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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

Car seats

Baby screams in her car seat

21 replies

3girlmama · 03/08/2018 16:28

Hi
We have a Maxi Cosi pebble plus and put dd hates it. I mean literally hates it! She's 11 1/2 weeks old now and other than when she was a day old coming home from hospital she has screamed every time she goes in it.
Anyone else have this experience with this car seat? My other dd's has a Maxi Cosi but it was 10 yr and 8yr agp so was the original one. They never minded it! DD3, however, really gets cross and cries and screams until she's out of it. Sometimes driving fast soothes her but that's not always possible (or legal!) but as soon as we slow or stop (traffic is a nightmare!) she screams again.

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LucyFox · 03/08/2018 16:42

Could you borrow a different car seat for an hour or two & see how she is in that? I remember someone not so long ago had a baby who screamed every time they were put in their car seat & it turned out that something was stabbing into them (only felt when pressure applied like a babies weight)

3girlmama · 03/08/2018 20:03

I wondered about whether the booster insert thing for newborns and younger babies was uncomfy so I removed it...nope, still screamed. I've felt round the whole seat and can't feel anything hard or uncomfy. And I've looked at her body with no clothes on after I have taken her out of the seat to see if there's red marks, none! We've just driven an 8hr journey (horrible traffic, should have been 5hr max!) and she screamed and cried the entire journey so we made multiple stops to placate her...and rest our ears!

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MarmaladeAtkinsX · 03/08/2018 20:08

My DS did. He was uncomfortable due to colic and he would scream in pain - worth seeing if you can borrow a bassinet type seat or try out others where your DD is in a slightly different position.

3girlmama · 03/08/2018 20:46

Thank you @MarmaladeAtkinsX
She has reflux and colic so I wonder if it's that!? I have 2 other children in the back of the car too (age 8&10) with high back booster seats and this Maxi Cosi is on an isofix base and it all only just fits along the back seat. The bassinet type ones might go too big but I'll certainly look into but, thank you

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MarmaladeAtkinsX · 03/08/2018 21:12

DS was our first and we didn’t have a car so journeys were infrequent, so not too heartbreaking. It did eventually get better.... I hired a diesel car for one holiday and he was fine in that weirdly. You might think about timing car journeys around the colic and reflex attacks, but I know that’s not easy when you have other children to consider too.

I hope you find a solution

JuneOsbourne · 03/08/2018 21:15

Yes I had this with my youngest. She had reflux. As soon as the reflux was sorted the screaming stopped. Think it was just really uncomfortable for her.

3girlmama · 04/08/2018 21:16

@JuneOsbourne hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel soon then...her relflux seems to be easing a little (🤞🤞🤞)
Got the return journey home tomorrow evening so I'm hoping it's easier than the journey we had up here!

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JuneOsbourne · 04/08/2018 21:36

Really hope it is easier for you. I know how stressful it is for all concerned.

3girlmama · 04/08/2018 21:48

Thank you @JuneOsbourne

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LlamaPyjamas · 04/08/2018 21:51

My DS screams in the car seat. Music usually calms him down, and it helps if there’s someone sitting in the back to show him toys and entertain him, or just hold his hand and pat him.

GandTthankyou · 04/08/2018 21:53

Have you checked for milk allergy or silent reflux or the like? I’m sure car seat position is a red flag for one of these? X

GandTthankyou · 04/08/2018 21:54

Sorry didn’t read the whole thread! Reflux is a bugger sorry you’re going through it x

Fatted · 04/08/2018 21:55

Does sh have a have a dummy? DS1 had awful reflux and a dummy helped.

Does she scream when she goes into the car seat even if it's not in the car, attached to the pushchair etc or just when she goes into the car? Could it be the fact she can't see you or the motion of traveling backwards?

Smurf123 · 04/08/2018 22:05

My son was like this... He will be five months old tomorrow and I'm the past couple of weeks we have just noticed that he has stopped doing it. He will still cry going into the car seat most of the time but once he is in the car he is happy to look around him and look out the window

BertieBotts · 04/08/2018 22:40

I don't know that you'll find another seat at a different angle suitable for her age. You could try taking the isofix base out of the car, and fitting the seat with the seatbelt in order to adjust the angle, though. Because by doing this you can try tilting it more upright (pull the shoulder belt tight to secure) or more flat (push down on the shell of the seat against the belt). It's a bit more of a pain but might suit her better for now.

DS used to scream in the car, especially when slow/stuck in traffic but was happier when we sung to him. Then he seemed to grow out of it. You could perhaps get your older DC to try out different songs?

wonderwoo · 04/08/2018 22:46

My ds did this. The angle of the car seat makes reflux pain worse. Only thing we found to help was to try not to use the car!

3girlmama · 05/08/2018 18:46

Thank you for all your ideas.
She doesn't cry until she's been in it for about 2-3 mins and I even dog in the back with her now (unless I'm driving 😂) as of this weekend! But it doesn't seem to help much. If at all!
I think, from reading all the replies, it's just something she doesn't like and the reflux doesn't help. I can try removing the isofix base to see if any better with angle change 🤔 she has toys and a mirror and a thing that plays music when she kicks it in the back with her so there's lots to look at. The children occupy her until they can't stand the crying any longer then they moan and put their fingers in their ears! X

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3girlmama · 05/08/2018 19:08

We have just made a connection with the new George Ezra CD and calming her in the car!! Noticed she likes his voice when he's on the radio at home or in a shop but just put the CD in the car and stopped screaming immediately!!! That cd is NEVER being turned off 😂😂

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BertieBotts · 05/08/2018 19:59

Glad you have found something that works!

MissSkate · 05/08/2018 20:12

My DS was like this, had colic and reflux too. It's absolutely heartbreaking to listen and I found it extremely distracting. We booked an osteopath appt for him when he was 10.5wks old to try help his colic and reflux and I feel it helped, he was certainly a little more chilled out after it but mostly we just rode it out, think he greatly improved around 4/5 months.

3girlmama · 05/08/2018 21:08

Just stopped at a service station mid way home and DH said 'what's wrong with her head?!?' When I lifted her out of the seat. There's a red mark on her little head where it rests in the little pre formed hole in the booster part of the seat. I can't remove the booster as she's too small for that yet, but the lip round the hole (maxi Cosi pebble plus) for her head to rest back on in really quite pronounced and I think that's possibly the problem.
I had noticed a slight redness on her head before but thought it was just because it was warm/hot and her head was sweaty/hot (she marks really easily)
No other areas on her that are red
We have padded it with a nice flannel bib and she's fine!!! I might email Maxi Cosi about it and send a picture of her red bit!

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