14 month old suddenly screaming during every car journey.....any ideas?

[Ceebee74]

DS2 has always been ok in the car but this last week, he has started screaming every time we put him in his car seat and then for the whole car journey. It is getting a bit wearing and, whilst I am trying to ignore it, it is not really fair on DS1 as when I pick them up from nursery, I like chatting to him about what he has done on the way home but we can't actually hear each other over the racket DS2 is making!

He is ok if I give him his dummy but I really don't want to get into the habit of him having his dummy for every car journey (I try to keep his dummy just for nap/bedtimes) as it will just be something else to wean him off in the future.

Any ideas - do I just ride it out until he gets the message that there is nothing I can do??

Is he uncomfortable in the car seat, do the straps need adjusting or something?
Is the sun in his eyes? (well when sunny)
Can he see well so he's not bored?
Has something changed in the car arrangements?
Can you give him a good toy so he's not bored maybe?
Give him a snack just before leaving?
Is he due a nap or something?

Possibilities are endless, those are a few of my thoughts, no doubt you'll get more soon enough x

Teaandcake - the straps seem ok to me and it hasn't been sunny here for at least a month so it can't be that. Nothing is different in the car arrangements. Can't go when he is due a nap as our most common journeys are the ones to nursery and back.

May try the snack/toy - have tried distracting him once he is in the car seat but once he has started screaming, there is no pacifying him (other than with his dummy) so maybe I should give him something exciting before he gets in the car?

I had this with my dd (now 18m) at exactly the same age. She wasn't TOO bad on short journeys but on longer ones, she was an absolute nightmare and nothing would pacify her - not books/toys/snacks. She was also the same with the dummy, it would keep her quiet for a while but then she would chuck it on the floor (Like you I kept the dummy for when she was in her cot as didn't want her to get too used to it!!). I think she was just frustrated at being constrained. I remember a couple of journeys where I was driving when I got so stressed by the screaming I almost went in to the car in front. I really sympathise. All I can say is that it only lasted a couple of months and she is fine now!!!

give him the dummy. dd has a 'car' dummy and a 'bedtime' dummy and none inbetween.

so eventually I will have to deal with weaning her off the dummys, big deal. I am happy to do that on the basis that at least we will still be alive when the time comes rather than having been involved in a car accident due to her screaming.