Infant Hates Car Rides

My dd was totally the same. It changed when I switched from an infant seat to a toddler seat (facing backwards). Oh my gosh, until I did that, she could not be in the car for more than 5 minutes!! It was awful. And she is my 5th of 5 --- I never had to deal with that before. Moving to a toddler seat definitely helped. And I put in a mirror, so she could see me. Good luck!

It took my son about 2 years for it to pass... my other two children loved riding in cars, my youngest cried and cried... the only thing that sort of help, was holding his hand, which is really had to do while you are driving and he's in the back seat...

I would check her car seat to make sure she's in it correctly...she could be in too tight. the straps could be too low and "cutting" into her shoulders..

It's not about being fed - it's about being comfortable...she picks up on your stress and is using your stress cues and getting upset. If you just fed her - did she get burped as well? Sorry - not trying to be mean - but sometimes we forget that burping can make us VERY uncomfortable and if you are putting her in her car seat just after she eats - she's probably got a lot of gas...

Put her in her car seat in the house - see how she handles it...then make sure that there is padding for her back and sides...make sure the straps are above or at her shoulders - NOT BELOW them...make sure the buckle isn't cutting into her belly...

My boys and the soft toys to play with - the mirror so they could see that they were not alone....once they got their vision squared away! :) It also helped when one of us with one of them in the back...

Our daughter did not care for sitting in the rear facing seat either. We placed toys back there, we made sure the sun was not on her face, but for a while, the only thing that helped was for one of us to sit in the back with her..

She loved human faces is all we could figure..

I had a client who came to me needing help with the same type of issue. First, check to make sure the straps aren't too tight, but you don't want them to be too lose either. Second, if the child doesn't ride in a car on a regular basis she may need to get use to being in a car seat. This is what was my clients case. What we did is took the infant seat out of the car and brought it inside the house. Everyday we would put her in the car seat so she would get use to it. She was about 4 months old. In the beginning we would increase the time in the car seat everyday. Eventually, the car seat issue didn't exist. I hope this helps, goodluck!

My son got over it about 2 months. He was a huge screamer. He had horrible gas and it was awful going to the store or the doctors. When you go on your trip, ride in the back with her. That usually helps, but not always.
Personally, I wouldn't give that young of a baby dramamine or Benadryl. Their young bodies can't handle it.

Sit in the back with her. My youngest hated his infant carrier once we put him in a rear facing combination seat he did much better with car rides.

Edited: please don't drug your child so she won't cry during a car ride!

Sounds normal to me. Out of my four, my third HATED car rides. She would SCREAM constantly - 10 minute ride or an hour ride, same thing - lots of screaming. It was very stressful. Then when she was old enough to flip the seat around, she was happy. Now she does great.

If it were me, I probably would not go to the wedding;-) Seriously. I wouldn't be able to handle the baby screaming through most of that. Unless you want to drive at night when she'd usually be sleeping. Then odds are she'll probably sleep a lot. But that's not easy because you need your sleep too.

Hang plastic links across the back from the handles that are above the side windows, then hang her favorite toys from the links. Have you heard of stuffed animals that have soothing sounds? http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Sleep-Sheep-Soothing-Sounds/d... It might be another option to use only in the car (or other stressful places she has to go) so it is something special.

If all else fails, ask the doctor about Dramamine (anti carsick medicine) or perhaps just Benadryl (safe allergy med) that both make me sleepy. I get carsick unless I am driving myself and taking 2 pills of Dramine will allow me to miss a 5 hour ride and wake up at the destination.
It could be that she does not like just looking at the back of the seat and is scared because she does not see you. I had an old Chevy Caprice when my 1st was born that had no airbags so I could put her rear facing carseat on the front bench next to me. She was happy that way since she could see me, and I was happy because I could see her.

My daughter was the same. She still doesn't enjoy long trips. We finally found a cd that she liked to listen to and that helped a lot.

Starting now, whenever you lay her down put some sleepytime music (like a mobile makes) in with her. When you get in the car, bring it along. Maybe the familiar sound will help soothe her. It worked when mine was little, and I also traveled at night whenever possible. It might also help to give her something that smells like you.

I was also thinking that something may be too tight or uncomfortable. If that isn't the reason, hopefully she will fall asleep after a little while of fussing. Is there anyone that can sit in the back seat with her to try and help ease the fussing? If so I would try that, maybe you can switch off at rest stops who sits in back. Good luck! Hopefully it is a phase. Both my kids fall asleep as soon as they got in the car, but on those days where there was fussing it was heartbreaking so I really feel for you!

My DD didn't enjoy them either when she was little, but she outgrew it. However, she still doesn't enjoy lengthy trips.

Does she cry the second you put her in the car seat or not until the car is moving? If it is as soon as you start to strap her in, she probably just hates it and prefers mom's arms. Keep her comfortable, not too covered up and hot. Very soon, she will start playing with toys (but that won't help you in two weeks). Get her a mirror to mount to the headrest and get toys to hang from the car seat handle. What if you sit back there with her? Does that help? If she starts to cry when the movement starts, it could be car sickness or a sensory thing. Don't let me panic you! Every human has is different sensory wise. Some of us can be lulled to sleep by a rocking chair, others get dizzy and hate the feeling. Some of love to smell things, others gag to something as simple as a yummy dinner cooking in the kitchen. She may hate the vibration of the car. Now that's she's 4 months, it might be hard to tell if it's the car seat or the movement because maybe she's able to associate the movement with her car seat now. However, think back to how it used to be and see if you can figure it out.

All the answers you received are great.
You might check the carseat itself.
A friend's child did the same thing.
Another friend had her try the carseat she had, which was a different brand, and it made all the difference!...the angle, the amount/placement of the padding, the placement of the straps, whatever it was, it worked. :)

Mine too. This is just one reason why I love public transit!

Look into whether you can do most of the trip on a Greyhound bus, train, or airplane instead.

My son always loved car rides.
I can remember Dad driving us around the airport at 2am when he was a few weeks old so we could get 30 min of quiet.
Soon as we pulled into the driveway and the car was off he woke up and was crying again.
He's 12 now and to this day he sleeps easily on any car ride.
I hope he out grows it a but by the time he gets his learners permit.
Make sure she's comfortable - strapped in but not too tight (she's within the recommended height/weight for her seat, right?).
Have a sun shade stuck to a window so sun doesn't get in her eyes.
Does it make a difference if someone rides in back next to her?
If worse comes to worse there is Dramamine - consult her doctor about it first.

is her car seat too tight? do the straps need to be loosened?