4 Month Old Hates to Ride in Car

Try letting her sit in the car seat in the house now and then. Give her a toy, or bottle or just sit and sing and coo at her for a while so she finds out the seat itself isnt some horrble thing to be in. After a while she wont be upset being in the seat and you can then move to the car with less trouble. If you are constantly holding and rocking her at home she might not want to be put down. If you ease her into time in the car seat at home instead of holding her all the time it will help.

You put her in the front with you? I'm sure I don't need to remind you how unsafe and dangerous that is for your baby. "but in some cases it has had to be done" that statement right there should never happen. Some babies just don't like car rides, would you rather have a dead baby and the guilt for the rest of your life or one that cries for 15 minutes from point a to point b?

My suggestion is to let her cry. No, it isn't fun for us Mom's but she won't die from crying.

Sorry to be harsh but car seat safety is something I take very seriously.

Is it legal to put your child in the front seat. It should not be! Don't do that, it's irresponsible and very dangerous. There are laws and guidelines for a reason. Please follow them.

Is your baby uncomfortable? Straps too tight? Cutting into her? Buckles pressing? Motion sickness? Talk with your Dr. about that. If there is nothing wrong, she will have to cry. Please, please...do not put her in the front seat again. That is such a mistake, that you are lucky you don't have to regret forever.

Sometimes, we need to get scolded, when we aren't doing the safe thing for our children. You can rephrase it all you want, and it doesn't take away what you're doing. I hope you get pulled over and get the ringer from a cop.

DO YOU REALIZE HOW STUPID AND DANGEROUS THAT IS???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????!!!!!!!!!
I can see that if you have a older car with NO airbags, but even then it's still not safe! middle of the middle or back seat (if you have a car) is the safest place for a baby. I was contemplating doing this with my sports car, but if I ever got side swiped, both my son and baby would be dead and so I sold that car.
I suggest you learn to grow thick skin like the rest of us mom's and tough it out. A lot of babies don't like to ride in the car with out someone back there. Your child will eventually grow out of this, if you make her. If you don't, your going to be giving in a lot when she's older. It all starts somewhere.

Do not EVER put your baby in the front seat! My daughter is almost 11 and I just NOW let her sit up there. It is VERY dangerous! Try to make sure that she's fed, comfortable and snug. This should fix anything. But still, babies cry. This is not an excuse to put their safety at risk!

In Texas you will get a wopping ticket if your child is in the front seat. It is totally against the law for a child to be up front for any reason.

Please even if your child cries keep her in the back seat in her car seat. .

Our daughter also went through this crying bit..
Try rolling down the window just a bit. Make sure no sun is on her face,

make sure any toy is not right in her face.

Make sure her straps are not cutting into her.

When you take her out of the seat, is she sweaty? If so dress her cooler or turn on the air conditioning,

Talk to her the whole time.. I used to chat away, so our daughter could hear my voice.

You may have to stop every once in a while and get out of the car for a few minutes.

Maybe try to go in the car when she is ready for a nap.

Definitely don't put her in the front!!! If you get in a wreck, she is at a MUCH higher risk... better you get a headache than risk a dead baby.

Is there something about the seat that is uncomfortable? My brother's son hated his seat, until they discovered that there was a buckle that was supposed to lay flat, but it was actually turned so it would jab him in the back. You may want to check that out... My DD hated her carseat for a while, until I got some of those fuzzy things that go on the straps. Turned out that they were chafing her neck, and making her uncomfortable.

You might also try giving her a bottle or something right before traveling, see if being full will help her sleep through trips (if that's convenient)... OR if you are already feeding her before trips, stop. Maybe she has an upset stomach...

I would also ask her pediatrician about it... maybe she gets motion sickness or something, and the pedi. will have suggestions... who knows...

Good luck!

I'm not sure where everyone is getting that you would allow your child to ride in the front seat. Was there a post that was removed? I'm confused...

Anyway, some babies go through a phase where they just do not like to ride in the car seat for whatever reason. As long as your baby is safe, secure in his/her car seat, isn't overly hungry or needs a new diaper, and isn't too hot or too cold, try to tune out the crying.

When my son was about 6mo, he literally SCREAMED for the entire 67 minutes it took us to get from our hotel to my friend's house (we were visiting out of state), and it was probably the most nerve-wracking 67 minutes of my life to that point. But what CAN you do? He was safe and secure, not hungry, etc. He just didn't want to be in the car seat.

Both my kids went through this phase from about 3mo til about 5mo, and we haven't had a consistent problem since. I think part of it is the frustration of being confined to such a small space when they're at a very important developmental stage (creeping, crawling, playing, etc).

Could your baby be hot? cold? sun in eyes? straps cutting into neck?
I kept a supply of pacifiers in the front seat so I could replace the one that fell out of her mouth.
Just uncomfortable in the seat? Time for a new seat? Your baby is probably big enough for a rear facing seat, not infant carrier. (My son actually outgrew the infant seat by 4 mos)
Try Baby Einstein music CD's.

How about putting in a lullaby cd or turning on the radio? Maybe give your baby his/her favorite blanket to cuddle with? My son didn't like care rides, but when I put some music on and gave him his blanky, he was fine.

Unfortunately, you're stuck.
Both of my kids did this too (the 1yr old still does it).

It went on with my son until he was 18mos, and then it just stopped one day.

I feel your pain. It's totally stressful and awful. We actually keep earplugs in the car for that reason. That, or the iPod. Anything to drown out the crying, since there's nothing you can do.

Sorry mama. :(

The car seat may be uncomfortable. Try using a different one, possibly borrow a friend's?

I would suggest the car seat strap covers and a pacifier with a clip to see if that helps. I put the clip end right below the chest buckle that way I can reach back, find the clip, then just grab the ribbon & viola, the pacifier is attached to it so I can get it back in her mouth if she needs it.

Are you able to feed her a bottle while driving? I have always been able to get my boys to drink bottles (that I hold with my right hand, while my left hand steers.) Yes, my arm gets numb from reaching into the back seat, but it keeps them happy in the car.

Rearrange your life to minimize car use. Walk. Use public transit, if it's available in your area. At the very least, concentrate errands and walk between the stores instead of driving. You'll find a lot of benefits to your life beyond simply the peace of a happy baby.

If this is completely impossible in your area, consider getting politically involved in making your area more walkable. Cars should be an option, not a necessity. My sympathy if that is not true in your area.

Good luck.