My Daughter Hates Her Carseat!

My son was the same way! Oh it was so frustrating sometimes, I didnt want to go anywhere. But he grew out of it.Every baby is different my other two had no problem with the carseat, but my son didnt like being confined, but he got used to it. Just give it time, and get her used to the seat as ofter as you can. Start a routine with her and the carseat and she will know what to expect. Routine does wonders for babies! Take a drive with her everyday at a certain time for a while and see how she does. The beginning may be rough, but stick with it and see what happens.

When she's not in the car where do you put her when you're not holding her? When my daughter was that small she would go between my arms, to her swing and if we went out anywhere or when I would take a shower (I was a single mom) I would keep her in the carrier part of the car seat so that I could keep an eye on her. I feel like this also helped to make the seat itself more familiar to her and comfortable. If you are always holding her she may not have anything against the car but just doesn't like not being held. OR it may not be the seat at all but simply the motion of the car.... maybe she just is unsure or scared of what's going on around her. If that's the case it may just be something you have to let her grow out of. Don't stop taking her places with you all together because then it will take even longer for her to get used to it. Good luck!

Hi L.,

I know how tough it is right now to put your baby in the car. My son did the same thing. It was horrible anytime we got in the car. I'm sorry to say that he did it until his first birthday and we were finally able to turn his car seat around.
I hope your daughter grows out of it sooner. Good luck.

A. K

Hi ya L.,

I'm so sorry! My daughter was the same way! Any car we got into she screamed all the way to our destination. Finally we found a song that she liked and we sang it to her. For some reason (always the same song) it worked almost every time. If you are a binky user, I would try giving it to her in the car. That's all I can say. Sometimes you will just have to deal with the screams. Ak! Eventually my daughter just grew out of it.

Good luck!

C.

Have you tried a mirror where she can see herself or even u? OR if someone else is driving maybe you could ride beside her for a little bit. But she'll definately grow out of it. after all she has no choice.

My daughter too hated her carseat.. she is six months old now and does fine. I think it's just something they grow out of. For awhile I thought maybe she was having motion sickness, but now she is fine. My niece was the same way and both girls just suddenly stopped on their one day. Whatever we would do to try and make traveling easier didn't help. So hopefully your daughter will grow out of it too.

Could it be reflux? When my son was small, the way he was scrunched in the carseat squished his belly and made his reflux worse. You can ask your ped if you've tried the other stuff mentioned.

Hi L.,
I know this is hard! My son did the same thing. He cried like he was in pain every time he was in his carseat. It wasn't until he was a little older that we realized he had sensory integration issues where your sences are over stimulated. (For instance some people can't wear turtle necks, because they would feel like it is choking them)His eyes were very sensitive to the sunlight and he was sensitive to hot/cold temperatures. It bothered him so badly that basically he couldn't stand it. He was never diagnosed with autism, but he had a lot of minor symptoms that would make us wonder. He did go through Occupational Therapy for a few years. Not sure if that helped or if he grew out of it. The carseat issue didn't last forever...he is now almost 8 yrs old, so I am not remembering exactly how long it lasted. Maybe your daughter just doesn't like facing the other direction, I can see how that would make her feel alone. Maybe just being held in the buckles is uncomfortable to her. I always had to sit beside my son when my husband was driving to 'try' to soothe him. The only thing that worked every time was singing him a jingle that he took to from a tv commercial. I believe it will get better with time, so you may have to bear with it for a while. In a few months she will be more interested in toys and able to hang onto them longer, that may help...that is when I am thinking my son started calming down.
Take care,
C.

Maybe overtime she will start to like it. My son hated his car seat. For the first 12 weeks he screamed in it. He tolerates it now. From time to time he still arches his back and gets big tears. I don't do long trips only if I know for sure that he will sleep. He is now 8 months old. But after 12 weeks it got better. Just remember that this will pass, hopefully when they are foward facing they will like...at least that is what I keep telling myself!

All I can say is give it time. My son didnt like it either and he just got used to it after a while. Now he sleeps in the car all the time. Dont feel like you can't take her anywhere. She justs needs some time. Keep trying to entertain her and give her a pacifier if you think that might help.