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12 week old hates the car

2K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Ophelialove 
#1 ·
Anyone else? He freaks out when we drive short distances & lots of stop lights. By the time we get where we are going I'm absolutely fried!! He gets settled on longer drives but short drives are awful (& I have stopped multiple times *each* trip but it makes no difference-he starts crying again. Any tips other than staying home?!
 
#4 ·
Good to know. It makes even running errands terrible. I absolutely don't let him cry otherwise and we've done the deal where I'm in the back with the kids (which doesn't help either). The minute we stop & put him in the sling or moby he's ok. Breaks my heart!
 
#5 ·
Ginger helps motion sickness. There is a syrup that you can get which may help. I do not know if a baby would like it or if it will help a baby. It is just a suggestion.

I am sorry that you and your baby are having this problem.
 
#6 ·
My 6 mo old hates the car, too, screams without end while we drive, and sucks because we live rurally ad even groceries are 30 mins away. I dunno, it's seriously limiting our activities. I'm thinking sometime when we can do solids like cheerios, food will be a distraction....? Hoping something changes! It's like he's terrified of all the bumps and winding back and forth......
 
#7 ·
I should add that though I do think my DC had motion sickness, we also didn't really drive from until she was 5 other than for road-trips. It's possible that had we had a car and driven lots that she may have adapted a little and eventually gotten used to it. As it is, we moved and began driving frequently when she was about 5 and that's the point that she both ID'd motion sickness but ALSO started tolerating the car. So, there's a bit of hope for ya!
 
#8 ·
I noticed mine weren't fond of the rear-facing seats, but once they were older and could face forward, they loved it. I always thought motion sickness too, and it seems they hate not seeing where they're going. Maybe one of those backseat mirrors placed so he can see out the window?


There are some homeopathics from Hyland's that might be helpful, Motion Sickness remedy and also Calm's Forte for Kids (which is great for calming everything from tantrums to night terrors to restlessness at bedtime!). Grapefruit essential oil can be very refreshing and help with nausea. You could rub a drop or two of oil on baby's wrists and give some homeopathic tablets prior to car rides...sure can't hurt to try!


Also make sure he's been nursed well, but not recently enough that he may still need to burp or be over-full...that could contribute to an upset tummy and crankiness.


Hang in there and keep trying things, it will pass eventually!
 
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#9 ·
The only way I've been able to get any of my 3 kids to tolerate the car under a year is to have hubby drive, sit next to the child and nurse them when they cry. Unfortunately this only really works for trips when I'm not driving. I have had some success pulling over and nursing them to sleep (still in the car seat) then continuing on when I do have to go on long trips. It's a little uncomfortable but worth it in my opinion. Just watch out for speed bumps. :)
 
#11 ·
My 2 year old STILL hates the car. It got a little better when we turned her forward, but she still protests going into the car seat and will scream and cry during road trips even with frequent stops. (it actually gets worse the more we take her out and put her back in). Hopefully we'll both see the light at the end of the tunnel!
 
#12 ·
I sympathize with you on this one! My DD has hated the carseat from the get go. I used to avoid going anywhere, and have totally had to drive with one hand in the backseat so she could suck on my finger (bad, I know, but she never took a paci).

Two big milestones for us -
Around 5 months I gave up dairy products and that seemed to help a bit (tummy aches?), I'm sure around that time is when she realized I hadn't deserted her but was right in the front seat.

At 10 months we upgraded to the convertible seat (still rear-facing) and that helped immensely. She seems much more content to sit in the back and play with toys, read books, or just look out the window and falls asleep without fussing 9 times out of 10.

Hang in there!
 
#13 ·
My children both hated 'the car', until I put them into convertible seats! I have had that talk with many of my friends who couldn't understand why their babies cried so much in the car. So for us, and quite a few people I know, it was the infant seat, not the car, causing the crying.
Hope you figure it out soon!
 
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#14 ·
My 1st was miserable in the car as an infant. It never stopped until we forward faced him, so he forward faced at a year despite initially planning to wait much longer. The crying was absolutely inconsolable & nothing else made any difference. Weird I know, but not an option for you for at least a year. :/ Wish I could be of more help. Just know you aren't alone. I tried nursing while going down the road, food, light up toys & every other thing I could think of & none of it made one bit of difference. He didn't even like being in his seat in the stroller, but again, liked the stroller fine once he was old enough to set up & face forward - maybe that should have given me a clue. My other 2 didn't love the car either, but not like him. They have done fine as long as we stayed moving. I think that is pretty typical.
 
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