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8 week old granddaughter HATES the car!

44 replies

NanaKim · 03/11/2015 23:48

My 8 week granddaughter absolutely hates the car. It's not the car seat as she is in a Doona which she is quite happy in the rest of the time.. until it goes in the car. She goes from nought to hysterical in minutes. Today we were in the car for 10 minutes max going to the shops. When I got her out she was absolutely puce, she'd got herself into such a state. As soon as you take her out of the car, still in the Doona, she stops. It's now got that as soon as she realises she's about to go in the car she starts fretting and then as soon as we set off she starts so it's not that she is too hot / cold as it's an instant reaction. She's facing forwards so I don't think it's the direction she's travelling in. We've tried mobiles.. thinking she didn't like having nothing to look at, someone sitting in the back with her.. thinking she didn't like being alone, nothing works. Today we got some temporary relief with Barry White blasting out at full volume! Anyone got any ideas what her problem is?! I thought maybe motion sickness but she likes motion the rest of the time. She has a Rockaroo and is fine in that, on the car setting. It's an absolute mystery and I've never seen anything like it, all my four loved the car and I used to use car journeys as a way of getting them to sleep. It worries me as my daughter isn't concentrating on her driving as she should.. it's hard with a hysterical baby in the back. Also I worry about the baby.. she really gets herself into a state, proper full on temper tantrum. The rest of the time she's a content baby. I worry that she might start to choke. You'd think she'd exhaust herself and give up eventually but she doesn't… she just goes up a notch and it can't be good for her. Ideas anyone?!

OP posts:
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BreeVDKamp · 04/11/2015 08:45

DS was the same, has been a bit better lately (5 months old). Loads of babies hate it, just the way it is I think. Fine in the seat outside of the car. Now he can grab and play he's a bit better, and is better at settling himself to sleep. Previously would cry for 25 ins then fall asleep.

BreeVDKamp · 04/11/2015 08:50

Yes we've got the mirror Cgow suggests.

BertieBotts · 04/11/2015 10:15

XML - I know exactly what you mean! It's an unbeatable pulsating kind of pressure. Awful.

BertieBotts · 04/11/2015 10:15

Unbearable

Branleuse · 04/11/2015 10:21

my ds2 used to scream in the car when he was tiny. Absolutely screamed the whole journey. He got better as he got older. DD however got worse, as she gets travel sickness

HalfStar · 04/11/2015 10:26

OP is there any possibility it's reflux or that she hasn't been winded sufficiently before going into the car seat? This was a huge problem for my DD at that age.

Also do make very sure she's not too hot, she shouldn't be wearing a big padded jacket or suit in the carseat for example as they heat up too much.

Other than that only the dummy and time helped DD.

DearTeddyRobinson · 04/11/2015 10:32

DS hated the car with a fiery screaming passion. It only resolved when he was big enough to be forward facing. No solutions really, just sympathy! I just used the pram/buggy as much as possible.

MrsL2012 · 07/11/2015 19:09

Same as dearteddy above - my DS screamed until he was red in the face and made himself sick every time he went in the car. It stopped at 10.5 months when we turned him to be forward facing and now he's a delight in the car!
I avoided car journeys and walked or took public transport.

claraschu · 07/11/2015 19:20

2 of my 3 hated the car seat. If someone else could drive I would sit next to them and breastfeed them as we drove and then they were fine. My tits got very long though.

BertieBotts · 07/11/2015 21:02

I used to do that as well, clara, but it struck me recently (now DS is 7, so a bit late Grin) that it wasn't a very good idea - we buy an expensive car seat and stick them in it and then lean over them which means in a crash your body would crush them and make the car seat (which is after all supposed to support the weight of a young baby, not an adult) totally useless. So I can't recommend that to anybody any more.

claraschu · 07/11/2015 23:04

I can't get so worked up about car safety. I think the hazards of a screaming baby are much higher. I had a seat belt on too...

fluffikins · 08/11/2015 06:52

Dd hated the car seat. I think it was a combination of tummy issues (she's since been diagnosed with cmpa) and the mirror was too stimulating for her. Once we removed the mirror she improved a lot. Now she's fine in it and has been since about 3 months

Rinceoir · 08/11/2015 06:57

My DD hated the car when younger. MIL would go on about how we must have had a relaxing few hours driving to see her, as all babies sleep in the car - drove me nuts as DD was miserable the whole way. Got better once we could distract her with toys/stories etc. We moved her into an ERF seat when she outgrew stage 0 a few month ago and she loves it. Just seems to be a more comfortable seat.

Gracey79 · 08/11/2015 07:04

I used to have to rock my ds to sleep and then put him in and drive! Seemed to help though as he soon realised it was safe to fall asleep also made me sure he must be comfy to be staying asleep, he has improved now facing forward but still doesn't 'love it' as people seem to say babies do

Runningbutnotscared · 08/11/2015 11:10

Do you have all the windows shut when you are driving? By opening the rear windows an inch or so you can change the air quality (less stuffy) and the acoustics in the car. If your baby is crying so much in the car is she not overheating? As others have said, car seats are really insulating things. I know you have said that the temp is ok but perhaps chilling the car a bit will help.

I was passed this tip to help my baby sleep on long car journeys, it sends him off to sleep like a dream (especially at 70mph).
It works on shorter slower journeys too (but might take a little longer).

Or maybe you buy all of Barry whites back catalogue......

Runningbutnotscared · 08/11/2015 11:13

....also, can an eight week old have a temper tantrum? I wouldn't have thought so.

BertieBotts · 08/11/2015 11:41

I think it's just an expression, it doesn't mean they think the baby is naughty.

Barmaid101 · 11/11/2015 13:17

One thing that used to be done for me when I was baby was a blanket was draped over the top of the car seat and window, seeing the outside going past so quickly used to upset me, even now when I get travel sick I just block off the window and that's how I cope so I would
Suggest a Muslin cloth draped over the car seat and tuck one into the window and see if that helps

fabulousathome · 11/11/2015 16:17

I see on the YouTube demo of this seat that you click a button to make the wheels fold up for car travel. That might be it.

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