XP: newborn and issues driving in the car

Meg&Jesse

I am desperate for any suggestions here.  DS2 is 2 months old and hates driving in the car.  He just cries and cries.  It takes two or three times longer to get anywhere, because I have to keep pulling over to calm him down.  If I am riding with someone I will sit in back with the boys, but this still does not calm him down.  I have started using a nuk, but he usually spits it back out.

I am to the point where I am scared to leave the house.  DS1 goes to daycare/4K program three days a week.  Other than that I get so nervous and anxious to go anywhere.  I feel okay physically and mentally, so like to get out of the house and do stuff with DS1 (and DS2 is "easy" in that he is always in the ergo or a wrap).  And I go back to work in January, so want to enjoy this time with both of the boys and not be stuck in the house.

Yesterday we all went out and the drive home was so bad.  DS2 cried for the last 20 min of the ride and for about 30 min after we got home when he was being held.  The crying is awful, not just a cry..but a brutal screaming crying.  I just don't know what to do at this point!

danieliza1127

My baby was the same way for a while.  Part of the problem was that he would get really hot in the carseat.  We had the little infant insert in it so we took that out and he seemed to do much better after that, even though his head flopped to the side a bit.  Also I loosened the straps a little bit so it wasn't so super tight.  With those two things and him just getting used to it with time, it has gotten better and I can go places 15 minutes or so away and he won't cry.

mben1119

Is he getting to warm?  Like PP said, I know DS gets terribly sweaty and uncomfortable back there, especially in the infant seat. I just crank the a/c, and wear a sweater so I don't freeze.

JulesDiane

DD1 was that way. It was brutal. Playing white noise actually ended up helping us.

drubie

My little guy doesn't really like the car, either. I tried gentle lullaby type music, but he actually likes it a lot better when I'm listening to something with a beat (i.e. music that I actually want to listen to), slightly loud. Worth a try!

unaveragejane

DS didn't like the car at first either. I found out I actually had the straps set too low for him, so I reread the manual and adjusted everything better to fit him. I also put in one of those mirrors so I can see him, and sometimes I think he sees me in it. Getting a shade for the window also helped, especially when he started getting alert enough to look out the window. He will still get fussy in the seat at times, but now it is usually b/c it is getting close to feeding time or b/c he has dirtied his diaper.