Is it normal for an infant to scream at the top of his lungs when placed in carseat?

I watch a baby, he will be 6 months at the end of January. I take him with me when I take my son to preschool, and whenever he is put into his carseat, he throws a fit, the minute he is placed in it before he is even buckled in. And I'm not talking little baby cries, I am talking full out screaming at the top of his lungs! And we have to listen to this the whole car ride, other than the rare occasion that he falls asleep. His buckles aren't too tight, I even got those little dangly toys thinking they would amuse him. I don't understand it, neither of my sons did this. They would go in the carseat, coo, look around, and fall asleep after about 5 minutes of being in the car. I have been watching him since he was 2 months old, and he has done this since day one. I know his mom is getting very frustrated, and it is frustrating for me and my sons as well, to listen to the screaming the whole way to and from preschool. Any ideas or input is appreciated!

Is it normal for an infant to scream at the top of his lungs when placed in carseat?
My oldest grandson reacted the same way to car-seats. It was embarrassing the amount of strength it took for me to even get him buckled into his car-seat. He hated it and screamed as long as he had the energy. On longer trips he would eventually wear out and hush. None of the other grandkids acted like that. My only suggestion would be to turn up the radio. Maybe he will become a music lover. By the way, my "screaming" grandson is 10 years old now and he's well behaved and intelligent. When we talk about how he acted as a baby he just shakes his head and says, "I don't remember!" Poor boy.
Reply:My first son loved his car seat. If i ever wanted to get him to fall asleep i would go for a ride and he would be out real quick. My second son HATES his car seat! He will cry and cry and cry!! At first i thought something was wrong b/c my first son never was like that, but i quickly learned that he just hates being strapped into his seat! Good luck! :)
Reply:my daughter used to do that b/c she hated being confined. i turned up my music and turned up my subs a lil bit but not to where it hurt her ears than i didnt give her a reaction to how she was acting and than she finally calmed down after a while.
Reply:i think it is normal. the fact that you are strapping a child to the seat makes him feel trapped. there's no human touch to comfort him there and he does not understand why he has to sit there instead of with his mum.
Reply:The little guy might get car sick and may be trying to tell you by screaming. I know my daughter doesn't like to get into her car seat (7 months old) but as soon as I pick up the car seat to put it in the car or even riding in the car, she's perfectly fine. The child's mom might want to call the pediatrician and ask if there is any motion sickness medicine she can give her son for when he rides in the car.
Reply:Yes.
Reply:my son did the same thing, and then i got a convertible car seat and he is so much happier! some babies just don't like laying down in a carseat..
Reply:My 4th baby - now 19 months - was the same way. He screamed every time we went anywhere - you just have to let him grow out of it. Is there a little snack he likes - like those puffs - or have you ever given him a sucker? I kept a bag of dum dums in the car and gave him one when we went anywhere. That kept him quiet for a little while! Good luck - I know how frustrating it is!
Reply:i would be talking to my sister while she would be driving with her infant, now 2 years old. all i would hear is screaming. some babies just don't like being in the carseat. i would say it is somewhat normal, but not much you can do about it...my niece eventually grew out of it...my daughter also hates it sometimes, i put on classical music and about half the time, it calms her down after about 5 minutes or so...try that
Reply:Normal unfortunately. I have a friend who's first baby did not like the pram at all. Screamed the whole time. The car seat one is often a phase but for you it seems to be a long phase! Is it possible to take the car seat out of the car and have it in the house for bub to look at/play with? Perhaps being in a different setting may help ease him into it? Have you tried draping a different fabric over the carseat? Or strapping it in a different position in the car?





I think because bub has a negative association with the carseat, you need to create some positive associations with it. Is there perhaps a food that bub enjoys feeding himself? eg a rusk or something? Could you put bub on the floor next to the car seat while he's eating his rusk? That way, he can see the seat, out of it's normal context, while he is doing something he enjoys. Eventually, he may move towards the seat and wipe the rusk all over it. That's a great step forward to him liking the seat!





Small progressions to change the associations and I think you can get this baby into his seat happily :D





Good luck
Reply:all babies do that i think it's to torture the parent
Reply:he may get motion sick when is in the car....
Reply:my daughter is 16 months old and from day one she has hated the car seat, she will cry most of the time we have tried the dvd, toys everything, we even bought a new carseat thinking that she was uncomfortable maybe he just doesnt like the car at all, i always find that if i put my daughter in the car before she has had her nap she will fall asleep, maybe he just doesnt like to be confined either i know once my daughter could get around she didnt like to be stuck in one spot at all
Reply:I had a co-worker whose newborn daughter would hold her breath when placed in the carseat. She did eventually outgrow it.
Reply:My son is now 3 but when he was a newborn he HATED the carseat and to go on car rides. He got over it by the time he was 8 or nine months. I just had to wait it out.
Reply:It's normal, but you could try a CD/tape of nursery rhymes or lullabies to help.




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