Help! Why does my infant hate her car seat?

[Anonymous]

Mine was soothed by opera in the car. Loud opera.

[Anonymous]

Could be car sickness. May or may not grow out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a Uppababy Mesa car seat. My two month old DD cries every single time she’s in her car seat. Even after she’s fed, burped/farted, and with a clean diaper. Only time she doesn’t cry is when she happens to fall asleep (rare). Car rides are miserable and I’m at a loss on what to do. I spent quite a bit of money on this seat and I don’t want to have to replace it, especially because it’s compatible with her stroller. Any advice on what to do to make her more comfortable?

This is a tale as old as time. The majority of babies hate the car seat. Mainly because they are away from you and strapped down. It will pass but, you have to live through it.

Sorry!

To say "the majority" of babies is quite the statement. While I agree it happens, I don't think its the most likely carseat scenario.

[Anonymous]

I doubt it’s the carseat. My first two loved the car , they would immediately fall asleep in the car. My last two hated it and would scream the whole time. I tried their older sibling's infant and convertible seats that we still had and they still screamed the whole time. Until I had them I thought all babies loved the car.

[Anonymous]

My kids all screamed in the car at that age. One would calm down if I sang— that was exhausting, and made me go hoarse at times! The other liked white noise close to her head, so I bought a mini portable Dohm that could be charged in the car USB outlet, and then attached it to her car seat handle.

Also make sure baby isn’t too hot in the car, that sun isn’t in her eyes, etc.

You could also switch to a convertible seat now— I have friends who saw relief when they made the switch.

[Anonymous]

these posts confuse me-- does she hate the carseat or riding in the car? (e.g. if strapped in at home or in stroller is she upset? if so i'd work on soothing (pacifiers- not too late for sure).

if it's the being in the car strategies would differ (music, mirror, someone sitting in back at first for her to get used to it..)

[Anonymous]

Mine hated the car seat and screamed the whole time until 13 months. I have several friends whose babies also screamed for months. The average seems to be around 4-6 months. I tried 3 seats and it made no difference. Rolling the window down and eventually an iPad helped a tiny bit, but really they just have to grow out of it unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

I have the same car seat and had the same problem. My baby was tall so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. We avoided long car rides, and when we did drive, I would sit in the back with toys to distract him, which helped. Once he was 4 months or so, he was fine with the car seat. It was just a phase for us.

[Anonymous]

Can you try a different car seat? Even borrow one for a week? My youngest hated the uppa baby seat (and the stroller). I switched to a cybex. The first time she cried bc I think thought it was the same seat but stopped after a few minutes and then it was easy and no more tears and she’d almost always fall asleep in the cybex once the car started moving.

[Anonymous]

Lots of sympathy, OP. Mine unfortunately hated the car seat, too. Never did an infant seat, convertible from day 1, so it wasn't that. I could sit in the back, be physically touching baby, and he still shrieked like he was being tortured. Just absolutely nightmarish, we couldn't be int he car 2 minutes before the endless screaming started. He finally started tolerating the car seat, aka we could drive an hour or so before the inevitable crying fits, around 12 months. it was brutal.

I'll never forget a trip we took when he was 6 months old. Screamed the whole way to the airport. Absolutely fine once we were out of the car. Handled the flights like a champ as a lap baby. Our 5 hour layover at O'Hare turned into 7.5 hours AND our gate got switched just before boarding, so a frantic sprint across the airport with an infant, he was perfectly fine. Slept almost the entire second flight on a small regional jet. But put him in the car seat when FIL picked us up at the airport after midnight? Immediate howling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could be car sickness. May or may not grow out of it.

+1. I don't know if newborns can even get motion sickness, but my car seat screamer is now a tween with a Zofran prescription. Most kids grow out of it, but not all. We tried absolutely everything and nothing helped because she just needed to get big enough to manage it on her own.

[Anonymous]

I bought a cotton liner for the car seat to help keep it cool. Also shades for windows. Then let’s of songs.

[Anonymous]

How many times a week is she put into the car seat? And for how long, on average?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many times a week is she put into the car seat? And for how long, on average?

+1. I wonder if these are mostly city dwellers. I’m out in the car dependent suburbs and have honestly never heard of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many times a week is she put into the car seat? And for how long, on average?

+1. I wonder if these are mostly city dwellers. I’m out in the car dependent suburbs and have honestly never heard of this.

I'm suburban, and my kid HATED the car. Miserable.