We've checked everything - temperature, straps aren't too tight, tried white noise, singing, nothing works. The second we hit the road our 4-month-old is just screaming. We're stuck at home basically because there's no point going anywhere. Other parents in our group chat are like "oh get a new car seat" but we just got this one? Does this phase end or are we doomed?
This is so real and nobody talks about it enough. Your kid might just be a car screamer and that's okay. We had to accept our 3rd was going to scream no matter what and it was weirdly liberating. Made car rides less stressful once we stopped trying to fix it.
This was us too. Turns out our kid just hated the car seat itself - we eventually got a different brand and it was like magic. Worth trying a friend's setup before you spend money though.
The white noise thing - did you try it LOUD? Not like background noise level but actually competing with engine sounds. Made a difference for us.
Have you tried leaving earlier/later to avoid hungry/tired windows? We were losing it until we realized our timing was terrible. Also one of us sitting in back with him during longer drives was a game changer even though it sounds insane.
Being stuck at home is brutal I feel you. Have you considered that maybe the screaming is just... what he does in cars and you gotta accept it for now? My therapist said sometimes you can't fix everything and that's ok.
Stuck at home with a screaming newborn hits different. Real talk - some babies just hate the car. Nothing wrong with you or the kid, sometimes it's just their temp wiring. Keep the trips short, don't stress about 'should' being able to go places.
Okay so this might sound insane but we used to take short 5 minute drives just to normalize the car and slowly build up. Started with parked car running, then driveway loops, then around the block. Took weeks but helped reset his anxiety about it.
4 months is rough because you can't really reason with them. Have you tried covering the windows so it's darker? Some babies freak out from visual overstimulation in a car. Also might be an ear pressure thing - try timing it with feeds if you can?
4 months is rough. Have you tried those car seat mirrors so he can see you? Sometimes the isolation of facing backward freaks them out. Also some white noise machines designed for cars are different than regular ones - might be worth trying if you haven't.
The straps aren't too tight but did you check if the seat is installed correctly? Bad install can put pressure in weird spots. Worth having it checked at a fire station for free if you haven't.
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This was our life with our son til about 5 months. He just grew out of it one day. Started doing short trips to nowhere just so we could get out of the house without losing our minds. Hang in there, this phase ends.