Newborn Hates the Car!!

I, too had a son that hated the car. He scrreamed once he was strapped in! It also lasted untila bout 5 months.

We did change to a convertible seat pretty early thinking that was some of the problem. We had a Graco seat that got very hot - and he became sweaty. It releived it a little but he still would never sleep and was usually a bear.

So, he's better now and loves being able to see out the window. Maybe that was his problem???

Hang in there!

My daughter hated the car too. We used a white noise CD for awhile and that helped a little. The name of the CD was "For Crying Out Loud" we would turn it on (liked the rain track) and put the sound to the back of the car. She would listen it helped relax her for a bit. We also tried to limit the length of trips as much as possible. Out daughter grew out of it so I'm sure yours will too. Hang in there!

Wow, my son has/had the same problem. He seems to be breaking out of the habit of screaming/crying and he's 2 months old. What I have tried to do is make sure he is as relaxed as possible before the trip, so that means he's napped well and nursed just before the trip. He also seems to travel better in the AM. I have also pulled over from driving to nurse him when he's been in a crying fit, just to try to relax him down. That seemed to help slightly.

I know how you feel. All 3 of my children just absolutely hated the car. My parents live an hour away so you can imagine how much we would visit them. I couldn't even go 2 minutes without blood curdling screams and they never just cried themselves to sleep...I wished!
Unfortunately, I have no advice for you because everything I tried failed. But I know how you feel and how difficult it makes life...so I thought you should know that you are not the only one.
Good Luck!
J.
PS> It lasted until they were about 5 months old! I hope yours doesn't last that long!

When my daughter was a newborn, she would cry anywhere she was confined (swing, bouncey seat, carseat...) unless I "swaddled" her into the seat. I'd buckle her in, then tuck as blanket snuggly around her arms to keep them down and help her feel more secure. This worked for me, and a friend of mine whose daughter is 4 months younger than mine. :) Good luck!

Mine was the same way... she still doesn't like it too much and she's 16 months old now.

I tried to keep my trips short. My first one took a paci in the car-- not the second....

If I could get someone to drive-- I could sometimes calm her by sitting in back with her and nursing her (while she was in her carseat of course!).

is the car seat at the right level and make sure the straps are adjusted properly to make the baby comfortable

poss try a convertable carseat like the britax marathon or roundabout?

Hi G. - have you tried dangling toys from the handlebar or giving her a lovey or blanket to cuddle with? I didn't have the same problem you have b/c my son would cry and then usually fall asleep, but once I got him some toys to hang from the handlebar of the infant carrier, he was much happier. Good luck!

I went through the same thing with my now 5 month old. From day one she hated her carseat. She would cry and cry. Sometimes she wouldn't even fall asleep. She cried one time for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I was coming home from my cousins house and I hit traffic. It was horrible!! She was about 7 weeks at that time. I have another daughter age 3 so staying in the house was not an option. I was always stressed while driving to and from places. Running errands became such a task after she was born. But I am happy to say that she doesn't mind her carseat now. I think things finally took a change for the better when she turned 4 months. Your's might get used to it a lot faster or it might take her longer. I think it's just a matter of them getting used to it. My daughter didn't like the feeling of being strapped down. Every time I would tighten her straps her face would get bright red from anger. She would then start screaming and crying. It's tough, but push through it. She'll be OK with it someday.

Good luck,
A.

It is so terrible, I too had both my boys who hated the car. Just wait until you have a road trip :) Both my boys grew out of it, but not until around 2. It was torture to do the smallest errands. Perhaps you can put on a video or favorite CD to listen to. I know you can get the little mirrors so they can view the DVD player and maybe some Baby Einstein will help. Good luck!!

My youngest would cry a lot in the car until we got home. It turns out he is prone to car sickness. He eventually outgrew the worst of it, but higher speeds are still hard for us. Maybe your doctor has some suggestions.

My first son HATED the car, too. We wouldn't even go places that were too far away because it was screaming the whole time. He's fine now (2.5 y/o), but it was miserable until about 6 months or so. Sorry to say.

Our second son (now 6 months) is ok in the car. He is the happiest baby most of the time but gets fussy in the car.

Both took pacifiers and that did help. We also play kids music and even at a very young age, our older son hated "our" music and knew the difference. I think I've heard "Wheels on the Bus" 10,000 times.

Sometimes if I would sit in the back with them it would help, but other times it wouldn't.

Good luck, though.