I am mothering three kids who have very different personalities. One boy was a good sleeper and the other two gave us a hard time until they turned one. The eldest has always been a caring brother who helps with chores and the youngest is a born rebel. The middle guy is a mixed personality.
Their love for car rides as babies were also diverse. I survived few weeks with a toddler who extremely loved car rides and a baby who hated the mere sight of a car seat. The struggle to run an errand with a howling baby in a car seat can burn out a parent in seconds.
I know that I am not the only parent who had to or will have to deal with a baby who will cry every time they are put into a car seat. It took me some time to figure out the right techniques to make my baby comfortable in the car seat. My baby was as happy as his elder brother during the car rides after making few changes.
In this article, I will discuss several techniques that will help you to prevent your baby from crying in their car seat. Experiment with every technique and find out what works the best for your baby. Every baby is different from others and no solution will work for all the babies in general.
CONTENT
1. Why does my baby cry in the car seat?
2. How to help my baby who hates car rides?
1. Why does my baby cry in the car seat?
The babies love cozy, warm cuddles from their loved ones. A car seat is not comfortable enough for a baby who has been held in the arms of an adult for most of his day. Imagine where your baby spends his time when he is not in your arms. He might be in his crib, bassinet, or a baby swing. All these places are comfortable and spacious than a car seat.
A baby gets all the attention when he is at home. You will talk to him, pet him and play with him when he is awake. But what happens when you put your baby in a car seat? He cannot see you and there is nothing to keep him occupied while you focus on driving. Some babies will not like the straps that fit them to the car seat and maybe those straps cause discomfort to them. As such, there can many reasons that would make your baby hate the car seat.
2. How to help my baby who hates car rides?
- Practice!
Yeah, you read it right. Practice the car seat and car rides with your baby. Your baby might hate the car seat because he is not familiar with it. Bring the car seat to his room and place it near his crib or the baby swing. Let him spend few minutes in the car seat every day as if it is a daily exercise.
In the first stage of practicing, you can talk and play with him while he is in the car seat which is placed inside the house. As he gets used to it, you can engage in another task while keeping an eye on the baby. That way he will be prepared to spend some time alone by himself in the car seat during a car ride.
Choose a time that your baby is in a happy and playful mood to go on a practice car ride. You can start with a two-minute car ride around the block. Gradually increase the time you spend in the car till your baby is capable of taking a 15-minute car ride without crying. Do not give up if the baby cry in few practice sessions. Take a step back and reduce the duration of the car ride but keep practicing.
- Offer a distraction
Most of the babies hate car rides because he feels alone. He cannot see mom or dad and there is none to talk to him. You can solve this problem by offering a distraction that would keep him occupied throughout the journey.
You can buy few special soft toys for your baby and offer them only when they are in the car. They will be excited about the new toy and stay occupied for the entire car ride. Offer only soft toys as they will not hurt your baby if you brake the car for some reason. Hanging soft toys in a line running from one side to the other side of the car will also work for babies who hates car rides because of the loneliness they feel.
There are posters made especially for babies. These posters have pictures colored in bold primary colors such as black and red. Some of these posters have pockets so you have the chance to change the pictures from time to time. Fix one of these in your baby’s sight and change the picture a few times if it is a long car ride.
- Use music in the background
Try out any music with your baby. There are hundreds of lullabies and nursery rhymes available online and you can play a few of these in the car. You can play any song you like and see whether your baby likes it. I know babies who love the songs from the ’80s than nursery rhymes. So there is no limit to the songs that you can try out with your baby.
White noise is also an option to keep your baby calm during a car ride. Use a normal white noise machine or just play a recording. If you use white noise to make your baby sleep, that familiarity will make him feel safe and comfortable in the car seat. It will help him to relax and fall asleep too.
- Make sure your baby is comfortable in the car seat
You have to ensure that the car seat fits the size of your baby. If your baby has grown out of the car seat, he will not be comfortable in it. The straps of the car seat might be causing discomfort to your baby such as itchiness or it can be too tight. Check for these physical discomforts and fix them if you find any.
If you doubt whether your baby hates car rides because the sunlight falls into his face, buy some shades for the car windows. There is stick on window shades that will not come off and hurt the baby.
- Use a mirror
Babies always want to be near their mom or dad. When you drive, he cannot see you so he will be sad and lonely. Using a mirror is the way to solve this problem. Fix this mirror in the way that baby can see you and you can see the baby. Seeing you through the mirror will help your baby to understand that he is not alone and mommy is close to him. You can buy a mirror made for car seats from baby stores.
