
My son also hated the carseat and car rides... One day, I couldn't take the screaming and turned up classical music and then.... silence. Give it a try. The Baby Einstein Music CDs are the best. Good luck!
My daughter was the same way. I thought she was the only kid who DIDN'T fall asleep in the car! She eventually got over it. I just had a few months of turning up the radio loud (I eventually found a Jefferson Airplane song that if I played it once or twice she would always fall asleep). My husband couldn't deal with it, though. Eventually she was fine with it; I have no idea what caused it, but she seemed to just grow out of it.
My daughter was the exact same way!!! My nerves were shot by the time we got to the grocery store! Feel the padding in her car seat. Just push your hand where her back and bottom are. We were using a Graco and it was soooo hard. We went shopping for the most padded seat we could find and came home with a Britax. In fact, we switched car seats right there in the parking lot of the store! Ahhh, the ride home was relief! There little bodies are used to being surrounded by soft and I think comfort does matter.
For my older kids who get fussy or just want OUT of the car we have found Raffi cds are the greatest distraction and enjoyable to mom and dad as well.
Yeah they all seem to hate it. Mine was never completely happy until we turned him around. What I did when he was little after worrying I would never be able to leave the house, was to little by little drive with him just about every day. I'd slowly increase the amount of time and he did get somewhat better or would just pass out. It's hard to listen to them cry, but really there aren't any options sometimes. You can try singing to him, or put some toys with him. Good luck!
OMG My son was the SAME way and it turned out to be caused by silent Reflux. (silent reflux is when they spit up or have severe heart burn but the spit up stays in the throat and does not come up and out. the pain from this is worse than relfux that allows them to spit it up)
My dr put him on prevacid 75 solutabs 1/2 in am and 1/2 in pm. we also had him on Bethanachol (spelling) it helps to empty the stomach faster. our son would throw up milk and choke on it after 5 hours since the last time eating and it was breast milk that should have been gone with in 2 hours.
You can also try ORIGONAL LIQUID MYLANTA 1/4 teaspoon (for that age) it does not work quite as well as prevacid but should benifit if that is the problem.
Another symptom of reflux is of course spitting up large quanities of milk or clear fluid (thick and foamy sometimes) smelly spit up, constant crying, not wanting to lay on back or even aversion to laying on tummy. not wanting to lay flat or not wanting to "be folded at the waist" like in a car seat. this forces the acid up the throat and burns.
If you notice your child choughing, choking, sputtering or gaging when they drink then they are probably asperating (getting fluid in the lungs) and you should ask your dr for a swallow study. asperating can cause pnumonia and severe pain and feeding aversions (not wanting to eat at all)
Good luck
A. J
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Try a mirror for the baby to see herself in. My grandson enjoys looking at himself. Try music and see if that helps. A.
Make sure she's just eaten and burped. Put a blanket folded to be from shoulder to hip after you get her fastened nice and tight, wrap the blanket around her nice and tight, with her arms down, like you would swaddle her. Find a static station for white noise and just drive. When you get on the highway and past the stop and go part, she should go to sleep. At that age, mine would sleep the duration of the trip as long as I didn't stop, after we got past the crying at the beginning.
Just wanted to wish you well on your trip. We will be traveling from Texas to Califorina soon with a 9mo. (pray for me).
My son was a little fussy to but having my daughter back there with him helped out alot. She had a favorite tune she would sing to him. I also put a sun shade in the window for him and a mirror so i could see him through the rear view. The mirror captured his attention because he was able to see himself.
You might want to start putting her in the seat at home every so often and maybe walk around with her talking or singing to her just to get her used to it.
I hope I was help
My daughter (now 1 1/2 months old) is a car screamer too. The only thing that has helped is I put toys hanging from her car seat and I put a mirror up that she can look at that also has toys hanging from it and plays music.
Time has helped us. I have noticed that the more car rides we take the less she is crying each time. Not that you have time to work on that now.
My advice: put her in very comfy clothes, give her a nice full tummy and a good burb right before you get in the car and hopefully she will cry herself to sleep shortly after you begin the trip.
Good luck! :-)
Our daughter did the same thing.So we loosened her straps a little bit and put her a toy that had music and she was fine.I hope this helps.Best wishes.
This may seems obvious, but how are the straps? Are the too wide, too tight, etc.
My oldest could have LIVED in her carseat, she loved it. So it was really surprising to me that my 2nd hated hers. She did the same thing. Screamed and cried the whole time. The only time she would calm down was if I was in the back with her. Obviously if you are driving that's not an option. When she was 2 months old she started liking her little monkey mirror that hangs on the back of the driver seat, but it was not much better. She finally started to get a little better when she was about a year old and then we switched her to a forward facing and it started all over again! She's 15 months now and she is better when her big sister is back there with her. The only other thing that works is singing to her. I feel really stupid doing it, but it's better than the screaming. (Maybe)
Good luck!
My son hated his carseat at first too, he's MUCH better now (he's 3 months, but it didn't take until 3 mo for him to get better.) If you aren't the one driving, try riding next to her and talking/singing to her. other than that. earplugs?
My sister's daughter did this. She finally put a DVD screen in a place for her daughter to see and put on the Einstein videos. She said it was the best thing she could have ever done.
lay her in her carseat a few times a day for increasing increments of time until your trip to grandma's
I would try him in a different seat. I had to put my son in a differnt seat once for a short trip and he was MISERABLE - and we never had problems with his regular seat. Maybe something in the seat is hitting him wrong or just isn't comfortable in it. Good luck!
I would highly recommend getting this for her car seat. My 4 month old has been using it since she was a newborn and falls asleep almost instantly. And you don't have to worry about her head getting in all those weird positions while she sleeps. I wish I would have had one with my first born. It just looks so comfortable for her. I want one too! I am telling you, this has been a lifesaver for car rides. You can buy it at babies-r-us. Hope it works!
Our youngest daughter fussed all the time we rode in the car. After she was old enough to tell us what was wrong, we discovered that she was a little bit car sick all the time. You can talk to the pediatrician, but I doubt there is much to give her to help since she is so young.
Ever consider earplugs? Just kidding, I know that you feel compelled to comfort her, but there really is no choice but to restrain her while you are in the car.
All great advice! My dd hated the car seat. I was happy when I could turn her around...but since your baby is so young you have to make her as comfortable as possibble. Try to begin your traveling at her normal naptime. Feed, Burp and try an infant massage on her. Gently rub her down, use baby lavendar oil slightly warmed. Place her in a warm blanket that you have slept with--your scent will be calming.
*****MOST IMPORTANT***** Plan ahaed for your trip so you are not running around trying to get everyhting done last minute. She will feel the tension. Plan it so you have the last 20-30 minutes before you get in the car to just spend with her making her calm. This will help calm you too.
Good luck! Enjoy your trip!
