Carseat Help

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia's 2 weeks old now. She absolutely hates the carseat,and I don't know what to do about it! If she's really sound asleep, it's sometimes ok, but normally she just cries and cries and cries until I'm holding her again. Is this normal for a newborn? Anyone else experience this? I want to take her places, but it breaks my heart to hear her scared like that!

[smeisnotapirate]

Make sure the angle is correct - if you have the courage, post a pic for the mamas on the Family Safety forum. Oftentimes if the angle is too shallow or too steep, you can be attributing to reflux in a newborn. Also, make sure she is well burped before you go out.

It will get better!

[sanguine_speed]

[Unconventional1]

My DD still hates the carseat She is a year old. It has improved, she does not scream EVERY time we leave, but overall she still doesn't like it. Now that she has figured out that we are usually going somewhere she likes- it definitely helps. She also had reflux when she was little, so if her tummy was upset, it was worse. Once we figured out her intolerances for certain foods, it improved a lot- plus we made sure to schedule it so that we left at nap time so she would sleep.

Also, one of our vehicles is a minivan, so if I sat next to or behind her where she could see me, it was a huge help. I also sat next to her in the car when I could squeeze back there between them.

Good luck! It is always hard to have your little one upset in a situation that you can't do much about.

[mom2happy]

Mine couldnt stand the carseat as infants.
The only way they were happy was nursing or being held.

Its just not safe to hold them or wear them in a wrap while driving, so the safety is worth some temporary discomfort.
Hopefully it will get better.

After you strap the baby in, put a light blanket tightly around to keep arms and legs from flailing. The feeling of movement and not being confined freaks them out at first.

[Jeannabna]

You could try taking her to a Chiropractor! I have heard that it can help in most situations.

[sew_crafty_girl]

Anna hates being put into the seat, but calms down shortly after and sleeps in the car. Have you actually driven with her in the seat yet?

[laughingfox]

Have you tried music? I know it sounds like a silly suggestion, but it helped a lot with DD when she got fussy in the car.
Oh, and it wasn't your typical "soothing" music. It had to have a pretty fast beat or it didn't work.

[ivymae]

Originally Posted by laughingfox

Have you tried music? I know it sounds like a silly suggestion, but it helped a lot with DD when she got fussy in the car.
Oh, and it wasn't your typical "soothing" music. It had to have a pretty fast beat or it didn't work.

Becky likes jazz in the car. We have a local college jazz station that i honestly never listen to, but if it's on she calms down.

Aimee - all my kids have hated the carseat. they just want to be with mama, and they can't understand "soon" - right NOW is their entire reality, and right now they aren't with mama, and oh god they are going to DIE of starvation, AAAAAAAAAAAA. It's really stressful to drive while they scream, but get a mirror so you can see that she is okay, and resist the urge to drive with your arm in the backseat (super dangerous). i wish my kids would take pacifiers, since I know people who only use them in the car so the kids won't scream, but no dice with my girls. They do grow out of it.

[crazyeight]

also i think some just HATE bucket seats. ds screamed for while but he grew out of it pretty quick before i took him out of the bucket seat. dd didn't scream all the time but she was unhappy alot. she got tons better when i put her in a convertible and she could look at things.

sucks to think about but maybe buy a convertible and try it out?

[sehbub]

Ours hated the infant carrier (bucket) but didn't mind the convertible nearly as much. It was an angle issue with them. DD3 had AWFUL reflux and screamed bloody murder from the second she was laid in her infant seat until she was taken out of it. We switched her to a convertible and she was much, much better. Still fussed from time to time, but it was a night and day difference.

I hope you can figure something out soon! I know how stressful and exhausting it is to have a screaming baby in the car!!

[GreenTeaGinger61]

I'll third the convertible seat opinion. We have a convertible seat this time around and have way less screaming than we did with the other three. I wish I had tired it with all of them. It tilts at a better angle, and it also seems more comfy. Of course I have the added benefit of three older kids who help her feel less alone. Also I'd recommend using a blanket to wrap up her legs and arms. That's always helped with us as well.

And honestly she might just always hate it. My poor second child gets horrible car sickness and I suspect this is what made her so miserable in the car. We had to curtail a lot of our outings because she was so unhappy. Forward facing made it much better for her but even now at 7 she still gets sick

[ColwynsMommy]

Originally Posted by mom2happy

After you strap the baby in, put a light blanket tightly around to keep arms and legs from flailing. The feeling of movement and not being confined freaks them out at first.

This is what helped with Fiona. Had to get it super tight so she felt like she was swaddled. That and having an adult ride next to her, but even with those two tricks, she still cried most of the way. It's super frustrating to need to get your two older kiddos out of the house so you can feel like a good mom to them, only to make your infant scream for 20 minutes in the car, thus making you feel like a terrible mom.

All three of our kids have hated riding in the car. We've tried different seats, made sure they were installed properly, we've had different cars.. nothing has helped. At some point it gets better, once they're in the convertible *and* able to look out the window more (just the convertible doesn't change anything). Then when we switch them to FF (no waiting until 3 for us), things improve dramatically.

I'm really hoping that I'll get lucky this time and that this baby will love the car.. but I highly doubt it.

[aylaanne]

DD hates the car seat, which is a bummer since we have to drive every day. If I tuck the blanket in tight around her, it's better, but she'll still fuss for all or part of the drive. I've even tried the binky, but she doesn't like it. I'm going to buy some different brands to see if she'll take a different shape, but my hopes are not high. Hopefully she'll grow out of it.

[Knitting Mama]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. It seems to be a newborn thing, so I'm hoping she outgrows it. We can't really afford to get a convertible right now, but if she's not doing better in the carseat in a month or so, we might consider it. She's getting better about taking a paci for me (she wouldn't at first, I assume cause I smell like milk!) and today's car ride to and from the doctor's was less stressful because of it. I think I'll feel better about taking her out by myself when she can hold the paci in more successfully!

In answer to a few earlier questions, we do "swaddle" her with a blanket over her, and we have taken her out probably half a dozen times now. Today's was by far the best.

[sehbub]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama

Thanks for all the replies, guys. It seems to be a newborn thing, so I'm hoping she outgrows it. We can't really afford to get a convertible right now, but if she's not doing better in the carseat in a month or so, we might consider it. She's getting better about taking a paci for me (she wouldn't at first, I assume cause I smell like milk!) and today's car ride to and from the doctor's was less stressful because of it. I think I'll feel better about taking her out by myself when she can hold the paci in more successfully!

In answer to a few earlier questions, we do "swaddle" her with a blanket over her, and we have taken her out probably half a dozen times now. Today's was by far the best.

They make medicine dispensing pacifiers that I would express milk in to when I REALLY needed DS to take a paci. He hated them, but if I expressed in to it and then gave it to him he was so much happier and stayed quiet for quite some time sucking on it. Just a thought.

[aylaanne]

Originally Posted by sehbub

They make medicine dispensing pacifiers that I would express milk in to when I REALLY needed DS to take a paci. He hated them, but if I expressed in to it and then gave it to him he was so much happier and stayed quiet for quite some time sucking on it. Just a thought.

I need one of these. Where did you find them?

[sehbub]

Originally Posted by aylaanne

I need one of these. Where did you find them?

Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...6A5PZR4K9XZRY4

[leavemealone]

Originally Posted by sehbub

They make medicine dispensing pacifiers that I would express milk in to when I REALLY needed DS to take a paci. He hated them, but if I expressed in to it and then gave it to him he was so much happier and stayed quiet for quite some time sucking on it. Just a thought.

I have seen those kinds of pacifiers at the grocery store, drug stores, etc if you need them before they can be shipped. The location has varied, but I usually find them in with either the children's medicine section or the regular pacifier section.

[sehbub]

Originally Posted by sandcastle

I have seen those kinds of pacifiers at the grocery store, drug stores, etc if you need them before they can be shipped. The location has varied, but I usually find them in with either the children's medicine section or the regular pacifier section.

Yes! I'd forgotten that, but yes, they can be found at brick and mortar stores too.