3mo screaming in the car - HELP!

[Maisie2019]

DS is 3mo and suddenly hates the car, we have a Joie Infant Carrier that came with my mamas and papas travel set. He was fine until about 3 weeks ago and then one day he cried and cried and now he screams the minute he goes in the car. I have to take him on longish journeys on my own often for paediatrician appointments and we do like to get out and about so it’s causing a real issue. I don’t think the comfort of the seat is the problem as he is fine when I carry the car seat it’s when I put him in the car. So far I have tried with no effect:

• removing the newborn insert
• adjusting the straps now he is longer
• Adding and removing the mirror in the back
• adding and removing the toys in the back
• sitting someone in the back with him when possible
• Turning off the air bags in the front and having him with me

none of these seem to help. I’m genuinely coming to the conclusion that he just hates not being able to see what’s going on. I’m wondering if one of the more upright seats that rearward face but then swivel forward facing when they are older might help? If he could see out of the window more? Or any ideas what might be causing this!! I can’t keep on with this until he is 15mo and can forward face 😭

@grumpytoddler1 same here. Maximum 30 mins on my own - we have a 25 min drive this morning and I’m already dreading it. Did you try a different seat? We have a new one arriving today or tomorrow it’s my last Hope

@Endlesslaundry123 this is what makes me think it’s not the seat itself it’s the position of it not being able to see out. Because I’ve been trying the car seat clipped to the pram wheels when I’m just nipping in the shops and he happily sits there and looks around!!!

@sarge89 we have been to an osteopath too. To be honest I don’t really know if it did much. He made a massive improvement around that time and the lady was lovely, the second and third appointments she couldn’t believe how much he had changed. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I think it was the new medication he had been put on the same week!
on another note - silent reflux is the worst isn’t it. Hope you are coping okay. I genuinely nearly had a mental breakdown over it a complete of months ago. It’s so hard x

What seat have you gone for? Just be aware that lots of the ‘from birth’ seats won’t actually give a safe fit for a 3 month old. Feel free to post a photo for a fit check when the seat arrives. Many babies go through a phase of hating the car. Mine both did, but grew out of it and both went on to happily rear face until 4. Mine hated being too hot in the car - any chance that now the weather is colder and you have the heating on in the car that this is a problem? Car seats are really warm. Even in winter mine would only tolerate a vest and thin leggings, otherwise they’d scream. My youngest had reflux and was much happier once out of his infant seat.

@ThingsIhavelearnt on one journey he did actually scream himself to sleep it was awful he was hiccuping in his sleep and when I got him out of the car his face was drenched in tears and all down his neck. Maybe I’ll try a video. He does like hey duggee but I’ve been trying to avoid as he seems to have discovered screens at the moment and is like an owl - I will be feeding him and he is turning his head to watch the news or the football on tv! I think it’s the lights and colours he loves as he is mesmerised at baby sensory.

@Lavender2021 I’ll post a pic below of the one we have. It came with our travel set we hadn’t really thought about getting anything different but now we are at our wits end! I saw a 9mo baby in the same seat the other day in a cafe he was hanging out of it it was so small for him!
DS isn’t massive but I think he is quite big for his age he is nearly 15 pounds and literally turned 3mo on the weekend. He is quite long (DP is 6ft5 - he evidently inherited his genes not mine I’m 5ft2!). I’ll request to join that group now.

Maybe an in car DVD player to put on the back headrest? Get cheap baby Einstein DVD off eBay and give it a go?Or I think you get holders for iPads/phones and play cocomelon or baby shows?

@SNWannabe i think I’m going to have to. Baby Enstein? I’m a FTM I have yet to learn what this is lol.
Yesterday I was leaning down to where he is to see from his angle and I’m not surprised he hates it! All he can see is the back seat and it feels like you’re on a rollercoaster back there not being able to see out!!!!

You can get cheap phone or tablet holders that strap to the headrest so the baby can see your phone. They're a few quid on eBay. My eldest, who was also a car hater, was eventually pacified by 'little baby bum' on YouTube - loved it.

Oh I'm sorry it didn't help much. We're getting there thank you. I had to do a long-ish journey with him last week and just gave him calpol before getting in the car... he slept all the way and both of us were less stressed. Not a solution I know, and far from ideal, but a little workaround 😔 I hope it improves soon for you! (And us!) xxx

A few people have had problems we that seat and getting the baby comfortable and it's a lower limit seat of 75cm so doesn't last as long as other infant seats just so you keep an eye on height as well as weight.

My daughter is like this. She absolutely hates the car . So much so that I couldn't drive anywhere more than 10 mins for fear of having a mental break down / crashing ! We bought one of those Amazon fire tablets , downloaded the super simple songs app and strapped it to the head rest . It has honestly changed our life . She is happy as Larry .

@Emmab321 this sound like a great idea. How old is your little one? I am desperate. Today was the worst yet he got so worked up he didn’t even calm down once I put him in the pram and I had to turn round and go home!

One of mine was a car hater. Bottle refuser too, so I was stuck with him never going far from home for 9 months! Would just scream and keep going, never fall asleep. At 9 months I moved him to a joie 360 spin and everything got better. I think being higher up and able to see made the difference. Possibly being less scrunched too. Obviously rear facing at that age.

My DD was the same, she improved a bit with the bigger seat but it only really stopped when I turned her forward facing at about 2.5 ( sooner than I wanted to but figured that was safer than the constant screaming).