Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How do I make car rides easier for my infant?

She doesn't seem to like car rides. She cries half the time she is in the car. Any suggestions on how to make them easier for her. She is 6 wks old.
How do I make car rides easier for my infant?
First thing to do is feel the back rest of the carseat with your hand. They are made for infants, but sometimes aren't thought out too well about where the padding/seams are. If there are thick ridges, or drop-off of foam, a folded receiving blanket can help a lot. Ensure that the straps are on correctly, and aren't digging in or pinching her. Perhaps borrow another type of carseat from a friend to see if she is happier in it. Make sure that you check that her diaper is dry just before you put her in as a wet diaper will make the straps much more uncomfortable. You may also want to try breaking up trips to take her out and comfort her. It may just be that as she is rear facing, she is scared because she can't see you. Babies that age have no concept of time. If you are out of sight, to them you are gone forever which is quite frightening. If she is still crying a lot, talk to your pediatrician. Baby may be car-sick, or in backpain. If it's car-sickness, the doctor may be able to give you some suggestions of ways to alleviate it. If it is backpain, you may want to take her to a chiropractor that specializes in infants. I'd never even heard of this until several people I know were having the same problem, and the chiropractor did an adjustment to the babies' spines and relieved the pain.

This should give you somewhere to start. Unfortunately, there is also the chance that she just doesn't like being in the car, or being restrained. The only thing to do for that is to reduce any unneccessary car travel. Hope this helps, and good luck!
How do I make car rides easier for my infant?
she is really to young for any toys but try to play some soft lullybies for her on cd that might put her to sleep.. or if she is interested in rattles or things buy a hanging toy for her carseat.
Try feeding her before you leave and close to her naptime so that she will sleep most of the ride or you can find a toy that plays music or vibrates.
if its possible have either you or daddy sit in the back with her this may make her feel more comfortable, also music you listen to while she was in the womb will help her get more comfortable as well
All three of mine like music so I turn on the radio and most of the time the two youngest go to sleep.
my friends baby is the same way. you might just have to let her cry. she is to little to understand that she has to be in the car seat. she probably feels trap and cant move or even see you. she probably crying because she thinks you left her.
Okay I may not be a parent, b ut Ideal with kids evryday. Well you can make a game out of it.It is fun and gets they're imagination going.
My son was the same way at first even though I was given much advice that he would love car rides. We had the standard Evenflo car seat that detaches from the base and allows you to carry it around. Well, we finally upgraded (at a cost of 150 bucks!) to something a lot better when he got a little bit bigger and he now loves to take rides in the car. We have a nice, big and comfortably soft car seat and we finally figured that those Evenflo ones are just too restricting. Eventually, your child will hate to be buckled in but will be okay with it afterwards (my son is 10 1/2 months old now). Don't scrimp on a car seat, it's for your sanity!!
i would sing and sing and sing, it was the only thing that would calm my baby down. i had also bought a toy that clips onto the handle of his carseat (infant carrier) for when he was a little bit older. he likes playing with toys in the car now (he 7 1/2 months)
The one thing moms like to use is a mirror so that baby can see you and you can see baby. that may help.... i think she just dosn't understand all the fuss. her sences my be overloaded. use a window shade to block out activity out side of the car.
my daughter was the same way, she would scream her head off the whole car ride, the good thing is she grew out of it, as most babies do. but in the meantime you could play a lullaby CD or tape in the car, that helped my daughter. you could also try to get her a toy that attaches to her car seat, just something for her to look at and entertain her. dont worry though, she will grow out of it.

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