My 1 month old niece seems to hate her car seat. Every time my sister in law puts her in the car seat she screams and doesn't stop until she is removed. Can anything be done? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
R.
As of today, my niece still screams in her car seat. My sister in law said it took her older daughter 5 months before she stopped screaming when place in her car seat.
I don't thihnk ANY baby likes being put in their carseat and some hate it more than others. With my baby we sing to him while we do it to distract him. Only his 2 favorite songs work, but it's a charm!
My daughter also went through a short time of not like here car seat. I drove one night to my aunt's house for a party (not a short drive either) with her screaming all the way. We finally figured out that her car seat was pincher her between her legs. Once we re-adjusted it she was great. Try starting there to see if any of the straps are rubbing her and re-adjust. Good Luck. It is no fun driving with a screaming baby in the car.
Does she have one of those pads by her head that is kind of shaped like a horseshoe? If so, have your SIL remove it. Sounds strange, but someone told me to try it with my little girl as it helped theirs. It did seem to help. If that doesn't work, maybe they can put her in the seat in the house, swing her around in it (hold by the handle and swing it gently) and hopefully she'll get used to it. It's hard to hear such a little one so upset; I hope they figure something out!
Hi R.:
I was fortunate for my son did not cry or holler when he was in the car seat. He had an EDDIE BAUER brand seat which was costly but very nice and worth it. The car's temperature was slightly cool and not overheated. So, check the seat out first for comfortability and good padding.
Moreover, I need to ask is the car seat facing the rear and not the front? All newborns and infants should face the rear. SECOND, does she have toys dangling in her area for her to grab and play with? THIRD, is the music being played soothing to her--(NOTHING GANGSTA, NO RAP, NO HIP HOP, NO LOUD NOISES either--but soft baby music and lullabies). FOURTH, does she have a soft blanket and a padded head rest? Is there another adult in the back with her or a sibling that can keep her comforted? She may feel she is being abandoned and alone with no one in the back with her. One of more of these remedies should work.
Good luck and keep me posted if you don't mine.
My daughter absolutly hated her carseat too. At 16 weeks we finally found out that she suffered from acid reflux. It was the silent reflux, we never saw an extreme amount of spitting up so we never thought anything was wrong. The angle of the carseat puts pressure on their stomachs and causes reflux which was why she was crying so hard everytime we put her in the car. Once we put her on medication we did see a difference in her behavior. Just a thought...
my daughter was the same way. First make sure she is in it properly and the straps are right. Rule out her being uncomfortable. Other that that there isnt much you can do. I learned to plan my outings so she would fall aasleep if we went on a long drive. She is 16 months now and though much better still hates the car seat. O and having a mirror has helped as well
i heard there's one of them out there in particular that makes GERD worse w/babies. the snug ride i think its called
First, make sure that you SIL doesn't add anything to the car seat. That didn't come with the car seat. That will make the carseat not as safe. Most babies hate their car seat and over time they will get use to it. It's the poor mommy and daddy's that have to worry over it. First make that the baby is properly seated in the car seat. She may be too hot/too cold. Playing music that your SIL plays in the house is good idea. That way there is something familiar. I gread CD I found for soothing is rockabyebabymusic.com. You might also suggest she put her daughter in the car seat in the house and let her hang out it it. I know one of the post mention GERD and the snug ride, my son has GERD and we had a snug ride and it didn't bother him at all.
Good luck.
K.
Other than a dr. appt a 1 month old is too young to be out yet anyway. Their body is not always strong enough to bend like that. They should be laying for 3 months when they've bulked up a bit. When she does have to take her out, have the windows cracked open a little so she gets air circulating. Babies love that and usually fall asleep.
give the baby a blanket to snuggle in the carseat. This solves the problem with almost every baby!
HI There-
My daughter HATED the car. I started to put a "lovey" in the carseat with her, and a matching one in her crib. It seemed to help after a while.
There could be many reasons but it could be nearly impossible to figure out what it is. Just know she will outgrow it and don't feel too guilty. Everyone deserves to get out of the house.
Gook luck!
R.,
I didn't see anyone else mention it, but maybe she's just not used to it yet. It's could just a bit of sensory overload...like someone else mentioned, being confined, loud noises, being alone (not seeing Mom's face), etc. Perhaps she need a little "training", like most any "change", put her in the seat here and there instead of a bouncy chair or holding her, just to help her get used to the seat. And then don't fuss with her, so that it's similar to the car, no one giving her a binky, blanket or 'tending' to her for a few minutes at a time.
We found these little 'training' techniques often worked to get over fussing when we weren't sure what was going on. We tried to introduce new things a little bit at a time (like a bottle vs nursing, babysitter, big girl bed, etc.) By creating successful situations a little bit at a time it seems to relieve anxiety.
Finally, what about having some lullabies in the car c.d. or playing a soothing station on the radio like 95.5? We found when our kids were cranky that just having nice relaxing music on seemed to help.
I hope this helps.
Sara
Our little one hated his car seat. They hate to be confined. And we found that our little guy was too warm he would scream. She can try cracking the window, cranking up (not too loud) the radio. It is just a phase, it does get better.
It may just be the change of movement. Is the vehicle loud?
Does she make it too warm or cold? Does she have the seat up front so she can see Mommy or a favorite toy?
There are sound toys that may distract from the frightening sounds of the road. Is air blowing on her, some babies don't like open windows (noisy and breezy). Check the emmissions sometimes babies can sense fumes we've become accustomed to.
