Carseat/ride woes

[Julia'sMom]

My dd does not like to get into her carseat. Not always, but sometimes. I know that a lot of the reason is because I let her sit up front on occassion (when parked) so she can pretend to drive and press buttons and such. Well, now she wants that all the time, even though it's "mommy's seat". We've had to resort to physically putting her in the seat despite her arching and crying in order to be able to leave. I hate it, but don't know of a better way to convince her to get in her carseat when we have to leave. Help!

[stacyann21]

I can completely relate to this. DS has always hated being confined, especially in his car seat. Make sure to let her know ahead of time that you'll be leaving and let her pick a toy or snack to bring along. Obviously, check that nothing is physically hurting her (harness digging into her neck, hot metal parts etc). Try playing a fun CD everytime you start the car as well. Lastly, if you know she's feeling cranky or just not wanting to be confined, keep the drive time short and take her in and out of the seat as few times as possible. You may want to skip the pretend driving until she's better able to understand the difference between a parked and a moving vehicle, LOL. Unfortunately, riding in a car seat is not something you can compromise on. Just know you are definitely not alone. It's not unusual to see me belting out Old McDonald at the top of my lungs and clapping and stomping my feet (at red lights of course, LOL) while my son screams his little head off all the way home.