Do You Feel Anxious About Driving with Your Baby/ Kids?

I've had my license since I was 16 years old, but I did have anxiety for a while. What got me over it was practice. Lots of practice.

Then several months ago this whackadoodle ijit hit my car when I went to get an Rx (my kids weren't in the car but could have been) and it caused a lot of driving anxiety. Especially since for two months I had to drive a rental car that barely fit my brood, and then I have to pull out onto that street every single time I leave my house. I minimized my driving frequency and couldn't help but dwell on the accident and what if my kids had been in the car. But that's not productive thinking.

Luckily I already go to therapy so my therapist helped me reteach my brain not to obsess. It made driving with my children very anxiety-inducing and I was having panic attacks in the car. I literally ended up telling my brain, "Stop. Shut up. You can drive." I still have to remind myself sometimes, but I can drive now without panic attacks.

Keep at it it, you'll be fine. But try to relax. The anxiety is going to be the thing to negatively affect your driving. Being nervous is sorta dangerous! So, try some breathing techniques to calm your nerves. Play some calming music in the car. And do not allow yourself to go down the "what if" line of thinking. When it starts to creep up just shake it off and refuse to let it in. One trick my gramma used was "The Devils a Liar" Whenever bad thoughts, fears, anxiety would start to get a hold of her, you would see her shake her head and whisper - the devils a liar - and then trudge ahead with confidance. Just stop that negative thought in its tracks!

I used to be a nervous wreck with my son in the car (and I was 39 and had been driving since I was 16!). It gets better. You'll see that you'll get more comfortable with your short trips and your confidence will increase!

Driving is hard no matter the age. You will feel more and more confident as you get more practice. That's all it is.

I was already driving for 2 decades before I had a baby and even then it was nerve wracking!

If you have to, take your car for a spin on an early Sunday morning, when there is less traffic.

GL and stay safe!

You get over your anxiety by not focusing on all the negatives that could happen. Focus on the trip to see grandma and how much fun there is to that. You are still new to the driving and from a metro area. If you were to move somewhere else with less traffic, it might give you more peace of mind.

But think about it, you already know the city by taking other transit, so take confidence in that at least you KNOW where you are driving to. It would be worse having a baby in the car, lost and not an expert driver. That is more scary.

It will take time to master all that, but take it slowly, don't think of the bad things that could happen, stay positive, and enjoy the ride. Best of luck

PS: The only anxiety I feel when driving with my kids is to double ensure they are locked in their seats and the door is locked. If you feel more comfortable, make sure the baby is in back, rear facing for his age and in the center of the car.

Not to come across as uncaring, but I got my license at 16 and the suddenly there seemed to be no barriers in my life now that I could hit the open roads. Now, I also live in a very rural area so there was not much in public transit as there is in NY. That being said though, once I had my daughter I was more cautious than I had been and nervous about other cars too. I remember the day we brought her home and someone cut us off, my husband slammed on the breaks and I burst into tears out of fear! So, I do understand a level of anxiety but it was really more of what others were or were not doing that I was concerned about. Experience will make it better, but don't drive 'scared' that will only make it worse. Hang in there, L.

It will come with time. You will get more comfortable. It's still pretty new to you. Just remember not to trust the other drivers out there. I am not a nervous driver but today some truck had to squeal on his brakes so he didn't hit us. That scared me. It was close.

It is mainly a matter of practice. So drive when you have a chance in lower traffic situations. I got my license a little later, after college at 22. But I didn't feel confident for about a year after getting my own car. Then I got a job where I had to drive a car from work and do home visits almost daily in a very urban area and that did it. Later, when I had kids I was a bit more cautious but not a nervous wreck. I did find driving when exhausted can be a problem with a baby in the house and even as a more experienced driver I try and limit driving when I am extremely tired (it slows your reflexes).

A Volvo is a safe, well made car. My parents had several over the years including one they kept over 25 years. We live in the NY area and there were some fender benders over the years but no one ever had a scratch on them. Get a good car seat and make sure you have it installed properly and adjusted to fit your child. You can go to your local police to check the installation. Keep the baby rear facing until age 2 (you may need a new car seat before that if you start with the baby carrier type). As parents there are so many things to worry over--but we can't control everything, only do our best to keep our children safe.

im almost 30 and i dont drive(we have 3 cars), i have a pretty crippling fear of it.

I've never really had that problem. North Texas is a commuter area so driving is a huge part of everyone's life here. By the time I had kids, driving was like second nature.

How do you get places? I mean whether you're driving or someone else is driving you, you're still at the same amount of risk for getting into an accident. Kind of a false sense of security there. But we all have our quirks!

Practice, practice and practice! You will become less anxious the more you drive. Go out when you husband is home and you do not have to take
the baby. Do this until you are comfortable. Be patient and time and practice will take care of your anxiety. Good luck.

I got my license at 16 and my baby at 41 and once I was driving with baby I changed my driving habits! I became a more "defensive" driver and never expect that all other drivers will follow the rules and drive safely. I am much more observant than I used to be.

Your baby seems so new right now, there are lots of things to be nervous about, and you are new to driving. I think your anxiety will decrease gradually with practice driving and practice being a mom. Until then, take public transportation and enjoy that it is available!

only because of my accident. I cant do any long distance driving with them by myself. We are going to be do exposure therapy for it, once I gain ten pounds!! I am anxious just typing about it. It will come to you in time and you wont even notice your in the car! I miss feeling like that.