Car Seat Issues

B.,
My babies really enjoyed looking at themselves in the car seat mirrors which hang over the backseat. I also had car seat toys which moved and and made sounds while I drove. They really seemed to help me. My kids cried a lot too before this. Hope this helps.
-J.

B.,
Do you have one of those mirrors that go on the back seat? My son loves his!!! He smiles at himself and laughs. It has been a life saver for me!!!

We had to put a baby mirror on the headrest in front of our little one so she could see us AND each time we would go out one of our "used" shirts would go in the seat with her. A "used" shirt is one you or Daddy have worn so the baby can smell you on it. We would place it over her like a blanket. This seemed to sooth her pretty good.
J.

Hi, B.. I can't speak for everyone, because each child is different, but for us (and I've rad in various sources, a number of babies) around six months, a switch turned on (or off... however you look at it). He went from screaming to happy. Which in the short term doesn't help you, but perhaps knowing that there's a chance it will get better... I do know a few moms whose babies (now toddlers) have simply never liked the car. But they do quit screaming, so that's helpful. I know it makes driving incredibly stressful--daunting, no less. I don't imagine you want to introduce this now, but for longer trips, we finally broke down and bought a DVD player that straps to the back of our headrests. He's three, though. I used to be completely anti-TV, and for the most part, still am. But there are moments when you simply need something soothing, and if that does the trick, well... c'est la vie!

Good luck and all the best,
H.

My son was the same... I didn't do this, but I know there are toys that you can put on the back seat to keep him amused... I've heard that they helped some other moms I know. My son has outgrown this and now doesn't mind car rides at all-in fact sometimes they even calm him down when he's fussy!!!
Hang in there, I remember being traumatized deciding whether to get on the bridge or pull over!!! It's very stressful!!!!
Also, in case you don't already know this, babies are NOT supposed to front face until they are one year old (regarding the other response).. :)

My daughter is now 4 years old. Unfortunately, I also had the same issue with her. I dreaded going anywhere, especially somewhere far. A few times, she cried so hard that she gagged, then suddenly stopped. I pulled over because I thought she was choking, but I think she just hurt her throat. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help. the only consolation is that as soon as I was able to move her to the front facing seat and she could see me, she was perfectly content.

B.,

I did the mirror thing as well. It seems to be a common solution and I know it worked like a charm with mine. My son had a car woobie(blanket) too so that was his comfort. He's 9 now, and we actually just got it out of the car last year lol. Also I'm letting everyone know that I have childsafe ID kits that I am giving out. It's just a card that holds photo, info and fingerprints so if something were to happen, or more than anything for piece of mind, your son and you would be ready. Email me here or at ____@____.com if you want one.

My daughter was like that too. Whenever my husband drove, I'd sit in the passenger seat and stick my pinky finger in her mouth for her to suck on... she wouldn't take a pacifier. Oh, I don't miss those days!

This too shall pass... it might mean that you don't go out as much for now, but it will get better eventually. As long as he's not hungry/cold/hot/wet, his needs are accounted for, so if you have to go somewhere, unfortunately, he'll just have to cry. I know it's heartbreaking, but I don't think there's much you can do other than limit the amount of time yo'ure in the car until he outgrows this.

Oh gosh, I just read the other responses... please do NOT consider turning him forward facing! He is much too young and that would put him at risk of a broken back, a broken neck, or worse. Babies do not have the neck/head strength to sit forward facing in the car until they are at least a year old. Even better to keep them rearfacing until they outgrow the limit on the seat... I kept my daughter rearfacing until she was 2 and 30 lbs. Here is an article with good links including videos on WHY they need to be rear facing: http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/qt/rear_facing.htm

I'm not sure if you were considering turning him around or not, but I just wanted to let you know that you'd be putting his life at risk if you did... and I'd urge anyone else who has a small child to keep their baby rear facing for as long as possible!

I have had several friends with the same problem. It is quite stressful isn't it. Unfortunately nothing worked for them either. Only time or when they face forward at age 1. :( Sorry, some babies just don't like car seats. One suggestion my be to try angling mirrors so your face reflects back into a mirror that is on his seat? Something to try. Good Luck, it's a long hard road! Believe it or not you will get through this.

At 5 months old I hate to even suggest it, but try a portable DVD player. I had to start at 8 months old because my son would get hystarical as well. It got better once he was old enough to turn around, but it was the only way I survived in the car before that!

Good luck!

I am raising my grand daughter and she did the same thing. We bought her a car seat that faced front and it made a GREAT difference. She was afraid cause she couldnt see us...they are hard to find, for that age, but evenflo makes one.

Dont know if yours faces front or not......but thought that might be the problem.

jackie

Hi B.,

My son cried constantly for the first 9 months whenever we were in the car. I tried almost everything. Someone suggested getting a DVD player and Baby Einstein DVD's. But our budget couldn't allow that. Alas, I just sang a lot and constantly told him "mommy loves you".

Hang in there! At some point he will stop and you will forget all the crazy screaming.

You might try feeling the back of the seat itself - might not have enough padding for him?? I know myself, little one didn't like it either until I bought extra padding to put in. It appears that most car seats do not have enough of this on the lower and middle back. see if this helps? Helped mine....good luck!

Hi, B.. This may sound kind of strange but when that happened with my daughter, I found out it was the simplest reason: she had grown and I needed to adjust the straps for her to be more comfortable! I did that and she was fine.

I purchased this activity thing that hangs on the back seat, its by Baby Einstein, and it has a mirror, lights and music...best of all it has a remote that you can operate to turn on, helps keep my little one's attention, plus she loves looking at herself in the mirror.

My son screamed hysterically in the car seat 90% of the time for the first 31/2 months of his life. I think it had something to do with him wanting to be held ALL the time! I tried everything I could think of, from pacifier to padding his car seat and rolling up blankets on the sides and those dangling toys for him to play with too. Nothing really helped but time I think, and I thought it would never end, but it gradually got better. He stopped fussing completely (except for long trips of course) after he was around 2, and facing front made things better too, which took awile since he was in the 10th percentile for a long time. Hope you get some techniques that help, otherwise just hang in there and it will get better.

B.,

You can place a mirror in the front and one in the back so that he can see you and you can see him. Also, toys that attach to the handle of the car seat are awesome too!

I had this problem with my daughter until I got one of those black, white and red colored picture things with a mirror on it for her. This was two sided so I could switch it around whenever she got bored. Then we got a mirror with flashing lights and music too and she loved it. It is different with each child. Never had the carseat issue with my son. Keep trying distractions that are geared to babies until something works. Good luck.

B., im a mom and grandmother and a great grand mother.
sounds to me like your 5 month old, and an only child, is used to being the center of attention at home, as well as being able to see what is going on around him. so by going into a car seat in the back seat and facing a seat, can be scarey for s small child. in my day the children could face the front of the car and see what was going on. one of my daughters has a 9 month old she cares for, i put a crib toy that you pull different ends and it talks or we put the one that plays music, gives the child something to de and feels like he is getting the much needed attention he thinks he needs, as he too is an only child. for another daughter with a 3 year old, we carry a tupperware container with books,colors, toys, dolls and last but not least a dvd player for movies. its wonderful when the 2 girls go some place together as the 2 children are in the back seat together.
try to think back when you were a child what would you want to take or do to amuse yourself. im 64 and still look back thru the eyes of even a 2 year old to help the children enjoy their young life to the fullest while they can before they have to grow up. good luck.

Someone in my MP nrsing support group had the same exact problem with their little one. Come to find out she read something that said to check everything out about the carseat and she realized that something was pinching or poking the baby....UGH! She never realized and fixed it right away...the problem was resolved!

My son (5 weeks) doesn't scream hysterically the entire ride, but he does start to cry when he's had enough of being in there. He has alot of gas and reflux so I make sure to burp him realy well before I ever load him in since the seats tend to cramp up their abdomen. Plus, we rarely use a pacifier, but I keep one in the car to give him if he starts crying before I get to the destination. Sometimes it helps distract him from the crying.

Hope these ideas help...hang in there!

H. B

Well I will tell you my twins were the same way....and with 2 it drove me crazy so I did what you are not supposed to do I bought a good forward facing carseat and turned them so they could see me....problem solved I know they say not to but it got to the point where I wouldn't go anywhere!

i dont know how often you're going places but maybe you could increase the time he spends in the car. maybe spend some time before you take off to play peek a boo from the front seat and dont leave until you got him good and happy -try to keep him happy while your taking off and that might feel soothing to him . also theres alot of window decor that may help! good luck!