Newborn Crying While in the Car

When my 4 month old cries we shut the visor on his car seat all the way. I know it sounds cruel but it works. It may distract him and he forgets what he is crying about or perhaps he is a little car sick. We also got super comfy covers for the shoulder straps to help support his head when we realized how uncomfortable it must be. I know I hate it when the strap cuts into my neck. Anyway, another trick that worked for us now that he is a little older is we put a toy in his lap and he occupies himself trying to pick it up.

one of my now nearly 3 year old twins hated the car from day one....and he had an extremely shrill cry. not a good combination. anyway, i found a very cool battery operated mobile that attached to the handle of the car seat/carrier. he loved it...the spinning creatures and (to me) awful tinny music really seemed to distract him from his misery in the car.

C.,

I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but our 1st son hated and I mean HATED the car. We avoided going on long trips because it was so stressful. Our 2nd son (11 weeks) is ok with it, but it's not his favorite place to be.

Anyway, eventually Jacob out-grew it. We did find at one point that the straps were set on the smallest size and when we moved them up a notch, it helped a LOT.

Good luck.

Try loosening the straps on the infant seat. They may be too tight or just uncomfortable. Have you tried toys that hang from the carrier bar? That also may help. It gives them something to look at while your driving. A mirror may also help.

My daughter wasn't very fond of being in the car either. Especially at night. EVERY time we were out at night, she would SCREAM her head off.... sometimes, if I spoke to her she would calm down but only till I was talking... then she would start again... and sometimes I would turn around (of course I wasn't driving) and I would tap on the handle of the infant carrier.. my ring would tap against it and she would be calm as long as I did that... but that's just her. she did outgrow it... probably when she was about 3-4 months though. Sorry this may not be very useful.. just wanted to share my experience with you.

Good luck.
Aarti.

My daughter is 3 1/2 mo old now, and for the 1st 2 1/2 mo of her life she screamed her little lungs out anytime i went anywhere!
It was so bad, i avoided going anywhere that took longer than 5-10 minutes to get there. I tried everything...making sure the straps were'nt too tight, strap covers, mobiles/hanging toys...nothing worked. I was pulling my hair out! I could'nt leave her home with dad either, because she is in a phase where she wants only mom, she cries and cries when dad has her, holds her and even talks to her!
(Finicky little booger! I think it's b/c i nurse her..) At any rate, i discovered that if i put her blanket over her infant seat, she calms down. It's sort of like her own little fort. Plus, i think she likes looking at the pattern on it, especially when the sunshine filters through. She's getting better with time...it's not as bad now as it first was. But, i still cannot keep her in her carrier when i go to the store...she has a fit! I have to get out my Snugli, strap it on, and carry her on my chest. It's a pain in the butt, but it's the only way i can shop in peace! She's a spoiled little thing. It's so funny, because she is my 4th and final child, and she is the most demanding, independant and finicky of them all too! My husband has said that if our 1st child was as ornery as her, we probably would'nt have had others! ;) (He's just jealous b/c she's such a mommas girl! LOL!) Good luck to you, i KNOW how frustrating it is!

I've wondered about this too. My son was good in the car at first but now (4 months) hates it. We've taken to riding w/one of us in the backseat w/him and that seems to help. We think he gets bored in the backseat by himself.

If it's just me with him in the car I make sure to bring toys he likes and a pacifier. Sometimes singing will help also. I tried hanging rings in front of him on the seat but they can become a hazard if you're ever in an accident so I took them down. Likewise, people said they hung things from their carrier's handle but the handle on ours (Graco) needs to be in the down position per the safety instructions so I would check your manual before doing that. (Of course if the screeming is going to Cause an accident, the bar up might be worth the risk.) Good luck.

My son never complained once about being in the car BUT my daughter hated it. I really trimmed my schedule to make sure that my husband could stay home while I ran errands. I finally had to "test the waters" and take her places because I had no other choice. I bought a kids' musical CD for the car - Mary had a little lamb, Old McDonald, etc... we sang along and car-danced. I think it helped. She's almost 17 months now and a car ride is no big deal to her. I just thought that I'd share a story - not sure if this helps.

A.

My little guy HATED being in the carrier and in the car. What we did was put him in a convertable car seat. It made all the difference in the world. Luckily, we also have a 3 year old and had an extra convertible seat to try out. Turned out it worked and ended up getting my older son a booster, since he was getting close to the height capacity on his convertable.

My little guy was born in Sept last year and he was out of the carrier by Christmas. I couldn't handle any more screaming.

I hope something helps, I know how hard it can be!!
B.