DS hates car seat and pushchair!!

[Nanoon]

DS2 is 16 weeks and he crys everytime i put him in his car seat or pushchair. He sucks his thumb and i think that being straped in restricts his movements so this might be the reason why.

I know it sounds pathetic but i am starting to feel like i'm trapped at home as everytime i try and go anywhere either in the car or for a walk he crys and generally thrashes about and i find it really stressful.

I didn't have this problem with DS1 - does anyone else or is it just me ?

[nappyaddict]

have you thought about a sling?

[Nanoon]

yes i do use a sling but he is pretty heavy so its only good for short distances. I'm sure it will be short lived and once his arms get a bit longer his tumb will be popped back in!

[nappyaddict]

What sort of sling are you using? Mei-tais are good for longer distances.

[Meandmyjoe]

Oh I hate to be the bearer of bad news but my ds is still like this at 7.5 months! He either goes to sleep in the car after about 5 mins of whinging and then sleeps til we get wherever we're going or he screams and screams til we get where we are goibg. He is never awake and happy in the car Just means that we have to time journeys with his naps so we know he will most likely go to sleep! He's exactly the same with pram and buggy but he just wants to be carried all the time which is knackering but we have just come to rely upon our Kari me sling. It's really good even though ds is 23lbs now, it doesn't hurt my back too much! It is depressing sometimes when you go out and see other babies and children just really content to sit in their prams and look around. Seems totally alien to me and dh who carry ds everywhere!

I have been told it should get better when he is a little less frustrated at being restricted. His mood should lift when he gets mobile and crawls.

Sorry you're having a tough time. Not much I can suggest, just hope that he grows out of it!

[moocowme]

my ds was like this. i found the answer was to forget the baby car seat. I got another model that let him face forward and sit up just a bit more. he likes this far better than a rear facing restrictive seat. as he is a big boy he fits into the minimum weight restrictions for it.

also tried a couple of different pushchairs. i found he much prefered a nice roomy one where he could lay flat but still wave his arms around and kick his legs. i must say the change was dramatic when we moved to a different model. this one is very easy to change from flat to different sitting angles which he likes depending on how awake or sleepy he is.

also found that hanging a toy on them works as a nice distraction as well. just need to rotate toys frequently to reduce the boredom.

[nappyaddict]

at 16 weeks you can't put him forward facing but you could perhaps get one of those bigger car seats that rear face - you know the ones that stay in the car and don't have a carry handle. is there a carry cot part to his pushchair?

[BeverleyNZ]

Hi - don't know if this applies, but i'v seen this strong sort of push action where baby arches his back and stretches out his legs in premature babies where the muscles for arching the back are stronger than the muscles for bending the back forward. It might help to support the forward movement more. The sling sounds good if you can for as long as you can, and maybe find a way to get ds2 to rest tummy2tummy with you?

[Meandmyjoe]

just wondering if you've seen any improvemnt lately. Lots of babies grow out of it, although I'm still waiting!

[PortAndLemon]

DS was like this. He mostly grew out of the carseat thing at around 4-5 months (he still wasn't happy in the car, but would eventually fall asleep, whereas before that he'd just scream the whole time), but never really liked the pushchair.

What sort of sling do you have? A good one adjusted properly you sould be able to carry even a heavy baby for long distances.

[Meandmyjoe]

Oooo they're awkward litle devils aren't they?

I have to lug a 23lbs baby every where in a sling and although it doesn't hurt my back as the sling is fairly good, my ankles ache after a while due to the extra weight. My poor legs think I've put on nearly 2 stone over night and have trouble coping!

Ah well, at least he is getting really good on his legs now and and shuffles along a bit. DH walked at 9 months so I'm hopeful ds won't be too long, then he might be a bit happier and less frustrated. Or at the very least can walk very short distances holding hands instead of being carried ALL THE TIME!!! I sympathise with original post and thank god you started this thread so I know there are other babies like mine!

[nappyaddict]

what sling have you got meandmyjoe?

[Meandmyjoe]

Got a Kari Me sling. It's really good actually cos there are no awkward straps and buckles. Just pop him in and go!

[nappyaddict]

that's a stretchy one isn't it?? you'd probably be better with something like a mei-tai or something woven now he's getting heavier.

[Meandmyjoe]

Ahh good advice, I shall have a look on the net for one. Yeah it is quite stretchy, nice though- doesn't hurt my back but makes my shoulder ache a bit and my ankely feel like they could snap after a while!

[nappyaddict]

theres a yahoo babywearing group and also have you been on thebabywearer.com? they both always have loads of second hand ones.