We have a 7 month old son who doesn't like riding in cars. He all of a sudden has developed a disliking for being in his carseat. He's fine when we go short distances like the babysitter's (15-20 mins or so), but long rides are horrible. He cries uncontrollably for about 20-30 mins before giving up and falling asleep. We've tried stopping to feed him, change him, console him etc. He's as happy as can be when we take him out of his carseat but screams when we put him back in. It's not usually a problem, but we travel to me and my husband's parents houses frequently which is 2 hours away. The only way he'll ride long distances is if he's sleeping to begin with.
He's generally an EXTREMELY happy baby. He smiles and giggles all the time. He hardly ever cries.
If anyone has any suggestions, that would be great! Thank you!
Thank you all for the great advice! We've learned to accomodate our son a little more on long trips in the car. We now leave for long distances when it's just about his nap time so he'll sleep for most of the ride. We've also put LOTS of toys in the car so he won't get bored:) It seems to be working pretty good. Thanks for the reassurance that it's just that 'squirmy, I want my freedom' stage that he's going thru!
If he is still in an infant carrier, it may be time to switch him to a rear facing convertible seat. At this age, he is yearning to sit up and see the world, and an infant carrier reclines so far that he probably doesn't like the feelign of laying down while moving. If you put him in a rear facing convertible seat, he'll sit up and may be more comfortable, he'll be able to see more out the windows.
I agree with the Mom who said that your little one most likely just doesn't want to be pinned down. Our son (who is now 8 mo.) has the same issue in the car. He is good for about 30 mins if he is awake, but then he is done. Both my husband and my family live about 6 hours away, so when we travel we leave about the time that our son would go down for his morning nap and make a push to get through half the drive. We have family almost EXACTLy half way between, so we stop and do lunch and let him play for a while. The roughly around his next nap time (maybe 1/2 hr. before) we make a push for the second half of the trip.
This works for us -- and our son. When we get there he is in a good mood and happy to be out and playing. Plus, he isn't sleeping off his schedule.
Hope this helps!
It sounds to me like your little guy has discovered "freedom" (i.e. he is probably crawling, or at least scooting?) so he's being a very good boy for short rides--until he gets that urge to MOVE. :-D
I'm generally not a fan of the "he'll outgrow it..." reply--in ANY situation (let's face it: lots of kids NEVER 'outgrow "it"'--whatever 'it' may be). But in this case, I do think it will get better with time.
Don't waste too much time or energy trying to 'entertain' him. If those little hands and knees are feeling the urge to hit the 'pavement', a toy bar isn't going to help much. What you may want to start, however, is telling him: "No, Tyler, you HAVE TO be in your carseat when we're in the car. See--Ava is in her seat. Mommy and Daddy wear seatbelts. We ALL have to." He may be a baby--but you'll be setting a good precedent for the future, for both your son AND daughter. :-D
(P.S.--I was 'the Mom' who made my kids wear helmets when they rode their 'Big Wheels', LOL!!! :-D But, at 6 and 8, both of them automatically reach for those helmets when they go out to ride their bikes now, while my neighbor has to threaten and bribe hers to wear them. :-D)
This happened to my son about the same time too. We tried a few things, but always stuck to our guns and left him in the car seat. I think it's important that they learn that being in the car seat, though not their favorite activity, is just a part of life.
We put a bunch of toys in the passenger seat that I could toss back to my son in his car seat as he played and tossed them out! We also put his favorite kids CD in the car to listen to sometimes. We tried singing lullabies to him when he cried. We also often sympathized with him, saying things like, " You don't like being in your car seat" and, "I hear you're really angry/sad right now". We'd also tell him that he has to be in his car seat so he is safe. Though they may not know what you're saying, the tone in your voice, and habit of recognizing his feelings are crucial.
After a few weeks, my son's hatred for the car seat seemed to dissipate. At 11 months, he plays with toys, sleeps, waves at himself in his mirror, or just looks out the window!
Best of luck!
Some kids go through a seperation anxiety around this time. So when you put them in their carseat and they are facing backwards they think you've disappeared and they don't like it. I've heard from ECFE teachers that sometimes when you talk to them it makes it worse because they can hear you, but they can't see you.
Some of the tips I had gotten at that stage in life was to put some pictures of mom and dad in the back that they can look at. Or a photo book they can hold with pictures in it.
Hope this helps. It does get better!
Is it his carseat? ......
I would try and put kiddie music on in the cd player
Sing to him so he's not lonely and can hear your voice
Try a dvd player
Toys
Maybe a better carseat?
my daughter had done the same thing, I found that putting a little pad in the carseat to make it a little softer helped and having an activity bar and a few extra things to play with helped out a lot. my daughter is very thin so it hurt her spine being in the car seat so with a pad it made it much more comfortable. for longer car rides I even got a portable dvd player and play a baby einstein video or something in the car and my kids love it because the music and stuff is very soothing for them.
My son did that too. And my friend's baby is in that stage. He'll outgrow it.
You may try one of those activity bars, but if he's unhappy because he's stuck in the carseat, it probably won't help. My son would quit crying as long as I would sing "twinkle twinkle little star." I once sang it over and over for 1.5 hours. I survived. Just hang in there, make sure that there isn't anything preventable bothering him, like sunlight, heat, too tight seatbelt, etc., and be assured that he'll learn to accept it.
Our son used to do that exact same thing & you know what I think it was, he always got really hot/sweaty in those things. They don't let air to their backsides. I'd take him out & he'd be drenched. As soon as he'd get cooled off, he'd be fine. Open a window so he can cool off. Just a thought!
Good luck!
He's probably getting bored.?. I know that happens with my daughter on longer rides. They have little toys for the car. I have one from baby einstein that plays music and lights up. My daughter also likes the radio and when she has something in her hands to play with. I don't know if that will help?
Hi,
Well I don't know how you feel about this, but you could try giving him a teething cookie even though he might not be teething. My middle baby always liked chewing on them. He would sit in the car seat in the store when I shopped or in the car. It kept him real happy. The only bad thing is be ready to have a box of wipeys to clean him up. They get really messy. Or get one of those mirrors that go on the back of the seat so he can see in it and look at you from behind. My daughter who is 11months do like long trips either and so I have to pack snacks for her. Just alittle thought. It is up to you about how you feel about food with your 7month. My boys started on food early because they never got full off of formula/breast milk. Good Luck.
T.,
Sorry to hear of the troubles traveling with your little one far distances. The only thing I can think of by your explanation of the situation is perhaps he has developed motion sickness. It is strange how this can just start, but this has happened with my son. When he was about 8, he started complaining of stomach aches and not feeling well after a 20 min. or more car ride. Even with the windows down, he still feels ill. We try to limit the times we "force" him to travel with us when a long drive is involved. Granted, your little one obviously can not stay home by himself, so I would runthese scenarios through your pediatrician. They should be able to offer some over-the-counter remedies, like Dramamine. Perhaps, if you (or your husband) sat in the back with him. You can cuddle with him and maybe that will help relieve just a little of his discomfort. Best of luck!
I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions except are his belts too tight maybe? Or have you tried the car seat toys?
My three month old son does the same thing. I am dreading driving up north for 5 hours in two weeks! If you find something that works, let me know!
My daughter went through a stage like that at about that age and my 8 month old son is starting to do the exact same thing. Luckily - it is a short lived phase.
My son was just like this - we have a 5 hour drive to and from my in-laws, and it was sheer torture. I remember one time I spent 45 minutes hanging over the back of my seat so I could wedge my head next to him and make "sh...sh...sh..." sounds in his ear.
Here's the few things that helped:
- Music. There are a ton of good kids song CDs out there, and even your own CDs might be appealing (email me for suggestions, if you like). The CD "No!" by They Might Be Giants was the one that worked for us, but we also made "mix" CDs. Try singing too - especially if Ava will join in!
- Toys - we brought a bag full of the small hand-holdable toys we had around the house. They usually only worked one time, and only for about 10 minutes at a time, but if you got them in his hands before he went too ballistic, it could stave off a full meltdown
- Breaks - keep up the breaks. Especially if the problem is comfort. Wrap the straps with some cushioning where they hit your son's neck
- Light - my son became completely unconsolable in his seat if it was dark outside. Watch to see if this might be part of the problem with your child too (my daughter ended up being very simliar). Try to schedule trips so that there's still daylight left (easier to do now than in the winter!)
- Bottle - this didn't work for my son, but my daughter likes having a bottle, so even though we're working on moving her to a sippy cup, we'd give her a bottle of water for long trips. We'd use a small-hole nipple so it takes a while.
And finally, don't worry - as other moms have said, this will pass. The hates-the-carseat phase was about 6 months long with each of my kids, and it will be over faster than it sounds.
