Screaming in car

We live 35 mins from town, longer in annoying traffic. DD can tolerate about 15 minutes driving maximum. She used to nod off after that but now she starts screaming.

The other day by the time I got home she was hysterical, with big shuddering sobs and it took 10 minutes to settle her down enough to feed her. She is rearfacing behind the passenger seat.

I sometimes have success sitting beside her and playing with several different toys with her (I went through 3 toys on the way home yesterday), but often even I can't keep her happy, and no-one else has a chance.

Any bright ideas? Mostly it's just her and I so I can't interact much anyway. But it's getting to the point where I don't want to go out, and I don't think that will do much for my mental health

I wish she'd just sleep!!

ETA. I've also tried stopping, taking her out for a cuddle etc, but as soon as she's back in the car she gets upset again. And there are big stretches of road where stoppong isn't safe.

Edited by T_Rex

Could it possibly be a pain/discomfort cry? Perhaps consulting with an osteopath that specialises in babies would be worth a go.

oh i will be watching this thread - i had the same problem with DD1 and it didnt stop until we put her forward facing at 1 year - i think mostly it was car sickness. my DD2 has now started this although with DD1 it was from birth so not sure if it is sickness with DD2 - i might try the osteopath thjough

I second singing to baby - DD has been ok with her carseat but at times she becomes quite unsettled I resort to singing. Don't know how it manages to settle her cause my singing would surely make anyone else scream!

And sorry JoJames, just have to point out - please do not put anything in a carseat to help 'cushion' the seat. Carseats are safety tested as they are, so you should only use what comes with the carseat and is approved by the manufacturer.
And yes, do check the straps, many a time DH has put DD in and pulled the strap far too tight You should be able to get one finger between the straps and baby.

Hope you find something that works for you! Nothing worse than a screaming baby while you're driving.

My DS screams as well. Not every time, but a lot. Singing is the best bet for me, but sometimes even that doesnt work..... I just try and time feed then go in the car...

Could it be something to do with the recline of the seat? Is she getting more head control/trying to see a bit more maybe? If it's that then you might be able to put her seat up a bit more upright which might help.

Otherwise, do you have a big mirror to attach to the seat she's looking towards? Could provide a bit more in the way of interest/stimulation and help you to be able to check on her/interact with her? Baby on the Move and Little Funky Monkey have some, so do Kiwibaby.

I don't know if it was the car seat, or if DS just got older.
He used to complain a lot more about being in his car seat when it was a capsule.
Now he's in a big car seat - still rear-facing but much higher & generally bigger - he doesn't mind it as much (usually).
And yep, singing here too. Old McDonald is a fav.

We had the exact same problem with kaelin (we also live 35 mins from town so made doing anything really hard), heres everything we tried - I used to make sure she always had a good stretch out once we were in town (in a cafe or anywhere i could find) because i thought it could be wind, i took her back to the osteopath (just in case something was out), sang songs and turned her forward facing. Turning her forward facing was the thing that stopped it for good unfortunately.
Good luck finding something that works for you, i know how stressful and horrible it makes going anywhere

T-rex, do you have a tether strap in the middle seat? there might be less body roll in car if the seat is positioned in the middle of the car?? just a thought to avoid carsickness if thats what it is.

I want to do rear facing for as long as i can so i really hope carsickness doesnt start up here......so far so good

Oh I feel your pain, our little one has hated the car seat literally from day one and it makes going out awful! You find yourself putting your foot down harder on the gas, and not concentrating as much...

She's a lot better now and it's just been trial and error, though we still aren't perfect. Definitely try a mirror, and sing her favourite song.

Other things we tried are....
* put something interesting on the seat back that she is looking at (mirror handy here) - preferably something that moves and or lights up like a fisher price aquarium - I googled for Africa on magic tricks to make things better and some people swear by portable dvd players!
* turn the air con up real high - it gets cold but it acts as white noise and is surprisingly loud. Or turn the radio to between stations to get static.
* put kids music on the stereo (Polkadots are cool, or Baby Einstein!), or start trying out different genres on the radio. Classical FM, Talkback, a friend of mine reckons her baby only relaxed for hip hop!
* put a muslin or light blanket over the capsule like you may do in her pram.

I think that's my memory run out but will come back if I remember anything. Know that you're not alone, it's a horrible thing to go through and people who say "Oh but I thought babies loved the car!" do not help! Don't give up though, staying home will only add to the insanity cos you'll feel trapped.


Edited by GingerBaby