{"id":6960,"date":"2011-09-25T04:09:57","date_gmt":"2011-09-25T04:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parentingtoday.com\/anew\/?page_id=6960"},"modified":"2024-05-27T13:02:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T20:02:54","slug":"car-seat-crying","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/ages-stages\/baby-infant-development-parenting\/car-seat-crying\/","title":{"rendered":"Car Seat Crying"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Add <\/picture><\/p>\n

By Elizabeth Pantley<\/strong>
\nAuthor of Gentle Baby Care<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some babies fall asleep almost before you\u2019re out of the driveway, but others won\u2019t spend five happy minutes in their car seats. Usually, this is because your baby is used to more freedom of movement and more physical attention than you can provide when she\u2019s belted into her seat.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Download Our Ages & Stages Chart: Birth to 5 Years Old<\/a><\/p>\n

Hearing your baby cry while you are trying to drive is challenging. Even though it\u2019s difficult to deal with, remember that you and your baby\u2019s safety are most important. Parents sometimes take a crying baby out of the car seat, which is extremely dangerous and makes it even more difficult for the baby to get used to riding in the car seat. Some parents make poor driving decisions when their babies are crying, which puts everyone in the car at risk. Either pull over and calm your baby down, or focus on your driving. Don\u2019t try to do both.<\/p>\n

The good news is that a few new ideas and a little time and maturity will help your baby become a happy traveler. (I know because three of my babies were car-seat-haters!)<\/p>\n

The trip to car seat happiness<\/h4>\n

Any one (or more) of the following strategies may help solve your car seat dilemma. If the first one you try fails, choose another one, then another; eventually, you\u2019ll hit upon the right solution for your baby.<\/p>\n

Make sure that your baby is healthy.<\/strong> \u00a0If car seat crying is something new, and your baby has been particularly fussy at home, too, your baby may have an ear infection or other illness. A visit to the doctor is in order.<\/p>\n

Bring the car seat in the house and let your baby sit and play in it<\/strong>. \u00a0Once it becomes more familiar in the house, she may be happier to sit there in the car.<\/p>\n

Keep a special box of soft, safe car toys that you\u2019ll use only in the car.<\/strong> If these are interesting enough, they may hold her attention. (Avoid hard toys because they could cause injury in a quick stop.)<\/p>\n

Tape or hang toys for viewing.<\/strong> \u00a0You can do this on the back of the seat that your baby is facing or string an array of lightweight toys from the ceiling using heavy tape and yarn. Place them just at arm\u2019s reach so that your baby can bat at them from her seat. (Don\u2019t use hard toys that could hurt your baby if they come loose in a quick stop.)<\/p>\n

Make a car mobile.<\/strong> \u00a0Link a long row of plastic baby chains from one side of the backseat to the other. Clip soft, lightweight new toys onto the chain for each trip. Make sure they are secure and keep on eye on these so that they don\u2019t become loose while you are driving.<\/p>\n

Hang a made-for-baby poster on the back of the seat that faces your baby. <\/strong>\u00a0These are usually black, white, red and bold primary colors; some even have pockets so you can change the pictures. (Remember to do this, since changing the scenery is very helpful.)<\/p>\n

Experiment with different types of music in the car.<\/strong> \u00a0Some babies enjoy lullabies or music tapes made especially for young children; others surprise you by calming down as soon as you play one of your favorites. Some babies enjoy hearing Mom or Dad sing, more than anything else! (For some reason, a rousing chorus of \u201cRudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer\u201d has always been a good choice for us, even out of season!)<\/p>\n

Try \u201cwhite noise\u201d in the car.<\/strong> \u00a0You can purchase CDs of soothing nature sounds or you can make a recording of your vacuum cleaner!<\/p>\n

Practice with short, pleasant trips when your baby is in a good mood.<\/strong> \u00a0It helps if someone can sit near her and keep her entertained. A few good experiences may help set a new pattern.<\/p>\n

Try a pacifier or teething toy.<\/strong> \u00a0When your baby has something to suck or chew on he may be happier. Just make sure it doesn\u2019t present a choking hazard, and keep to small, soft toys.<\/p>\n

Hang a mirror.<\/strong> \u00a0That way your baby can see you (and you can see your baby) while you are driving. Baby stores offer specialty mirrors made especially for this purpose. When in her seat, she may think that you\u2019re not there, and just seeing your face will help her feel better.<\/p>\n

Put up a sunshade in the window. <\/strong>\u00a0This can be helpful if you suspect that the sunshine in your baby\u2019s face may be a problem. Use the window-stick-on types, and avoid any with hard pieces that could become dislodged in a quick stop.<\/p>\n

Try to consolidate trips.<\/strong> \u00a0Trip-chaining is effective, especially if you avoid being in the car for long periods of time, and you don\u2019t have many ins-and-outs.<\/p>\n

Make sure your baby hasn\u2019t outgrown her car seat. <\/strong>\u00a0If her legs are confined, or her belts are too tight, she my find her seat to be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Try opening a window. \u00a0<\/strong>Fresh air and a nice breeze can be soothing.<\/p>\n

If all else fails . . .<\/em><\/strong> take the bus!<\/em><\/p>\n

This article is an excerpt from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)<\/p>\n

RELATED: Download Our Ages & Stages Chart: Birth to 5 Years Old<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some babies fall asleep almost before you\u2019re out of the driveway, but others won\u2019t spend five happy minutes in their car seats. Usually, this is because your baby is used to more freedom of movement and more physical attention than you can provide when she\u2019s belted into her seat. Hearing your baby cry while you are trying to drive is challenging. Even though it\u2019s difficult to deal with, remember that you and your baby\u2019s safety are most important. Parents sometimes take a crying baby out of the car seat, which is extremely dangerous and makes it even more difficult for the baby to get used to riding in the car seat. Some parents make poor driving decisions when their babies are crying, which puts everyone in the car at risk. Either pull over and calm your baby down, or focus on your driving. Don\u2019t try to do both. The good news is that a few new ideas and a little time and maturity will help your baby become a happy traveler. (I know, because three of my babies were car-seat-haters!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7210,"menu_order":47,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Usually, this is because your baby is used to more freedom of movement and more physical attention than you can provide when she\u2019s belted into her seat. Hearing your baby cry while you…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6960"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55998,"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6960\/revisions\/55998"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}