Comfort long car travel restraint for toddler

M

madsbf37

Guest
On a long car trip, my granddaughter (2 yrs) was in agony as she was strapped in her car seat for so long. Ii almost brought me to tears. But she was so good. However she did cry occasionally. Is there anything to use that can lay her down or not strap her in so tightly? Please let me know because they are going on the same long trip shortly and I would like to know that she will be comfortable.
 
ADS

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
On a long car trip, my granddaughter (2 yrs) was in agony as she was strapped in her car seat for so long. Ii almost brought me to tears. But she was so good. However she did cry occasionally. Is there anything to use that can lay her down or not strap her in so tightly? Please let me know because they are going on the same long trip shortly and I would like to know that she will be comfortable.

Hi there! It's certainly not normal for a car seat to hurt a child, and I'm sorry your granddaughter was uncomfortable. If discomfort was actually the problem, it might be that the straps were too tight (they should be snug enough that you can't pinch any webbing at the shoulder, but not so tight that they dig into the skin). It's also possible that the child has outgrown that particular seat.

Most often when kids scream in the car, it's because they're kids, not because they're actually hurting. Many babies and toddlers go through phases like that.

All car seats for children her age will require straps, so there's really no getting around that. Maybe if you tell us what kind of seat she's in, how tall and heavy she is, and whether she's riding facing forward or backward, we can give you some more advice.
 
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ebp913

New member
Honestly she just sounds like a 2 year old. We do 5 hour trips regularly with our kids and after awhile they get upset and cry and it stinks but we try to stop and if we can't we try to distract them and if that doesn't work then they just cry for a bit. It's really not the end of the world and I certainly don't think they are in pain. They just don't want to sit in the car seat. Toddlers don't want to do all sorts of things so I don't really think riding in the car is any different. You could get her a few soft toys for the car that she can play with or coloring books, etc to help her on the drive when she gets upset.

That said, she must be in the car seat and she must be properly restrained while they are driving. There's no other safe option.

Why do you think she is in pain? From your post, it doesn't sound like she was in pain and it sounds like she cried a little on a long drive which is exactly what I would expect with a 2 year old.
 

BananaBoat

Well-known member
I agree with the previous posters. My current 2 year old is a car seat hater. She has always been a car seat hater from day 1. She's been in at least 4 or 5 different seats & she just doesn't want to be restrained in straps for longer than an hour ever. It's very annoying, but it's life & she will get over it. Sure, I'm sick of hearing her scream, but I'm not going to let her ride in a way that's unsafe! We do try to limit trips to 1 hour without stopping for a while. Eventually she'll grow out of it, but until then we all have to deal with it - just like we would sleep deprivation or changing diapers.
 

MommyShannon

New member
My kids certainly get tired of being stuck in the car. We try to stop every 3-4 hours at a park or place to run around. My kids all prefer having support under their feet while traveling long distances. My 8 and 6 year olds are forward facing so we can use styrofoam coolers, rolled blankets, or pillows under their feet. My 3 year old and 1 year old still ride rear facing and ate the comfiest on our drives. You can see them in my signature. They are more reclined and their legs aren't dangling down plus they ate 5 times safer.
If you can share how tall she is and her weight and current seat, we might be able to recommend a more comfortable one. I know some aren't as comfy but mostly kids just get tired of being restrained but need to be.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
We plan to go no more than 2 hours without everyone getting at least a 15 minute break to get up, move around, potty, change diapers, etc. It makes trips take longer but it's healthier (prevents DVTs, UTIs, etc.) and it's really a sanity-saver with a bunch of little kids in the car to know we have planned breaks!
 

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