Miserable car travel

tl01 · Oct 19, 2012

How miserable would your car travel have to be before you would forward face? DS2 is a miserable car traveler even at age 2.5. It has been rough since birth. He hates getting in the car.. We fight him almost every time. Now he screams day and night. He is fine and then he starts to scream over and over again. I can't figure out what the real issue is. I have tried all different seats. Currently we are rotating the orbit g2, siZe4me and ra55. The size 4 me seems to hurt his boy parts, the ra55 seems to hurt his butt. Who knows why he screams in the orbit. He didn't used to. When he's not in the car... He's a happy boy. Right now he's breaking in and out of screaming and I know it is bc he can't see me. If DH is with me I can sit in the back but that is rarely the case. He just wants reassurance. He is 2.5 years old. Limiting car travel further is not really possible and we drive a lot... Like 23-25 k a year.

I forgot to mention the frequenting vomiting episodes that also seem to only occur in the car. I'd love to figure out if they are car related!

bubbaray · Oct 19, 2012

Sounds like he gets car sick. Given the facts you describe, I would try turning him.

tam_shops · Oct 19, 2012

My youngest was like this from birth as well. It got better to some degree as he got older. He also gets car sick and has issues w/ his ears/hearing. It got better when I put the Radian angle adjuster under him.

At any rate, recently at 3.5yo, we were in a crash that took out all my car seats in one big bang. I borrowed a seat from a friend, but he was on the edge of being too heavy to RF. So after a few weeks he hit the max and I had to FF him. Then, I grabbed a Frontier on sale (rare here in Canada), now he's happily riding FF. It's nice. Very nice! But, I certainly feel guilty and keep meaning to send a PM to the car seat lady as I recall something I read there that she wrote which is 1 FF doesn't improve car sickness and 2 that most kids this age do not like to be strapped down, it has nothing to do w/ RF vs FF. As I'd say there is no question my guy has improved in one months time, which I find interesting...Plus, I really want a Foonf! LOL

You've made the AAP minimum of 2yo. I feel guilty about FF at 3.5yo, so can't advise you either way beyond at some point the safety of the driver's ability to hear/concentrate affects the safety of all passengers RF or FF...

Best of luck!

tam

Judi · Oct 20, 2012

When you sit back there, he is fine though?

tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

tam_shops said:
My youngest was like this from birth as well. It got better to some degree as he got older. He also gets car sick and has issues w/ his ears/hearing. It got better when I put the Radian angle adjuster under him.

At any rate, recently at 3.5yo, we were in a crash that took out all my car seats in one big bang. I borrowed a seat from a friend, but he was on the edge of being too heavy to RF. So after a few weeks he hit the max and I had to FF him. Then, I grabbed a Frontier on sale (rare here in Canada), now he's happily riding FF. It's nice. Very nice! But, I certainly feel guilty and keep meaning to send a PM to the car seat lady as I recall something I read there that she wrote which is 1 FF doesn't improve car sickness and 2 that most kids this age do not like to be strapped down, it has nothing to do w/ RF vs FF. As I'd say there is no question my guy has improved in one months time, which I find interesting...Plus, I really want a Foonf! LOL

You've made the AAP minimum of 2yo. I feel guilty about FF at 3.5yo, so can't advise you either way beyond at some point the safety of the driver's ability to hear/concentrate affects the safety of all passengers RF or FF...

Best of luck!

tam

I get terribly car sick Rear facing so if that's what he's feeling... I can understand why he cries. It is a miserable feeling. My oldest started complaining at age three of feeling sick in the car for almost every ride. Once I flipped him he only complains on curvy roads. I totally believe rear facing makes some people car sick.

We have tried a radian with the AA too... It was no better. It just isn't in our current seat rotation.

The idea if ffing him gives me anxiety. I can't even fathom it.

tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

Judi said:
When you sit back there, he is fine though?

Crying or puking? I hardly ride back there so it's hard to tell...

kater-tot82 · Oct 20, 2012

I would probably turn him--at least temporarily to see if it makes a difference. My DD is 2 and only a semi-happy traveler and her screaming and crying during the unhappy times is awful. If vomiting was added on top of that, I would strongly consider trying FF to see if there is any improvement. If he was still acting the same, I would consider re-RF. A 2.5 year old in a properly used/installed/top tethered seat is not unsafe even though RF is safer.

Little Ps Mama · Oct 20, 2012

I draw the line at puking. Anything else I will put up with.

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tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

I told myself that I wouldn't turn him unless he was in a Foonf.... But they keep delaying it.

. I appreciate the changes they are making but I would love to have one to test and see how he does.

Baylor · Oct 20, 2012

Id turn him in a heartbeat.

jjordan · Oct 20, 2012

Sounds to me like car sickness too. I'd turn him FF.

tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

I keep thinking I should but how will I live with myself if something happens to him bc he's FFing.

bubbaray · Oct 20, 2012

tl01 said:
I keep thinking I should but how will I live with myself if something happens to him bc he's FFing.

The thing is I would be more distracted by the screaming and puking, so more likely to get into an accident. Your call, but I would turn him, or at least try it and see

LISmama810 · Oct 20, 2012

If it were just crankiness, I'd probably grit my teeth and carry on. Crankiness AND puking though...I don't do puke. I HATE puke. So I'd turn him, at least on a trial basis.

tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

Well he just puked again... I think I'll turn him... Otherwise I need an MRI to make sure nothing is going on in his brain.

tl01 · Oct 20, 2012

Well... This looks wrong... But we are on a long drive with a super curvy part.

This seat was my only option since I don't have the braces for the G2 with us. I need to read up on how to tighten the harness a tiny bit more... It isn't fully pinchable... But one side is slightly looser.

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Phineasmama · Oct 20, 2012

Is he doing better??

I have to be honest I'd probably do the same thing for a 2.5 year old. And I would feel guilty too but I'd still do it.

Mugsmom · Oct 20, 2012

tl01 said:
I need to read up on how to tighten the harness a tiny bit more... It isn't fully pinchable... But one side is slightly looser.

I've been having this problem with the S4M too...once in a while I can fix it by pulling the harness out as far as it will go, lifting the headrest all the way, then returning it to our usual position.

TXDani · Oct 20, 2012

I would have turned him a long time ago. I have a rf'ing and ff'ing seat installed in my car because 80% of the time when Brecken is rf'ing he is SCREAMING/YELLING at the top of his lungs. I can not handle it, period...it infuriates me. Putting him in the ff seat so he will stop is way safer for us than the small chance if being in a serious accident that would warrant him needing to be rf'ing to survive. I can stand crying...whining...but this purposeful yelling for an hour I just can't safely do.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

bubbaray · Oct 20, 2012

My oldest was so hysterical and inconsolable in a RFg carseat, she would trigger bad asthma attacks. It was horrible. I turned her at 13m and she was immediately fine-- DH and I stopped in a parking lot and turned the seat. Se was fine afterwards.

Interestingly that same child now gets car sick on pretty much any ride over about 30 min. But at least she doesn't trigger asthma with her screaming. It was horrible.

I still don't feel super good about it, but you do the best you can. We live in an urban area with notoriously horrible traffic. Plus we were just dealing with a new asthma diagnosis and the drs were concerned.

DD2 RFd to the limits of her seat, age 2 (old MA with low Cdn RFg limit). Turned her and never looked back.

Miserable car travel

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