Out of 3 kids, only one of mine has actually slept in the car. We took a road trip with my oldest when she was almost 2, and out of 12 hours of driving she slept 2. We drove at night. She was content watching the iPad which thankfully doesn't make her car sick, but she just does not sleep in the car.

Sigh.

A car seat typically is not the reason for screaming in the car. Both my kids were miserable as infants and grew out of it as they got older (around 6-8 months). My situation is anecdotal, but it didn't matter what car seats we used (tried Britax, Graco, and Costco) and the strap length, different reclines, toys, coordinating for during nap time, and making sure they were full. It just took TIME. You should not go out and spend $2K on car seats (if you need them for both cars) just to "test it out."

My 3 yo still complains that her back hurts in the car every.single.car.ride irrespective of what car seat, what she is wearing, what incline, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These stories make me sad. The car seat should be comfortable. I hope you people tried different seats instead of torturing your children until they puked. How would you like to be treated like that?

This is OP, thanks for your super helpful comment. What do you suggest? Buy a new carseat? Which one? What if she hates that one-- should we buy another?

Yes, absolutely buy another one. Depending on where you got the first you could exchange it. BRU is 1 yr return policy on all registry items. I recommend the Chicco Next Fit. It has 9 different recline options (so you don't have to keep buying seats, you can try different reclines), as well as a nice long crotch strap (ever notice how the Britax ones are really short?) and it is very easy to adjust. It is sturdy, with a nice silky fabric (not a cheap and scratchy cloth).

You are welcome.

Anonymous wrote:These stories make me sad. The car seat should be comfortable. I hope you people tried different seats instead of torturing your children until they puked. How would you like to be treated like that?

Yep, three seats. Hated them all until she was old enough to be distracted by us entertaining her in the car. Happy, smiley, and stubborn, energetic, constantly moving, smart kid. Not content to be strapped down with no entertainment. Smart, energetic, and persistent are good traits for a human in my book, so I can handle the frustrating aspects that come out as a result. Thanks though.

Yes. Car rides were miserable. We flew until he was three.