For those who had/have kids who hated riding in their car seat

msg221

Well-known member
My oldest stepdaughter mentioned last Saturday that her husband wants to try turning their just turned one year-old (30 inches, 23 lbs.) forward facing to see if she will stop fussing and crying in the car. I didn't say anything, only because she already knows my feelings on ERF. I know he wants to try this because they are going on a five hour road trip in a couple of weeks and he does not want to listen to Katelyn fuss and cry the entire drive, which I understand, but I still don't agree with turning her at this age.

My stepdaughter first thought it was Katelyn's infant seat that she didn't like (SS1) so she put her in a BLVD. Katelyn still fussed and cried. She insisted that Katelyn never sleeps in the car and fusses all the time. I had Katelyn & her twin brother Owen for 4 days in June and Katelyn rode fine for me in the MR. She even fell asleep twice in it and I even took a picture of her asleep to show her mother! (Yes, I pulled over first!) So then her mom decided to try the MR and figured if she didn't like it, she would put Owen in it when he outgrows his SS1. Well, she said Katelyn still fusses in the MR in their vehicle, which neither of us understands since she did so well in my vehicle. This is why her husband is now at the point of wanting to try her FF.

If any of you had a fussy child when it came to car seats, did it make any difference once they were turned FF?
 
ADS

jourdysmom

CPST Instructor
nak (and in the dark) LOL

my oldest screamed from day 1 in the car...rarely ever out of the car...
she was in a Century smartfit? with a cute fishy pattern LOL She screamed so bad the ped told us to put her in the front seat (no airbags) so we did... that only helped a smidge....

We moved her RF to a Century T-shield, no better and it was a PITA because the belt went over her lap.

Finally got her RF into a Eddie Bauer OHS which also failed, so we turned her FF at her 1st b-day in this seat, and she NEVER cried again...

Sad but true :(
 

krasota

Well-known member
My son screamed non-stop in the car. He started slowly tolerating 15-20 min rides around 18-24mo and over the last year, we've worked our way up to longer rides.

He once rode in the car (our car, his seat, RF) with MiL when he was almost two. She drove almost an hour with him and he didn't fuss or scream at all. DH says it's because DS was petrified about being in the car with a NJ driver. ;)

Anyhow, I don't know.
 

Mommy2Marcus

New member
Have you tried her seat more upright, more reclined, given her a soft mirror to look at herself, special toys?? Maybe she is getting car sick, but just not throwing up? Marcus fussed HORRIBLY in his infant seat, however once we got him more upright & in a convertible where he could see out the window he was fine.

Maybe the difference is that she can see out (or not see out) the window in your car, so she gets less sick feeling?? Just trying to offer some thoughts here.
 

mydogteaser

New member
Sadly, yes. DD hated the car and screamed bloody murder anytime we went over 10-15 minutes. We turned her at two and the screaming stopped. :(
 

msg221

Well-known member
Have you tried her seat more upright, more reclined, given her a soft mirror to look at herself, special toys?? Maybe she is getting car sick, but just not throwing up? Marcus fussed HORRIBLY in his infant seat, however once we got him more upright & in a convertible where he could see out the window he was fine.

Maybe the difference is that she can see out (or not see out) the window in your car, so she gets less sick feeling?? Just trying to offer some thoughts here.

The problem is she fusses in her parents' car, but not at all in the four days I had her. As for being able to see out, she would have been able to see way more out of her parents vehicle then mine! They have a 2010 Tahoe and she is sitting in a Boulevard! (Except now, they have been trying a MR). She was in a MR in my Highlander but has also ridden in a TFP in my vehicle. She fussed a bit in the TFP, but she was younger and certainly not to the extent that her parents are describing, as in crying. Maybe they can try the soft mirror. Hmm, I guess I will add another item to the growing Babies R Us list I have going! Anything to avoid them turning her FF at only 13 months!
 

mydogteaser

New member
Since she's only 13 months, I would definitely not turn her FFing yet. I would recommend that they just tolerate the screaming until she's closer to two. For the long drive, could someone sit by her to keep her more entertained?
 

Mommy2Marcus

New member
I would deffinatly suggest a soft mirror, Marcus would talk to himself, laugh giggle & he could also see me through the rear view if placed just right. Also what about a DVD player for the trip? They could get one that could go in between the twins, so neither one would hit it on rebound. Then they could pick a few cute movies for them to watch.

They could also pick up a few small new toddler toys for them to play with. Something like soft story books would be good. They have some that have crinkle pages, soft pages, mirror pages & noise pages. These always made for a few minutes of play time with Marcus.

As for other ideas, I am at a total loss here. I wish I had some more thoughts for you though. Good Luck!
 

rodentranger

New member
YDS is a rf car-screamer too. I keep a dvd player in the center with both kids outboard to distract him from his rage. When he finally can't take anymore, or *I* can't take anymore screaming, I pull over and turn him ff.
I think he gets car-sick. When I turn him ff, he's fine, and will often then fall asleep. Then I pull the car over again and turn him back rf. It's a pain in the butt, but I'd rather he be as safe as possible. He isn't safe when I'm distracted by his screaming, and he is safer rf, so I comprimise.
 
I tried everything with Chloe bought a miror, that pissed her off and made her fuss even more. Gave her tons of toys and books, she got mad at them and would throw them and start to fuss. Having someone sit in the back helped for about a half hour, after that she would get cranky and start to hit. Yes as you can tell she is a very hard headed child...

All the suddon Chloe has just outgrown the screaming stage at 22 months old. I made a cd of her favorite songs that is what I think helped her a lot! She love to sing along with them and has not screamed since! I would deffinetly recomend that or a dvd player...

Hope i could help and good luck to them I know how hard and frustrating it can be to have a baby who hates the car!
 

msg221

Well-known member
Thank you for all your ideas. Katelyn's mom says she is fine on short trips, but anything longer than a half hour, and she gets fussy. Also, she thinks that when Katelyn is tired and wants to nap, she would rather be able to lie down flat. This is all new to me because my twin godchildren only fussed in their seats when they were noobs and were hungry. After about 3 months, they had no problem falling asleep in their seats and even now, at 2, they easily go to sleep in their seats.

I know Katelyn has soft toys, like the crinkly book, but you know babies, all of the toys eventually end up overboard! I don't know if it would be possible for mom to sit between them as I am not sure how much room is back there. They have a MR and a SS1 in there.

They did mention buying DVD players so the babies could watch their Baby Einstein DVD's on the trip, hoping that will entertain Katelyn for a while. I know they will be stopping a few times on the drive because they will be traveling with my other stepdaughter and she will have her 2 year old and 3 month old, so they will need to stop to nurse the noob. Hopefully Katelyn will do okay on this trip. I know her poor dad probably has a little less tolerance for the screaming seeing how he is the SAH parent and deals with it daily as it is!
 

CommMom

Senior Community Member
Have they tried the TFP in their vehicle? I'm curious, given that it sits lower than a MR or BLVD. If she can see more out the window in their cars, then maybe she's just seeing too much and getting freaked out by that. Everything out the window can be overwhelming, so maybe a seat that sits lower and offers her less to see outside the car might help?
 

Kegracin

Active member
The problem is she fusses in her parents' car, but not at all in the four days I had her. As for being able to see out, she would have been able to see way more out of her parents vehicle then mine! They have a 2010 Tahoe and she is sitting in a Boulevard! (Except now, they have been trying a MR). She was in a MR in my Highlander but has also ridden in a TFP in my vehicle. She fussed a bit in the TFP, but she was younger and certainly not to the extent that her parents are describing, as in crying. Maybe they can try the soft mirror. Hmm, I guess I will add another item to the growing Babies R Us list I have going! Anything to avoid them turning her FF at only 13 months!

What spot is she in the Tahoe compared to your car?

My middle one he hated the infant seat...in the RA50 hes fine. I think part of the problem besides the angle of the infant seat was he was getting warm we got a new car about the same time he moved into the ra50. Our Tahoe has the vents in the ceiling which seems to have made a huge difference compared to our car. He doesn't do as well in the car. Maybe they should take your car ;)
 

msg221

Well-known member
Have they tried the TFP in their vehicle? I'm curious, given that it sits lower than a MR or BLVD. If she can see more out the window in their cars, then maybe she's just seeing too much and getting freaked out by that. Everything out the window can be overwhelming, so maybe a seat that sits lower and offers her less to see outside the car might help?


That is an interesting thought. Maybe she is being overstimulated by what she is seeing. I already offered to let them try my TFP but that is when we were thinking it was the car seat she didn't like. But Princess Katelyn is now on her third seat and still not happy. But still, I will at least suggest this to my stepdaughter. Plus I think the TFP might be roomier and more comfy for a long road trip then the MR. Then again, with this baby, it may not make a difference if she just plain hates car rides!


What spot is she in the Tahoe compared to your car?

Same spot as in my car, behind the driver.
 

Gena

New member
My DS screamed in terror constantly when RF in the car. On several occassions he screamed until he made himself sick. Things were a little better when we switched him from the infant seat to the RF convertible and when someone could sit in the back with him. But even then, it was still terrible. When he was 20 months (27lbs) I needed to make several long drives with him along and the constant screaming made me such a distracted wreck of a driver that I was sure I was going to cause an accident. At that point I decied that FF with a calm alert driver was safer than RF with an unsafe driver and turned him. He immediately became a happy little traveler and has been ever since.

We later learned that the problem was due to sensory issues related to his autism. DS had no tolerance for backwards motion (swings, the shopping cart, RF stroller, etc). At age 6 he's improved a lot, but still works on this in OT.
 

Joyofbirth

New member
Have they tried reclining her more. My 20 month old dd prefers to be more reclined. She does not like being more upright. She says too much when I put it more upright. I don't really know what too much translates to, but i know what the problem is.
 

tracee877

Active member
My DS2 was that way. The DVD player has been a God send. He has been using it since he was 4 months old.:eek: Never fussed since. The poor DVD player just died though and he doesn't seem to miss it.
 

Mingie

CPST Instructor
I will say both of my dds fussed in the car equally. And dd#1 was ffing at a year since I didn't know any better. DD#2 has her moments but she absolutely HATED the Blvd. I don't know if it was the headwings but we had a MA in the other car and she didn't fuss in that. And now loves the RN. Could it be the seat she finds uncomfortable?:scratcheshead:
 

henrietta

Well-known member
Maybe their driving scares the bejeedles out of her??!! ;)

Seriously, if you are a slow, careful driver who changes easily from gear to gear, accelerating to braking, and they are the opposite, she might be more comfy riding w/you. If that's the case, which direction she faces won't matter.

I have to say my best friend's dd was awful in the car (still is, at almost 5). She turned her before 18 mos, after trying everything (seriously!), and she improved. She wasn't great, but she was clearly more comfortable if she could see her mom and interact w/her more.

GL!

henrietta
 

msg221

Well-known member
I got an e-mail back from my stepdaughter about Katelyn and she said they've been watching how she does and when it is that she starts fussing. Well, they do think for sure that it is when she starts getting sleepy. She would much prefer sleeping in her crib (or anywhere, lying down) and not in her car seat, and that's when she really gets upset. So no, it's probably not the particular seat she is in, although her mom is most likely planning to keep the MR for her since she said Katelyn looks much more comfy in it and she finds it easier to get her in and out of it.
 

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