Baby screams in car till passes out Help

[RevelryMum]

So just that really she screams and screams more so when she is tired and won't just go to sleep eventually after maybe 30 minutes she will be so upset and tired she actually passes out it's so bad I don't go anywhere with her in the car I'm genuinely traumatised it sounds like someone is hurting her the screams are so bad . She's 5 months and I absolutely have to do a 45 minute journey today (45 each way) has anyone any way to distract her ? I'm absolutely dreading it . I have to go on my own also DP has to drive his car . It's not the car set just to say she is a very bad sleeper and can't or won't self setttle and that appears to be the problem .

Passes out as in actually collapses? Or just wears herself out with her baby tantrum and falls asleep?

One is a medical concern and the other is a natural reaction.

Can you put the carseat in the front and turn the airbag off? She might be happier if she can see you. Then time the journey for after a feed and due a nap so she’s tired and will hopefully pass out quickly.
(This is assuming you just mean she wears herself out crying and falls asleep, not a medical event).

Some babies just hate the car.

I used to sing loudly and/or blast Classic FM just to drown it out until they grew out of it.

DD was like this, she turned out to suffer from awful travel sickness, so I wonder if this was the start of it
Hugs, because it’s hard ❤️

We upgraded our DD to a bigger car seat and the crying instantly stopped. I think the newborn bucket seat was just not very comfortable.

My daughter was like this when she was little, it was horrendous so you have my sympathy. I used to dread any cat journey even 10mins as she'd scream until she was purple it was very traumatic!! When I couldn't take it any longer I decided to move her car seat into the passenger seat and turn the airbag off (don't forget that!).

It helped massively, I also tried to time any longer drives with a bottle and/or nap time. So I'd get her into the car seat and feed her there, pop her in the car and get going. All you can do is make sure she is as content as possible before you set off. Nappy change, full tummy, ideally sleepy.. and also dummy/comforter if she uses any of those. My daughter liked being able to see me and I felt I could tend to her much easier having her next to me. I would talk away to her, could put her dummy back in if she'd lost it, sing and so on.

Give it a try - good luck

Mine was definitely better in the front where he could see me (obviously only if airbag can be turned off). Loud white noise or that annoying baby sensory song sometimes helped. He did grow out of it but it's awful whilst it lasts. I limited journeys as much as possible and just kept telling myself it was only crying and wasn't causing long term damage.

Also, men tend to deal with crying babies better, in that they can tune out to an extent. I'd say they should do at least one of the two journeys with their Dad!

That sounds exhausting for your baby and for you. Can’t offer any other advice than what others have said, but I have heard good things about…..
https://sleepwavesconsultancy.com.au/
if you need support from a professional. I am in the uk.

It may also be the position she is in being in the seat. We took our daughter to an osteopath at a few months old and we saw a big improvement in her. She was a ventouse birth and we discovered her skull had never fully expanded back out after the pressure of that, and so she'd most likely had a constant headache since birth, with her positioning in the car seat worsening that. Might be worth looking into?

Solidarity OP. My baby is like this.
I have tried everything - a different seat, tired or not tired, sleepy or not sleepy, me next to her, mirror, toys, everything. It’s awful and I don’t go in the car either. Can you get public transport for even part of this journey?
I know everyone will say drown it out / wait til they grow out of it but I actually have been so concerned. It’s a real physical pain cry isn’t it, not just tired whinging! I wouldn’t bank on it being “self settling”, babies that love the car aren’t self settling either - they go off with the motion and engine hum.
My next attempt is a baby osteopath but I really wonder if it’s travel sickness :(
x

No sorry like she is so tired and I eventually goes asleep but from sheer exhaustion

Phew….so not a medical emergency then and nothing you can’t just ignore. As PP say, some babies hate the car. She should grow out of it. Doubt she will be doing it when she is 8!

I did consider this and a new car seat would be higher as well so she could see more might be a distraction . I was looking g at the AVIONAUT SKY 2.0

We have already been to a chiropractor for that very reason so that's all sorted you could see the difference In Her head just crazy poor little thing the day she finished her treatment she slept for hours got great relief

Just an update I put her in the front seat with airbags off she was so well behaved blew bubbles and smiles if only I had done it months ago

DS was like this and needed to see me. I put a long extendable mirror in his seat so he could see me more clearly. I’d suggest trying that first before making front seat a permanent thing as it will be awful when he’s a toddler and begins trying to wriggle out to sit on your lap / touch stuff

So glad the journey went well for you

For future in case you don’t want to always have her in the front seat, does she like Ms Rachel? I play her on Youtube so he can hear the audio and that immediately stops the tears! Weird as he can’t see her but it’s literally a miracle cure for us.

I've no idea I try keep her away from screens as much as possible but if it got her to settle in the back of the car might be worth a try