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Baby doesn’t like car seat...help!

4 replies

Eludford · 10/06/2020 08:54

My baby is 10 weeks old and hates the car seat. He has always hated the car seat and screams the whole journey. Any advice to help him get used to it?

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Wheresthebiffer2 · 10/06/2020 11:07

Where is he when he's not in the car seat? Do you hold him all the time or does he spend time lying/sitting on his own?
I used a recliner chair for mine, for short periods, like when I had a cup of tea, and she could look at me, feel safe, and experience being on her own.

Another thought is, what clothes is the child wearing in the car? Maybe it is too hot or cold, do you insist on a hat? Anything that might be different for the child to being not in the carseat, will take time to get used to. If so, you could put a hat on the child at other times, so they don't associate the car with having a funny feeling on their head. ditto straps - maybe it's the feeling of being tightly sat that is making the child upset. Can you use something else with straps, like a buggy harness or in a chair?

BertieBotts · 11/06/2020 10:09

It's quite a common problem, and most babies grow out of it.

If you can turn off your passenger airbag you can try putting her in the front, if you don't think it will distract you more to have her there.

We found singing seems to distract and reassure them, though it can be wearing if it's a long trip!

See if it seems better/worse depending on tiredness - both of my kids have slept easily in the car, so if I timed car trips for when they were likely to be sleepy, they'd complain a bit but then fall asleep and be fine. But other friends found that a tired baby was more grouchy in the car because they couldn't sleep there.

You could try borrowing a different car seat from a friend to see if perhaps the one you have is uncomfortable. Check whether the harness is adjusted correctly and the right inserts are in. You could consider looking at the next stage of seat - for this age you'd have to look at the combination birth-18kg seats because she's too young to go into a 9-18kg one. Since you'll need to get one anyway, it would be money you'll be spending at some point. However if you had planned to upgrade to a 9-25kg seat when the time comes, this might be too inconvenient/expensive to consider now. NB don't be tempted to try third-party inserts or cushions in the seat as these are considered a modification to the seat and might cause it to be less protective in a crash.

IME 10 weeks is too little for a mirror to help but battery powered fairy lights strung around the car seat handle or rear headrest can be interesting to them at that age, just make sure they can't reach them. You can also get toys that wrap around the car seat handle and dangle down for them to look at, pull, chew, etc which can be helpful.

If all else fails, just minimising journeys in the car and waiting for it to get better.

BertieBotts · 11/06/2020 10:11

Sorry I don't know how I ended up using she all through that Blush I mean he obviously!

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