HELP - 8 month old HATES her car seat & screams

[sophybear]

pls help. Have to travel to grandparents both of which 300 miles away, and DD HATES the car & her car seat. She is very, very active and doesn't like being restrained.

Last trip on my own she cried for 3 hours solid. Then to Norfolk for 2.5 hrs I sat in back & fed her milk & rice cakes the whole way.

Feel sick at thought of another stressful journey with her screaming for hours. (Normally good child & doesn't cry much at all).

She is still in infant carrier - will it get better if forward facing?

ANY tips PLEASE

I personally think it's best to keep them rearfacing as long as possible, as that is the safest position in case of an accident.
However, there are larger stage 0-1 carseats, whihc can be used rearfacing until a later age and then turned round to be used forward fasing, and they are much more roomy and my lil ones tended to prefer it in them, once they were bigger.
We had a Britax First class, which was a very good seat.

Loads of toys, music anything you can think of.
If she were mine (which she isnt) she would have to get used to it. I know youve said shes already done some long journeys and hated it and screamed solidly, but i find that quite hard to believe (not saying your lying, but maybe reacting to it rather than ignoring it), surley she gets fed up and tired after a while?

Its all very well suggesting a new car seat but can you afford to get another one? And she`ll end up facing the front at some stage, and i reakon the sooner the better.

can you travel at bedtime after going through the bedtime routine? we always aimed to leave to go anywhere at 7pm - worked a treat. DD and DS both cried in rear-facing seats and are now great travellers (DS now 19 mths).

well Haychee, we have to disagree on that, and anyway, the carseat I mentioned is as well being a stage zero carseat a stage1 carseat, which means they can use it up until around 4 years old, just as they could any other stage 1 carseat, so, hardly a waste of money, and no more expensive then otehr good quality carseats neither, and of course there are cheaper ones from mother care, etc...aswell!
Here some links that I base my reasoning on, for keeping them rearfacing for aslong as possible:
ivillage about rearfacing car seats
cp safety website
carseat safety org website

does she like things like Baby Einstein? If so, maybe getting a travel DVD player (they are a valuable investment for many eyars to come) and putting her on teh frontseat, if possible, or maybe you can get a longer cable, so, you could fix it even though the lil one is in the backseat....

The bbedtime tip is excellent...that is what we tried to do on longer journeys, Germany Northern Ireland, etc...well, where possible...

dd was like that, i remember it with horror, i think the shudder is going down my spine! SHE NEVER GOT BORED OF CRYING! It does get better when they go forward facing but i think 8 months is too young. I would second trying to go at a sleeping tome either leave at 4/5 am or after bedtime. If thats not possible leave at naptime then break the journey when she wakes up, then feed raisins etc. the rest of the way.

DD used to cry for England, especially in the car. When anyone said 'Put her in the car seat and go for a drive, that'll do the trick," I just felt like stabbing them...

I think that the view from a rear-facing seat must be incredibly boring for a child. How about (and I haven't tried this) something reflective (but not glass, obviously) stuck to the car seat back. That's a portable DVD player on the cheap, isn't it?!!

I would persevere with the rear facing car seat, it is much safer.

I found being careful with food before leaving helped, eg. no yogurt as it upset DS tummy. And singing/listening to music in the car always distracted our DCs. They loved the Singing Kettle!

And nighttime travelling is so much less stressful for all of us.

We travelled from Germany down to Tuscany last year (2 day journey, approx 6 hours each day). The first day we left home at 4am and were in Switzerland by noon. We broke up the journey often and let them run around/tire themselves out. Worked out fine.

How is she when you travel around the town?

Thanks for your messages.

Believe me - she does cry for hours, and I do ignore here, because you have to on the motorway when on our own.

And I too want to stab people who tell me to put her in the car to sleep.

She is OK around town if in the afternoons about nap time, but then yesterday cried all the way back from Ikea despite me giving her milk & it being nap time, so there you go!

Will try leaving at bedtime and see what happens. xx argh! xx

oh god I had a friend who's child did this

personally I'd put her in a forward facing seat, she's only a month off the recommended age anyway .. but that's me

I totally understand the reasoning against forward facing .. but I think a totally stressed driver is potentially far more dangerous

I've no advice I'm afraid - just loads of sympathy. My first dd was a great car sleeper my second cryed/fussed/sceamed pretty much every trip. It drove me mads, tried all sorts, she never slept even when exhausted, so bedtime trips she just cried more coz she was tired!! But she did grow out of it around 12 months old, when they can see more and enjoy the music more etc. Just turn your stereo up and eat chocolate - that might help you cope

My DD2 was like this too and only got better once she was in a forward facing seat. We had to wait until she was a year old as she wasn't heavy enough until then. It was a NIGHTMARE, you have my sympathy.

The only thing that helped was trying to travel at a naptime so that she would sleep (after having had a good scream).