I need to be told this may pass...

ClandestineX · August 2013

My son used to love car rides, he used to fall asleep in his car seat and it was the best. 2 months in he started to not like them. Fast forward a month and he liked them somewhat because he could see out of the car seat at this point. Well now he screams bloody murder when in the car seat. I had to go to a family reunion that was 3 hours away and my aunt was sitting in the back seat trying to calm him down/ feed him/ pat him/ shake toys/ shush him...etc. Nothing worked. He was hysterical. He turned dark red and his eyes were blood shot.

I had to stop 3 times, and the moment I stopped and picked him up he stopped instantly and started cooing. I changed him even though he wasn't wet, each time. I tried to feed him myself and he wasn't really hungry. I put him down in his car seat and he was all smiles, then I left out of sight and he screamed bloody murder again. I tried talking to him from the driver's side, but it made it worse. Nobody could drive for me because it was a rental and I was the only designated driver. It made me so stressed out.. he kept crying for almost an hour straight. Heaving and everything. Then he finally went to sleep the rest of the way, but he was like that on the way back too so instead of being all happy that I got to see family I had not seen in like 6 years.. I am very exhausted and my level of stress right now is at a breaking point because I haven't had a nice sleep in almost 6 weeks now. I have a six hour flight Monday and I hope that me holding him will lower the chances of him turning inconsolable.

He only seems to go bat shit when the car drives smooth. If it is a car with little or no shocks or a loud rumbling truck he seems to fall asleep after just whining a bit.

Any tips?

Oh and when he wakes up from these episodes he seems like a very cheerful baby. Right now he is the happiest baby there is, bouncy and cooing.. an hour and half ago you would think he felt abandoned by me.. I hated how he cried and my aunt could do nothing to help him.

ClandestineX · August 2013

melandjames14 said:

I have no advice. Just the cliche: it will pass. It will feel like forever, but pass so quickly. A year from now you and your aunt will be talking about "that stage where he hated car rides". I know that doesn't help, but it's true. Hang in there!!

It does help, thank you very much. I just felt so defeated on the way back..

ToAoShesha · August 2013

My LO just started this too afte being awesome on car rides

A friend stated it helped her baby to find a radio station with white noisev& turn it up but we have not tried it yet. Goodluck

cheesecakerunner · August 2013

Is it possible you need to adjust his shoulder straps? That happened to us - we didn't move them up until a few weeks ago because we'll, we kinda forgot it was an option and it helped a lot. I also play kids' music and have a few toys in the seat to keep him busy. It isn't perfect, but it is better. Hang in there!

ChicagoBroad26 · August 2013

It will get better. Ava was like that until five months or so then it was like a switch flipped and she liked the car suddenly. Mila is still in the "screaming in the car unless we're on the highway" phase and it sucks, but I know it'll pass.

skidderdo · August 2013

I have a mirror so he can see me... it helps that LO can see me from his chair when I have to be the driver.

pinottoparenthood · August 2013

Rhys screams in the car, too. We have one toy that hangs from his carseat with a mirror and lots of shapes hanging from it that rattles.i can shake it with one arm while I drive and it sometimes helps. We also have a lovey (pooh taggies blanket) that I always give him in the car and he uses that to kind of self soothe. He has gotten a little better. Hope it gets better for you soon!

Kate_C · August 2013

The one time I did a long car drive alone with DD, she did the same thing. As soon as I pulled over she would stop; start moving and the screaming returned. No advice - just sympathy. I have never felt my blood pressure go quite that high while driving... Hopefully the flight goes better since he will be able to see you!

Cheerpeanut · August 2013

Try a white noise app on your phone. Works for my carseat hater.

Ann003 · August 2013

This happened the DD when we were in a rental. She would scream in the car for about three weeks afterwards and then she just stopped. It helps to have a mirror so she can see herself and to have those links hanging for her to grab. Hopefully it'll pass soon!

charlies-angel · August 2013

I also use a white noise app on my phone.

Mandmeesh · August 2013

Oh man...that is really hard! M has gotten better. He was the screamer in the car seat when he was smaller, now he seems entertained by the world outside the windows

How about turning the radio way up? Not to drown him out

For some reason if M is really upset and crying, I turn the radio up pretty loud and it helps calm him. I guess it's sort of like loud white noise.

Good luck!

CrazyMary77 · August 2013

I can sort of sympathize with you. Sometimes LO cries while in the car, to the point that she's screaming and making herself choke. It's very unnerving and stressful. She'll do it whether or not there's someone sitting in the back seat with her. Luckily she hasn't been doing it every time, but the fact that I can't predict how she's going to be makes it stressful. Playing classical music seems to help calm her sometimes.

Could it be the fact that he was in a strange car? And has he spent a lot of time with your aunt lately? If not, he could have been overwhelmed by such a new experience. This has been happening to my LO a lot lately.

Señorita · August 2013

I have recently been driving around with the back windows rolled down a little. It creates a good white noise that DD seems to enjoy. If it's not super hot where you are you might give it a try.

JSS1002 · August 2013

Cheerpeanut said:

Try a white noise app on your phone. Works for my carseat hater.

This is what I was going to suggest too white noise app on your phone (turn to airplane mode first), or buy a sleep sheep and tuck it into the carseat with him. James is 50/50 on car rides, but the portable white noise helps with everything.

poppyc8 · August 2013

i have the same issue and the sleep sheep helps calm him a little but the thing that has worked the most is using the AM radio station that sounds like white noise and turning it up pretty loud. he then goes to sleep within a few minutes. its kind of annoying listening to AM radio white noise but its better then a screaming baby!

WooTob12 · August 2013

I use white noise all time to calm LO, he doesn't ever sleep well without it. I have 3 different apps on my phone so I just keep changing the noise every 5 minutes until I find the noise that calms him, he has favorites though that I try first. Also turn it up really loud it needs to be louder than his crying so he can hear it but I always turn it down after he falls asleep.
I know it'll all get easier for all of us, hopefully sooner rather than later.

TexasAggie06 · August 2013

Check the straps and fit, DS went through this too but we figured out it was because he was too big for the infant insert after a sudden growth and the buckles were digging into his legs.

Other than that, know it won't last long. I dreaded car rides for a while but now he is better again.

sms04j · August 2013

This happened to us as well. Jackson used to not hate his car seat, but suddenly started hating it...even if I am back there. Nothing seemed to help. He has gotten better the past 2 weeks. I've used distraction tactics likes toys. I've even used cartoon music videos on my iPad for longer car rides. Jax loves the "Leo's songs" app I have.

ClandestineX · August 2013

Thank you everyone.

For the record, when all of that was happening, I tried everything. White noise, window down, music loud, music off.. in the middle...He had toys and had something that smelled like me. I do have a rear mirror and he could actually see me if he turned his head, when he did turn towards me he stuck out his lips and just whaled... it even sounded like he said "moooom" and I wanted to cry.

kristalg25 · August 2013

Yeeaahhh.. Ava is going through this too. We have family two and a half hours away and visit frequently. This past weekend went to see them and she screamed. The whole.two.hours. Literally. It was terrible. I thought it was a fluke and hoped it would be better on the way back. Nope. Talk about anxiety. That will be a trip we will not be making for some time.

Want a personalized experience?

I need to be told this may pass...

Re: I need to be told this may pass...

Choose Another Board

Search Boards