Baby screams in car - does/has yours?

[tek78]

So I've posted here before about my baby screaming in the car at every red light or when I stop the car at all. She's now 3 months old and it still hasn't stopped. When does it end??? Other Mums had the same experience I just wanted to know if it's any time soon as it's so harrowing listening to her crying on long journeys but I just can't stop driving altogether. I do however think twice about taking the car nowadays... Public transport and waling has all of a sudden become more attractive.

It just stopped when he went forward facing. But we had many many grim journeys.

Oh god yes and everyone we spoke to said, "how strange, all of ours LOVED the car, sent them to sleep like nothing else!"

I think my DS probably had a level of discomfort in that position - as soon as he could roll over in his cot, he slept on his tummy and still does (17 months now). Like others have said, it got a LOT better when we went to the forward facing car seat and also when he was old enough to throw rusks at!!!

It's a nightmare but it does end, I promise. Hang in there!

MammyT - how did you find out if she had reflux? I took mine to the docs and said could she have relux and they poo poo'd it. My DD also doesn't like the pram that much - but it depends sometimes she's ok sometimes she doesn't. My Mum thinks it's something to do with motion - I think it's something to do with reflux. Anybody had the same experience and found a resolution?
Thanks!!

My DD did this. From she was born right up until she went in the forward facing seat at 10.5 months.

It was an absolute nightmare. The screaming was unbearable even on short journeys.

It was as if she was being murdered - honestly. And the second I would pull the car over and jump out and open the rear door, she would stop and smile at me.

She just hated not being able to see what was happening.

She enjoyed observing from an early age and started crying at lying down in the carrycot stroller attachment from about 8 weeks. I put up with it for another 4 weeks and then put the seat attachment on the stroller (she had superb neck control and she was a large baby so too long for the carry cot at 3 months). She loved it.

And now in the forward facing seat, she sits and looks out at passing traffic, landscapes and pedestrians. Talks to me, sings (tunelessly) along to music or even falls asleep. Not a tear to be had.

I have been wondering whether the low rear facing seats can cause babies to feel car sick. If I'm not looking out of the window in the car then I get terribly car sick (and will need to vomit). So perhaps some babies feel that too?

Also the maxi cosi car seat we had was rubbish for a large baby. She was sort of crunched up in it and it seemed that their backs are almost rounded when lying in that type of seat. Probably really uncomfortable.

I think the only answer is to minimise car journeys until you LO is large/old enough for the forward facing seat.

You have my sympathy - masses of it! Its hideous to drive with a baby crying its little heart out and if you avoid going somewhere because of it, you then feel trapped. Argh.

Oh, yes. It was awful. My sympathies. DS screamed all the time, whether moving or not. A highlight was a journey to/from MIL's when 3.5 months old - he mercifully napped most of the way down, but howled 5 hours nonstop all the way back up the M5 and M1.

It completely stopped when he moved into an upright, forward-facing seat and started to understand what he was seeing out the windows.

DS did this. We moved him to forward facing at 9.5 months and it stopped. He's 26 months now and sometimes still whinges when we've had to stop in traffic or at a red light!! He just wants the carcto keep moving. But easier to calm and distract when fwd facing. Ugh flaws dreadful first 10 months though. Avoided lights and traffic. I would stop well beforethe red light and inch fwd so as to keep car moving a bit it worked sometimes!!

Ds did that until about 14 months (including forward-facing) at every red light, until he was old enough to be entertained by the view.
It was OK if it was his naptime or night though, so we drove long journeys late.

Luckily I live next to excellent public transport so he only goes in a car about once a month and it's exciting. Although I did once get a chorus of him and dn aged 2 in their seats shouting 'Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!' for what seemed like forever but they were happy... until dn threw up...

She's nearly stopped altogether! At last she's stopped her crying in the car. I think it was a combination of taking her on a long drive(4 hours there and back) where she had no choice but to be in the car, a CD of nursery rhymes (yes it drives me nuts still but hey she doesn't cry when it's on). I think she can see out the car now so she's a LOT better. Not completely gone but it's usually when she's pooed herself or something that she cries now rather than just continually crying. THANK GOD it's nearly over. My nerves couldn't have taken much more so hats off to those who are still going through this. It gets better!