Ideas to make RF 10 month old baby hate car rides less...

[is it puppies?]

My DD (almost 10 months, over 20lbs, about 29" tall) rear faces in her evenflo triumph convertible. She has never been in a bucket. She has hated it off and on to some degree, but lately is screaming SO MUCH and SO HARD that she starts gagging and the only way to calm her is to reach over the seat and hold her hand or cheek. I can sometimes keep her happy by passing her new toys or sometimes she will fall asleep. I try to time rides for nap times but it's hard to do always and I often then end up having to idle or drive in circles for much longer than the trip would have been to try to accomplish that and it still often involves screaming and unsafe driving (one hand behind me!). I have put in a shatterproof mirror and that seemed to help a bit for a while (as well as help me gauge what she needs to help her sleep) but I am almost ready to try front facing her. Talk me down! Give me ideas so that doesn't become our best option! We are also approaching some long trips where she will NEED to be in her seat for a long time (including one sightseeing trip where evening travel won't be an option). On the bus she has cried so hard she threw up (or perhaps cried because she felt sick on it), and I wonder if she is experiencing motion sickness as both myself and her father get sick on anything that moves. For that reason and the crappy public transport around here, busing is not an option. Walking for shopping etc is becoming foreseeable as the snow and ice melt and the temps warm up but that isn't the only place we go.

[MariesMama]

Is she at a more upright angle than she was as an infant?  She can be as upright as 30 degrees, I believe, and this might help out a lot.

[is it puppies?]

hmmm I think DH put her seat a bit more upright, but I will check, thanks. That's a good point.

[DahliaRW]

You also will want to check her seat.  Make sure nothing strange is poking her under the cover or something. 

Have you tried various small toys (softer ones) or books?

If nothing else works, I might consider a new seat.  It may be that she doesn't like the contours or feeling of the seat she is in.  Maybe something plusher and cushier or with shallower sides.

For the longer trip, can one of you sit in back while the other drives? 

[is it puppies?]

Another good idea re: uncomfortable seat will maybe have to pull her seat apart and check. It seems that it is fairly plush but who knows.
We might have to try to ride in the back and see if that helps, though whoever does that will be the one throwing up. Does anybody know a fairly inexpensive and small seat that we should try? In Canada most of the good seats seem very pricey. We have a last model (not the newer) sentra so we can't fit much in it for seats. We will probably need to buy a second seat once I'm working in a few months to put in the other car.

I will be buying a different seat when we are driving around in the US for a week this spring. I will definitely consider how plush the seat is. Too bad we can't bring it back here with us, it is so much cheaper to buy them there.

[is it puppies?]

oh yeah, and I carry a big bag of all kinds of toys big small soft hard chewy squeaky etc to pass her while I drive lol

[katelove]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

For the longer trip, can one of you sit in back while the other drives? 

This is what we do for *every* trip when we're together. Things which help are food (a hard teething biscuit is good), Daddy's iPhone playing nursery rhymes and playing with Mummy's phone.

When I am on my own with her I find singing one of her two favourite songs (Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) is the best thing, although it is not fool proof. I also give her my phone or wallet to play with. And we try to rotate the car toys so there are new things to play with.

[Peony]

Originally Posted by katelove 

This is what we do for *every* trip when we're together. Things which help are food (a hard teething biscuit is good), Daddy's iPhone playing nursery rhymes and playing with Mummy's phone.

When I am on my own with her I find singing one of her two favourite songs (Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) is the best thing, although it is not fool proof. I also give her my phone or wallet to play with. And we try to rotate the car toys so there are new things to play with.

Yep. I get less carsick then DH does so I get stuck in the back oh for every single car trip for 8 years now.  Massive bag of toys that we use while I play constantly with the child. My kids can still only tolerate an hour before having to get out for a break, needless to say it makes car trips very, very long and we can't get very far in one day. The older ones do fine now but since we always seem to have a baby/toddler, by the time one is handling the car ok, there is another one that isn't. 

[motherhendoula]

I have to sing "You are my Sunshine"  over and over and over again during many rides -

[Norabella]

Originally Posted by is it puppies? 

Another good idea re: uncomfortable seat will maybe have to pull her seat apart and check. It seems that it is fairly plush but who knows.
We might have to try to ride in the back and see if that helps, though whoever does that will be the one throwing up. Does anybody know a fairly inexpensive and small seat that we should try? In Canada most of the good seats seem very pricey. We have a last model (not the newer) sentra so we can't fit much in it for seats. We will probably need to buy a second seat once I'm working in a few months to put in the other car.

I will be buying a different seat when we are driving around in the US for a week this spring. I will definitely consider how plush the seat is. Too bad we can't bring it back here with us, it is so much cheaper to buy them there.

Have you and/or your DH ever tried ginger for motion sickness? Powdered ginger in capsules has been a huge relief for me, and I get motion sick pretty easily. If you are giving food/beverages to your DD you can also try really strong ginger ale (Reed's is the brand that is widely available in the US) for her. My mom didn't learn about ginger for motion sickness until I was old enough to swallow the capsules, but the ginger brew really helped for my little brother.
 

[LaughingHyena]

There are also the wrist bands that are supposed to help with motion sickness. Might be worth a try for your DD and whoever ends up sitting in the back with her

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=sea-bands&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=8688398701&ref=pd_sl_8w20qhd9cm_e

[is it puppies?]

Oh you'd better believe we've tried everything for our motion sickness, and most of the pills and potions (and non toxic remedies lol) do basically diddly squat (though I think the sea bands helped morning sickness a bit, for as long as I could take the pain of those little things on my monster wrists!) But totally for our trip we are hoping that somebody in the back will help DD!

We take bonamine when we really need to travel which seems to be the only thing that helps either of us and it's unfortunately not available in Canada anymore so any time anybody heads down to the US we are begging them to bring some back! DH and I talk about one day somebody inventing something that will actually help like brain surgery lol.

I have tried singing, CDs, cell phone, ipod, toy rotation etc etc. These things all might help temporarily, and some are last resorts (like the phone) but when she's done being in there she's done, KWIM? It could be 3 minutes or it could be 40! More often than not (other than on the upcoming long rides) it's just she and I so nobody to hop in the back. I have done so when we've been stuck at trains though!

Do you think it's safe to give her a bit of food? She eats (sort of) some solids, and lately I have broken down and given her bread crusts/dried bread (so much for no grains!) to keep her busy and happy when it's dinner time or time to get something done. So I think a crust would keep her entertained (or be something else to offer)- but I have been thinking that's unsafe. Not that me reaching around to hold her hand isn't!!

[DahliaRW]

Foods that aren't prone to being chokable would be fine in the car.  The puffs that melt in your mouth are really good ones.  The main thing is if she's eating you want to make sure she's ok with it.  With someone back there you can give her anything.  With you driving, I'd be more cautious at such a young age.