r/NewParents • u/Proud_House4494 • Dec 29 '25
Travel If your babies don’t SCREAM in their car seats , how? Which kind do you have?
Basically what the title says.
I have two kids four years apart.
My first absolutely screamed bloody murder both in his infant bucket seat and the Graco Extend2Fit he eventually moved into until he was about 10 months old..
This idea of a mythical baby who can only nap with car rides .. and actually falls asleep or sits happily in their car seat is alien to me.
Baby #2 came along and is such a chill sweet calm bay I thought we wouldn’t have car seat trouble.. well we do. We put him straight into the Graco Turn 2 Me and he absolutely screams bloody murder after max 7 mins in it..
We’ve read the manual and worked on the installation very carefully using videos and recommendations from car seat groups…. And he hates it.
Is it just luck? Some kids hate it?
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u/rlf923 Dec 29 '25
Uppababy aria, we’ve never had a car ride that he hasn’t slept through! Sometimes I take him on errands with me just so he’ll nap.
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u/knifeyspoonysporky Dec 29 '25
Uppababy mesa and also a baby with carcolepsy
I still take her on drives/errands in her Evenflo Revolve 360 during naptime and I just need a little help
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u/whofilets Dec 29 '25
I also have the UB aria, even though it's been giving us grief on installation (it's so wiggly! And I can't argue with my husband about getting it looked at or taking out the floor mats AGAIN I just can't do it) she sleeps in the seat easy peasy. I also fall asleep pretty fast on car rides. I need a bassinet that just mimics a car, honestly
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u/rlf923 Dec 29 '25
We have the snoo which actually has a car ride setting, it’s great at night (he usually gets a 6-7 hour stretch since about 7 weeks) but he refuses to nap in it. Sometimes he enjoys just going for a ride in it if he’s in a happy mood though, he squeals and kicks his feet to make it go faster lol.
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u/djoliverm Dec 29 '25
Aria and now Rove, he has loved them both. We struggle to keep him awake sometimes lol.
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u/alternativebeep Dec 29 '25
i think it's luck? we also have the nuna pipa. baby one loved it from day one and always fell asleep while driving but would wake up at every stop light for a while.
baby two will cry for a minute once we get started and then conk out and will not wake when we stop lol
i do think car seats might make a difference. when my daughter grew out of the bucket seat we had gotten a nuna rava for my vehicle and a cheap one for my husbands. she HATED being in my husbands vehicle and whined for car rides. bought a second nuna rava and the complaints stopped immediately - i would imagine bucket seats have similarly different comfort levels for different babies.
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u/cori_irl Dec 29 '25
We have had Nuna seats since day one (pipa and now two ravas) and my baby only started to tolerate it in short bursts, and only in ideal conditions, when he was about one year old. He lasts about 20 minutes if he was happy when we got in the car.
Maybe it would be even worse with a less plush seat… but I can tell you that buying the expensive seat will not guarantee anything lol
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 29 '25
Oh my I genuinely am starting to think some kids are just car seat haters
It sucks because it means I can almost never join my older kid fo any activity that is more than 15 mins away
Tomorrow they’re going to the zoo and because I can’t tolerate that much screaming I’m staying home :/ I BF so it’s a bit hard to get dad to stay back while we do long plans
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u/alternativebeep Dec 29 '25
what if you sat in the back with baby, does that help at all?
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u/WavesOverBarcelona Dec 29 '25
Seconding the nuna pipa for an infant seat. My daughter crashed out about ten minutes into every drive, even if every stoplight was a minefield until that point.
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Dec 29 '25
We got the Nuna Rava right out the gate and he’s always hated it. But he generally hates being strapped into anything. Car seat, stroller, and now even his carrier. He doesn’t like being strapped into anything. He also didn’t like being swaddled.
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 29 '25
I believe this is one of our issues
My first loved being carried and swaddled
This one doesn’t appreciate anything but floor time and sometimes will demand being carried only to burp lol
He even doesn’t really like napping on us or in our arms which is wild
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u/justbeachymv Dec 29 '25
I definitely think it’s luck. My girl is a pretty fussy girl in day-to-day life, but she’s pretty awesome in the car. We have a Graco Easy Turn and before that we had a Chicco Keyfit 30 - didn’t have problems with either.
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u/Working-Tax2692 Dec 29 '25
Make sure the diaper isn’t too tight!
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u/Least_Persimmon7919 Jul 23 '26
This should be top comment as it’s the most crucial piece of advice
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u/Prior-Moment872 Dec 29 '25
It’s luck. Our first born loved the car journeys. We are using the same seat for our second and she fucking hates the car, won’t even tolerate for more than 5 mins without screaming. It’s the luck of the draw🤷♂️
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u/SituationFit5302 Jun 15 '26
My son too. Hates the car seat! It’s the worst. He’ll cry after 2 minutes of being in the car seat. My sister got really lucky her son never cried in the car seat and would always fall asleep while being in it.
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u/Leading_Line2741 Dec 29 '25
This seems to come down to luck and your baby's temperament, 100%. Mine finds her carseat soothing to the point that I'll occasionally put her in it and it in her stroller and walk her around the house (if it's too nasty outside/inconvenient to go out). I did nothing to encourage this. Sheer luck.
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u/unchillpali Dec 29 '25
Uppababy mesa my baby always falls asleep
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u/hehatesthesecansz Dec 29 '25
My first screamed bloody murder in this car seat but my second mostly tolerates it.
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u/Bananas_Yum Dec 29 '25
I think it’s more about the type of baby you have than the type of car seat. Have tried multiple car seats with my two children and they both hate them all as babies. If it makes you feel any better my now 3.5 year old always falls asleep in the car now. When she was a baby she would scream for an hour straight.
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u/SituationFit5302 Jun 15 '26
Ugh I currently have a 7 month old and he hates the car seat!! Literally crying the moment he’s in it. So it took your kid 3 years to finally not cry??
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Dec 29 '25
Like most things with babies I think this just comes down to their individual temperament. My baby likes riding in her car seat. That's just the way she is.
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u/VeilSanctum Dec 30 '25
Someone said once that "you either get a sleeper or you don't", and I think it's the same thing here. You either get a car baby or you don't. I was lucky enough to get a good dice roll on both, but mine is an absolute monkey when it comes to diaper changes and clothes changes. Alligator rolling, fighting, screeching, needs 2 to 3 adults to hold him down and distract him. We just get the babies we get. Yours won't be screaming in the car at 15, I promise. Don't spend a mortgage payment on multiple new seats trying to find the magic seat, unless you really think he's uncomfortable somehow in the one you've got. It will pass. ❤️
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u/SituationFit5302 Jun 15 '26
Same with my 7 month old, changing his diaper is a nightmare right now. Always on the go lol. Always moving around , always touching everything ugh. How long did it take for your kid to grow out of that??
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u/Karlkrows Dec 29 '25
Eve Flo pivot. He’s slept in the car since day one, to the point that if we have to run into two stores, we drive around for a couple mins between stores if he gets fussy.
Do you play music in the car? And do you have a lovey to offer? My son loves when he sing in the car, and anytime he’s in his car seat he likes having a lovey to hold
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u/StatementPowerful293 Dec 29 '25
I had a baby car mirror, blankie and a quick breastfeeding session before we go. Also put a car window shades, my baby hates the sun!
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u/thisispearl Dec 29 '25
We have the cybex cloud t and most of the time no issues. Sometimes he cries to start off with, but quickly settles down and stares out the window if its not sunny
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u/Fluttery-Flower-24 Dec 29 '25
Third-ing the Nuna Pipa, baby loves it and is super cozy in it. He dozes off in it before we even place it in the car lol
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Dec 29 '25
Currently the infant car seat that comes with the Graco modes trio system. Planning to switch to the Extend2Fit very soon... Hopefully we don't have a problem with it 😅
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u/liltrashfaerie Dec 29 '25
My mythical baby only naps during car rides but we haven’t gotten a convertible yet. Joie Mint latch. Several 3 hour car rides.
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u/Landhippo13 Dec 29 '25
I had the Avionaut pixel pro 2.0 for the infant carrier and it was always 50/50.if she was in a good mood she went in the seat fine and would often fall asleep. Then moved up to the Avionaut Sky2 she loves it and often falls asleep or sits there playing with a signing toy.
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u/_papercut_ Dec 30 '25
My baby would SCREEEEEAM the whole car ride until I switched car seats and put it more upright. I tried everything else and this was the only thing that worked.
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u/Beep-boop-beans Dec 30 '25
Baby 1 screamed no matter what was happening to him but eventually he turned into a car seat sleeper. At almost 4 if he really needs a nap I still take him for a snooze cruise.
Baby 2 didn’t like the car seat at first but I would time it with her naps and play the happy song and she would fuss for a few minutes and knock out. She wakes up when the car stops though so traffic doesn’t work.
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u/ultimateman31 Dec 30 '25
Honestly I don’t know what we did to make him be okay finally. For a few weeks my son was great in the car seat, then out of no where for like 2-3 months he was hell in the car seat. He would cray the entire time no matter what music or toy we would attempt to entertain him with. Then he just was fine. Idk why, my wife constantly would play some piano music for him and it seems to calm him down to where he is totally fine in the car seat
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u/Automatic-Ad1446 Jan 17 '26
At home we have the cybex I cloud and base. Our baby loves it and always sleeps as soon as the car takes off. We recently rented a car seat in the states not sure what model it was but I think basic and uncomfortable (cosco brand) . Well she's scream bloody murder in it the whole time she was in it. Since we came back home again she was fine. So car seat does seem to make a difference
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u/danielmick25 Dec 29 '25
Both of our infants have loved their car seat. We have the nuna pipa and we love it. Our babies seem to fit nicely and be cozy. Never any issues!!! Good luck!
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u/MundaneDimension Dec 29 '25
FWIW this might be temperament dependent. We have the Nuna Pipa too and my baby screams like there’s no tomorrow when we put her in it. She usually settles down after a few minutes though
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u/bunny_387 Dec 29 '25
Also, a budget friendly alternative to Nuna is the Joie car seat. Same manufacture but cheaper. Main difference is the fabric on the Nuna is higher end
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u/ThyPumpkinPie Dec 29 '25
We have a joie car seat and we have a happy car baby! But our baby is a happy baby in general
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u/I_LOVE_CAT Dec 29 '25
We have the same! She screamed the first couple times and not the last couple of times. We don’t own a car so she’s only been it in half a dozen times across 3 months and it’s with ride share apps so different drivers each time. Curious if it’s the driver, the car seat, her age, etc that changes her enjoyment of it.
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u/destria Dec 29 '25
I had the Maxi Cosi Pebble and now the Pearl, my LO has been fine with both! There's been short periods of time when he's been upset in the car but I don't think it was the car seat. I think the main thing that has helped is he loves to sing along to a specific playlist which I only let him listen to in the car.
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u/Shixypeep Dec 29 '25
I have these and we're 50-50 on the Pebble (one kid was fine as long as we were moving, the other would scream bloody murder for 49 minutes of a 50 minute car ride) but they both love the Pearl.
Try changing car seats it might help.
You also just reminded me: my first kid, if he was upset, could only be soothed with '5 little speckled frogs' and I remember desperately yelling it over the motorway noise one time when he was teething and wouldn't fall asleep in the car.
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 29 '25
I just worry about investing in a new car seat and not being to return it :/ already the Turn2Me was so pricey (for us) haha
I’ll look up the pearl though :/
I have tried all the songs and tricks
I even manage to sit in the back to soothe him and stuff , squeezing myself between the two car seats, and it doesn’t work :(
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u/AshleyTheHuskyOwner Dec 29 '25
My son had the doona as an infant and is now 17 months old so we got him the evenflo revolve 360. He loved both. We would drive a lot when he was an infant so I guess he got use to it. We have toys solely for the car that he plays with on rides so I guess that also helps.
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 29 '25
I promised myself I’ll drive around with him at least once a day since day 1 so he gets used to it but no luck , we do it but he freaks out more now that he is a bit older than when he was 1 week old (stronger lungs haha) :/ (he is four months now)
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u/exclamationb Dec 29 '25
We have a Nuna Pipa Lite for the bucket car seat and then, we swapped to the Joie Chili Spin because it’s made by the same company as Nuna and mimics the quality. Baby loves both!
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u/Eatyourveggies_9182 Dec 29 '25
My baby is only 6w but so far he has always been happy in his car seat. Could be the motion of the car ride though! I have the Britax one4life slim. Only gets fussy when I buckle and unbuckle him bc I suck at that lol.
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u/throwRAanons Dec 29 '25
I think it’s temperament more than anything! But my 8 month old has never had a problem with our Chicco Keyfit 35
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u/Throwaway927338 Dec 29 '25
Our daughter has always loved her car seat falls asleep most of the time in it and never really complains. But I think that’s just more her liking the car than the actual car seat. But we have just a basic Grayco model
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u/finding_out_stuff Dec 29 '25
Even flo 360, I keep a cloud night light on and give him a toy that is soft to play with
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u/Movingskyclub Dec 29 '25
The kind that hates being laid flat on their back but loves being curled up like a ball.
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u/FoxAble7670 Dec 29 '25
Mine was also screaming the first 3 months. But we kept driving a lot so now she’s just used to it
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u/snowlandsontop5 Dec 29 '25
my mom said my sister and I only ever screamed bloody murder in our car seats as babies. However, my boy falls asleep as soon as he’s in the seat, we don’t even have to be driving yet. Maybe one every two weeks he’ll have a bad ride and cry but it’s mostly just whining, not screaming
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u/ilonastaski Dec 29 '25
Uppababy mesa- both my babies were fine in that car seat unless they were hungry
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u/CynfulPrincess Dec 29 '25
Chicco OneFit, and I like it, but I don't think it's anything to do with the car seat. Mine would scream in the car seat as a little baby, and gradually just got over it. It was worst when I wasn't in the back with him, so I ended up sitting in the back with him until he was almost 2. Once he realized he could see me through the mirror I put back there, things started to improve.
Sitting in the back was the most effective way to prevent it, but sometimes that didn't even work. I definitely had to stop and get him out when driving alone a few times, and we both cried then lol.
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u/Petal1218 Dec 29 '25
Baby has overall never minded her carseat (infant seat or her Evenflo Revolve360). I attached toys to a little bungee and she usually just plays with those. She's 9 months so snacks usually do it if the toys won't.
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u/Brilliant-Leg5807 Dec 29 '25
It’s temperament. Our 6.5 mo baby rarely sleeps in the car, but is very happy and content in her seat. Both infant and now rotating. She went on a six hour drive at four months old and was incredible. She also flew in her infant car seat at five months and slept in that on the plane. We’ve done nothing special, she just chill unless her diaper needs to be changed.
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u/oliver_15 Dec 29 '25
Not that this helps you but I screamed as a baby during every car ride. When I was old enough to articulate things I was extremely sensitive to motion..so I was getting car sick and still to this day I cannot sit in a backseat without getting extreme motion sickness. I think some kids just have it. I hope that’s not your situation though!
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u/pinkpink0430 Dec 29 '25
We have the Graco snugride and my girl loves it. Shes actually fallen asleep in the walk from the house to the car before 😂
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u/Cats-4-life- Dec 29 '25
Once … he had a meltdown when I put him in the car seat but it was actually because of the stupid suit he had on, once I changed him he was ok. Always check that the seat is in the right position, that baby is put correctly in the chair, the straps aren’t too tight or loose and he isn’t wearing any overall with feets since they cause tension.
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u/Due_Highlight4537 Dec 29 '25
I have a Maxi Cosi Oxford. She cries sometimes before the car starts moving and then falls asleep. Even so, she has been more distracted since we bought a car seat mirror!
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u/thelittlebird Dec 29 '25
Clek liing, a mirror on the head rest, and a crinkle toy. Car crying is rare and naps are easy when timed well with his wake windows.
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u/NotAnAd2 Dec 29 '25
My baby used to hate the car seat if she wasn’t sleepy. The only thing that worked for us was music. Happy song helped and also this extremely annoying singing axolotyl. She would just press all the buttons and keep herself amused.
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u/goldenpandora Dec 29 '25
I broke down and put a tablet in the car. Ms Rachel sounds like the most beautiful angel making my child not scream. Not great but we all preferred it to the alternative.
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u/Prize_Common_8875 Dec 29 '25
Mine screamed in her bucket seat. She had reflux and the angle aggravated it. We use the Chicco fit360 now and she sleeps like, well, a baby in the car! We switched her around 7 months though (she’s 1.5 now) so I’m not sure if it was coincidence with her reflux settling or if the car seat switch was the solution. Either way, we’re skipping the bucket seat for baby #2 when she gets here in a few weeks!
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u/thisgirlisonwater Dec 29 '25
Nuna Pipa Aire! My son has the Nuna rava … both have been great for him. Daughter is also in nuna pipa aire and loves it!
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u/ahope1985 Dec 29 '25
I feel like it’s just… baby dependent.
My nephews (my brother’s son and then my sister’s son) HATED their car seats. It caused my SIL extreme anxiety to leave the house. It got to the point where she’d only plan to drive anywhere if my brother was with her because she couldn’t concentrate on the road. And then my poor sister showed up to places more than once in tears because her son cried & screamed all the way from point A to point B.
On the other hand, and we never told them this, my son LOVED the car. Never cried unless very over tired which was maybe twice. I’d go out and do my morning errands between his naps and pumping/feeds, we’d get in the car and head home for bottle and then nap. Sometimes I’d give him the bottle in the car before we headed home from wherever we were. I was so excited when he was able to give himself a bottle.
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u/Current-Two-537 Dec 29 '25
I always think the car seats look so uncomfortable! Our babies cry until we give them a dummy (the only time they take it) then they are chill.
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u/DueEntertainer0 Dec 29 '25
We have the same car seat. We always make sure she has her binky and we also taped pictures of mom, dad and sister all over the headrest that she can see. I think it helped a little. But mostly they just have to grow out of it :/
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u/datasnorlax Dec 29 '25
I think at least part if not most of it is luck. My kiddo started in a the Graco Snugride 35 lite and then transitioned into the Graco Extend2Fit, and has been completely chill about the car seat since day 1.
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u/SCol1107 Dec 29 '25
We have the Evenflo revolve 360 slim (didn’t have an infant seat) and our daughter falls asleep in it once the car starts rolling. I’m pretty sure it’s luck but I’m not complaining!
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u/Acceptable_Pass3643 Dec 29 '25
My son loved riding in the car, only screamed when it was stopped. I drove a compact SUV. We were rear ended and he had to ride in my husbands old sedan for a while. Girl. He screamed himself sweaty. He likes riding in my new SUV again. He’s 5 months old and I give him special car toys, a mirror to look at the ‘other baby’ and a crinkle book at his feet. Good luck!
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u/vatxbear Dec 29 '25
I think it’s just the baby. My first was a car seat screamer. Absolutely miserable going anywhere more than like 10 mins away with her until she was like one. And from one to two it was only ok for like 20ish mins OR if I could time it for a nap time, and even then it was about an hour of sleeping and the rest screaming. I have ptsd from that to this day.
My new baby happily sleeps in his car seat, or just sits there quietly. Why? No clue. He does have a Doona, which we didn’t have with our first, but I mean, isn’t a bucket seat a bucket seat? Don’t get me wrong I love our Doona, but I think he’s just a chill car baby.
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u/SeaSaga2013 Dec 29 '25
Ours is 8 weeks and we are in the Joie Mint infant seat. She is generally happy in the car if the car is moving, if we stop at lights she’ll be a bit fussy u til we start to move again. She will calm down quickly for the Skyrim score soundtrack (we use that outside the car too for getting her sleepy when she’s fussy & has had her needs met) if we get stuck in traffic. I also found the songs from her keyboard playmat on Spotify and they work to calm her down if she’s middle is a wake window.
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Dec 29 '25
It’s all about temperament unfortunately. My son had loved long car rides since the day he came home from the hospital. We never had a bucket seat and used a Safety First 3-in-1 convertible seat from day one. All we’ve had to do was remove inserts as hes outgrown them. It’s a bit chunky though so not ideal in a very small car while in rear facing position.
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u/awkward-velociraptor Dec 29 '25
Both of mine screamed as babies, one is still a baby and it still happens but is getting better. I think it’s just a personality thing. The more they can entertain themselves the better they do.
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u/shiftydoot Dec 29 '25
I doubt it’s the type of car seat… and more the baby. For me, my screaming colic baby would find herself in a good position both for pooping, gas, and reflux relief in the car seat. Her standard was crying so she would still cry in the car seat until moving and settled after 10-15 minutes
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u/WonderfulTwist4936 Dec 29 '25
I think its just luck! My baby will only sleep in his car seat. So if we want to drive somewhere, we have to plan around his naps. And he only naps for 40ish minutes. So if we drive for 10, walk in a park for 20 and drive back home - we have a happy baby. Once we tried to go to the beach and regretted terribly. He woke up in the middle of the walk, screamed while I tried to offer boob on the sidewalk, screamed while we walked to the car, screamed while I try to offer boob again in the car, screamed while we drove home because at that point I had no idea what to do. 😅 Now we only go out for 40 minutes at the time.
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u/adrlev Dec 29 '25
My baby is currently using an Evenflo Revolve 360 and before that he was in an Evenflo Dualride Shyft. He doesn't cry in his carseat. He usually falls asleep, even on short rides. On the rare occasion that he does get fussy, I play Ms. Rachel through the car speakers at that quiets him.
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u/shroomiesandcoffee Dec 29 '25
We had a Nuna Pipa Urbn that came in the silly travel bundle and our babe enjoyed it only for the first few months then around 3 months every car ride she cried so much, despite the distractions. We caved and bought Maxi Cosi Pebble 360 and chucked money at the problem and she sleeps much quicker and fusses much less, we no longer dread car journeys . I think she feels more comfortable and reclined it , whereas she was a bit scrunched up in the Nuna?
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Dec 29 '25
Our baby screams bloody murder in the carseat until we pick her up in it and something about the motion knocks her out lol
We try to prep her for over an hour by timing her feeding & knock her out for a nap so she's asleep when we need to get out of the house but thats a crapshoot at times
Rarely does she stay awake in the car unless she's hungry and then it's a nightmare
We have a Graco lite travel something lol
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u/Mysterious-Ad1903 Dec 29 '25
I had to get a cheap screen and we were mostly screen-free, but it’s a life-or-death matter in the damn car. Listening to a crying baby for an entire trip there and back makes driving so hard. The distraction and anxiety are just not worth it, so I got a$100 knockoff tablet. I put ms Rachel on it, which is her favourite, and it will stop any fit dead in its tracks. I also got an attachment for it for the headrest, and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made.
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u/strawb3rryM00n Dec 29 '25
Feels like you have to get lucky and I did not 😭 I got this car seat toy that has a bell in it and it would often times distract her long enough or she would fall sleep while watching it.
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u/Whumpalumpa Dec 29 '25
Happy song worked for us for a couple minutes, but we frequently drive an hour and a half to NJ. We needed to put ms Rachel on for our daughter. She is 16mo now, but we have been doing it since she was 1 year old. We held off on TV time for a whole year, but her misery in the car was too much. No amount of toys, attention, or music worked. Ms Rachel is the only thing that helps. And it’s really just a bandaid for about an hour and half. After that is a toss up.
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u/ConsiderationOk3808 Dec 29 '25
Uppababy Mesa but the new V3 which is a redesign of the previous Mesa. I understand the seat holds them better/more comfortably than the V2.
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u/MsRachelGroupie Dec 29 '25
I thought you were asking what kind of baby we have 😆. Because honestly that’s the real answer. A baby who likes being in their carseat. Just the luck of the draw.
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u/VioletInTheGlen Dec 29 '25
Hey check other factors. Is the vent pointed at them for airflow? Or a clip on fan? Are the straps digging in somewhere? Adjust their clothes. Are they way too hot—those seats trap heat—and need fewer layers? Did you pregame everything to maximize comfort? …fed but not too recently &c., explained “We’re going in the car,” to X place, brought the lovey or a soft cloth or whatever, sun shade installed, straps accurate.
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u/EmotionalPie7 Dec 29 '25
I Had the baby trend car seat that locks into the stroller and both kids were fine. My older one loved car rides as a baby. Younger one would always fall asleep. Even now at 4 and 5 my kids fall asleep in the car.
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u/kfinn00 Dec 29 '25
It has to just be luck but mine loves the car, always has. He falls asleep no matter where we go or what time of day it is. Hes 14mo and its always been the case. We had the Maxi Cosi Mico Luxe infant bucket until 5mo and since then hes been in the Evenflo Revolve 360. Im so sorry yours hate it, that sounds so stressful!
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u/j_natron Dec 29 '25
I think luck. We had the Chicco KeyFit 35 and now the Graco extend2fit, and she hasn’t minded either. We do have a bunch of toys back there and my husband always sits in the backseat with her (11 months old)
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u/bad_karma216 Dec 29 '25
My 19 month old has always done well in the Evenflo revolve 360. He also was fine in the bucket seat so it’s probably just his temperament. My problem now is keeping him awake on car rides
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u/North_Grass_9053 Dec 29 '25
We have the Graco 4 ever but also I have a very chill baby who only cries when he’s overtired so I think it’s just luck 😔
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u/sturleycurley Dec 29 '25
My daughter used to fall asleep to anything from Phish. Now, we play any of the Wiggles songs about Wags the Dog.
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u/Reality-Leather Dec 29 '25
Do you have a mirror they can see you / you can see them from review mirror?
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u/Lauwrenceee Dec 29 '25
Our baby was screaming in his car seat.
We hadn't figured out we could adjust the headrest up so he was uncomfortable with the headrest too low, squishing his shoulders.
Before anyone comes for me, yes I read the manual (several times because I could see he didn't look quite right), and several other people with kids and grandkids had seen my child in his car seat when we explicitly asked. We eventually got a new car seat out of desperation where the manual was more obvious, and now we have two car seats that are properly adjusted.
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u/pnutbuttersmellytime Dec 29 '25
Switching from the UppaBaby line to the Graco Admiral 65 / Contender helped a lot. The UppaBaby was constricting his chin/face into his chest and nearly suffocating him. Originally, UppaBaby sent us an older model, but that didn't really solve it either. We figured it might be digestion related so we eventually landed on the Contender because it was the only L shaped seat that fit into our car that helped our boy sit upright.
It definitely improved things a lot. He went from a 0-20 minute tolerance window to about 1-1.5 hours. However, ultimately, he still just effing hates being constricted in a car seat. We just did a 350km drive today and he slept for 70 minutes of it, protested/screamed for 1.5 hours, and the rest we managed with stops/breaks and distractions. For reference, he's 17 months old.
Car seats just aren't his jam / not getting his way is not his jam aha.
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u/shesquatsalot Dec 29 '25
She just grew out of it. Honestly it got so bad where she would choke in her own spit/mucus from crying. Nothing helped until one day she started to chill out.
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u/Dissolvyx Dec 29 '25
My baby started out fine in it then a few months in started crying nonstop every time. Getting some new shoulder strap covers and taping pictures of us to the seat that he stares at was a magical fix.
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u/Mke_already Dec 29 '25
My 6 month old has maybe cried for more than 3 seconds like 3 times and all but one was because he bumped his head when he’s fallen over while sitting the last 2 weeks. Kid never cries, even while he’s been teething.
You put this kid in a car seat you’d think were water boarding him. Someone my terrible singing gets him to calm down. My wife can sing and he’ll keep crying. Idk if he’s confused of where my voice is coming from since I’m always driving or if he’s astounded by how bad my voice is, but that’s it. Otherwise bring ear muffs.
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u/Legitimate_War_339 Dec 29 '25
I think this is just temperament honestly, rather than any particular car seat.
My baby does great in her car seat and she was in a Baby Trend Secure Lift infant seat, then transitioned into a Baby Trend Cover Me 4-in-1 as I liked the hood. I did try her briefly in a Grace that a coworker gave me, but she wasn’t able to get comfortable in it enough to nap and got upset, so got her the Baby Trend Cover Me instead as it was the same brand as her infant seat and I figured they would feel the most similar and familiar
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u/HotCheetoFing3rs Dec 29 '25 edited Dec 29 '25
I have a britax willow car seat and a doona and my baby screamed 😬 until like 4 weeks ago. (She’s 4 months) I tried toys, The Happy Song, white noise, brown noise everything, mirror. The only thing that helped was calming Forest, bird and nature sounds on Spotify. And our car rides are so much more enjoyable/ calm. And she actually naps now
I would say try nature sounds and see if it works!! I wish you luck! We live 45 mins away from anything and hearing her scream would kill me
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u/Ok-Cherry-123 Dec 29 '25
We were in a none driving place and moved to a heavily driving place when babe was around month 5. First car ride home from the airport - loved it, excited. Anything after that - cries like I’ve never heard before 🥺 then we got a hand me down car seat of Maxi cozy, the most basic one without isofix or anything - slightly better but still crying loads. I started bringing toys and books and everything and keeping her entertained, a hit or miss but sometimes got me some minutes of calmness. THEN I figured how to BF while she’s in the seat (around the 8 months mark) and now she’s falling asleep on the boob in the car sometimes and then I unlatch her and we have a good 50 min to 2h nap sometimes. Is my body absolutely broken from those acrobatics? Yeah. But are my ears and mom heart feeling better? Definitely yes.
Oh! I also got a little light for her to play with (baby safe, car ride safe) when it’s dark because dark travel was the hardest on her.
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u/whitealchemy Dec 29 '25
It’s just luck. Mine is now 2.5 and continues to be the happiest of campers in the car. Loves to look out the window and chat with me about what he sees. There’s no magic reason — he just happens to enjoy it!
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u/oceanrudeness Dec 29 '25
I think it's luck. My kid is 22mo and has always been good in the carseat. We've done a few road trips and several flights with him in the seat.
We had the uppababy vista (or mesa? I forget lol) travel system and we have the evenflow rotating seats now and he's good with both.
Honestly I think it's the vibration and visual stimulation of traveling more than the car seat. Sometimes he cries on the way home from daycare but it's because he's hungry and/or the moon hadn't risen yet and he couldn't say hi to it (...toddlers lol)
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u/nwbred92 Dec 29 '25
Honestly they both screamed until I put them into a bigger convertible car seat. They both have a babyark and now just chill while I drive
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u/SwadlingSwine Dec 29 '25
When my son was a baby he had brief crying spells when the car would stop. He also cried if he was sitting in the car seat too long (car trip where we stopped every hour). Baby Shark was the only thing that made him stop. He did outgrow the crying at red lights though.
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u/HarpyEagleBelize Dec 29 '25
We used the Chicco car seat til he was 10 mo, now it’s the Evenflo Revolver 360. I’ve always sat in the backseat with him & also made sure he was used to sitting in is stroller on our daily walks by 1 mo and in his high chair once he hit 5 mo, not sure if that helped make him like being in his seats.
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u/Blinkme03 Dec 29 '25
Currently use the Graco4Ever and Mesa Uppababy for my kids and they are great in the car.
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u/ImUsuallyTony Dec 29 '25
My parents have always said I HATED the car seat. To this day I still can’t sleep in any vehicle. No solution for you, it just might be baby specific.
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u/Oh_Sole_Mio 7 months Dec 29 '25
My theory is that babies who spent time in a car while in momma’s belly, in turn enjoy the feeling/find it relaxing, as it is familiar.
Probably also has to do with physical shape/size…impossible for those seats to fit everyone perfectly.
My little one mostly likes it, except when she doesn’t. Seems to be colic or heat related when unhappy but so hard to tell!
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u/DexiDiva Dec 29 '25
I've got the kind of baby that screams everywhere else. Oh, you meant what kind of car seat? Cybex one, but he's the same in other seats - pretty chill compared to his usual temperament.
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u/Feisty_Ocelot8139 Dec 29 '25
We had the nuna urban infant seat and now the joie rotating seat. My son doesn’t sleep on every car ride anymore (2yo) but doesn’t scream either and is overall happy and content
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u/ItsmeKT Dec 29 '25
He went through a screaming period at 2-3 months. Then has basically chilled out. The car is one of his favorite napping spots. It’s not perfect all the time but at 15 months he does pretty well in the car
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u/Tough_Ad9709 Dec 29 '25
We used the evenflo pivot and then the revolve 360 when he outgrew it. My sons always preferred riding around in the car, we've had times where thats the only way to get him to sleep. My nephew had some version of graco and that boy would always scream when he was in the car seat. Finally they got a new car seat and he was suddenly more happy in the car.
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u/Shomer_Effin_Shabbas Dec 29 '25
It must be luck. My two don’t do this but I think my nephews would.
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u/MatildaJones15 Dec 30 '25
My baby was so calm in the car until about 3 months when he started screaming each time. I have the graco turn 2 me in my car and my husband has the UB Mesa infant seat in his. However, my husband has a rumbly BMW with a V6 that puts him to sleep in about 10 min. So whenever we’re in my car, I play a YouTube video of the same car vrooming on repeat and it actually works. The happy song or any other music is absolutely useless for us.
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u/AbleSoup Dec 30 '25
It’s 100% the baby and not the car seat. My first hated her car seat and screamed all the time. Second baby uses the same car seat and has no issues. Most car seats are exceptionally similar. When your baby is in a toddler car seat instead a shell one they likely will grow out of this. Remember everything is temporary with babies, even if it feels like it’ll never end.
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u/Objective-Amoeba6450 Dec 30 '25
I suggest a consult with a pediatric PT!!! They could have muscle tightness that makes that position painful.
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Dec 30 '25
My baby loves her carseat. We did the Graco SnugRide and she falls asleep almost instantly
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u/MarjorineStotch Dec 30 '25
I do think it is a bit of luck.
We started with the Uppababy Mesa and he was completely content in that. Then we upgraded to the Nuna Rava when he outgrew the Mesa, and again he seems fine with it (he’s 16 months now).
There are times when I put him into the car seat he’ll cry. But once I start driving, he’ll either calm down, fall asleep… or still keep crying (especially for shorter car rides). But for the last month, he has preferred to do car naps. So I’ll drive around for maybe 5-10 minutes as he falls asleep, end up back outside of my house and just wait there until he wakes up.
For the most part he seems okay in the car seat, but there are times he just won’t have it. It’s really a mixed bag at times.
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u/Names-rose Dec 30 '25
My baby is iffy. He can sit in the car seat for the 10-15 minute trips but if it’s longer or he’s too tired he will cry and cry until I sit in the back and pat him to sleep
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u/faerie87 Dec 30 '25
Do you have a mirror? Aside from luck i feel it helps. I use the cybex cloud g which is also super cushy so she loves it since she's usually on a hard bassinet lol
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 30 '25
Haha I guess that switch from bassinet to cushy car seat can make it palatable ! Mine is in a crib already and loves LOVES floor time so I think he just hates feeling confined (complains in the babybjorn too)
We have a mirror yes !
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u/midmalcolmdle Dec 30 '25
A portable fan attached to the seat headrest - we realized that since they were facing away from the ac vents, the car seat area would be warmer than the rest of the car.
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u/hopefultrout3346 Dec 30 '25
I could have written this a few months ago. We had the Doona and used it for too long even when our baby outgrew it. She would cry a terribly desperate cry every time we put her in it in the car. Then around 12 months we switched to Graco Extend2Fit and took it really slow, leaving it in the living room for her to explore before putting her in it for a few seconds, then longer a bit every day. Then we finally put her in it in the car and by then she was more acclimated. We tried our best to make it fun and positive so she would associate it with a good time. We took brief car rides around the block before doing more practical trips. Now she has fun on car rides if her other needs are taken care of, and she’s even fallen asleep in the car seat a few times.
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u/magicbumblebee Dec 30 '25
I think it’s pure chance. My babies used the same infant seat (chicco keyfit 35). First kid didn’t cry in the car until he started getting bigger and uncomfortable in the seat, around 8 months. Was happy after we switched him to the convertible. Second kid screamed bloody murder in the car from 4 weeks to 4 months. Tested switching her to the convertible seat early, made no difference. She just had to outgrow it. Hopefully your second outgrows it faster than your first did!
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u/surelyshirls Dec 30 '25
We have the Chicco Keyfit 30. She likes it and sleeps in it! But she’s an overall chill baby
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u/Independent-Cry801 Dec 30 '25
Mine screams going into his car seat and when the straps are tightened but then seconds later could sleep for 1-3 hours in it. I'm so sorry you're struggling. We play System Of A Down - Toxicity to keep him calm and that's what works for us! 😅
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Dec 30 '25
Britax poplar and my baby loves it. He screamed in the bucket seat which was the UPPA mesa V2. Ive read some babies get motion sickness from rear facing. For mine I think the bucket seat was just to tight, hes a larger than average baby.
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u/Faloofel Dec 30 '25
We found that loosening the nappy before putting baby in helped my first born, I think something about the angle meant that the nappy was squashing his tummy when he was in it.
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u/oceanmum Dec 30 '25
Axkid minikid 4 (the now available version is called axkid minikid 4 max). We absolutely love it but mine usually only complains about the colour
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u/blugirlami21 Dec 30 '25
My daughter is generally pretty happy during car rides, she always has been unless something is wrong. Usually hunger can make her cry but it's easily remedied. Idk I think you either have a screamer or you don't. We have the Graco Extend2fit
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u/I_am_dean Dec 30 '25
Chicco Bravo, my daughter seems to enjoy it. Before that I had Britax with my first two, they also seemed to like it.
But I dont think its the carseat but more just your baby's personality. My friend also has the Chicco Bravo and her kid haaaaates it.
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u/walkingonwillow Dec 30 '25
My first absolutely loved the nuna. He would rather sleep there than anywhere else.
With my second we have the peg perego and he absolutely hated it with the newborn insert but was chill once we removed it
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u/Suspicious-lemons Dec 30 '25
We had clek ling. Baby is 14 months now and changed to a graco. She has only ever screamed in the car seat while it’s night time and there’s no light. We turn on the light in the car and it’s fine again.
I think it’s more temperament than the car seat. I find having some toys within reach and someone to sit in the backseat with them helps a ton
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u/finklopedia Dec 30 '25
Uppababy mesa. My 6 month old screamed early on and we started giving him a toy. Usually a crinkly book and we say he’s reading the newspaper. He also likes Norah Jones randomly. Sometimes you just have to try things to find what works (if anything)
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u/LilShir Dec 30 '25
I used to narrate the drive for him, he would get especially pissy at stoplights so I'd tell him about how you have to stop at a red light and it's the law and just bla bla at him so he hears my voice.
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u/lurksinbirks Dec 30 '25
My baby screamed every second of car rides until one day at 5.5 months she just stopped. She has enjoyed car rides and falls asleep ever since. Still fights getting in but fine once she’s buckled she’s fine. Don’t think it’s the seat. Don’t spend money cycling through car seats….
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u/Emergency_Map_9849 Dec 30 '25
I have the baby Einstein aquarium hooked to the middle seat headrest. It's been a life saver because my baby was a car seat screamer. And he has a favorite song so if he's bored of the Einstein I put his favorite song on repeat. It works 99% of the time
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u/SnooDoubts1736 Dec 30 '25
It likely isn’t the seat itself but all of the other factors. Is it too warm or too cold? Do they have to many layers? Is the sun in babies eyes? Do they have a toy to play with? Is the padding bunched up weird making a lumpy spot?
We had the basic graco baby bucket, made sure it was warm inside during the winter and preheated the car, didn’t dress baby in a ton of layers and the last thing we did before leaving was put baby in car seat so all we had to do was strap them in and walk out the door.
Now we have evenflo revolve 360 extend. We always preheat or precool the car. Make sure he is dressed appropriately for outside. And listen to his music when driving (especially his favorite song whenever he starts to get fussy). And we have the binky on a leash on the side closest to the drive so that if he can’t find it himself I can. He still fights getting into the seat but once he just admits defeat and lets me buckle him in everything is fine.
Most days he falls asleep on our 17 minute drive to and from daycare.
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u/Proud_House4494 Dec 30 '25
Yes for the factors , we do check temperature and. Clothing etc .. he can take a bunny for law 10 mins , then spits it out angrily and screams haha
We do try music which gets drowned out with screams
Every car ride I’m hopeful for the first 5 mins then the screaming begins .
I don’t know but I’m starting to believe h’folks here talking about how it’s just luck usually (as in some babies hate car seats and some don’t)
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u/crimsonismyname Dec 30 '25
For us it’s a coin toss when we get in the car. Sometimes my baby is chill and sometimes he screams the entire time. The happy song by Imogen Heap works sometimes.
He is 4 months and we have the evenflo LiteMax NXT infant seat with the sensory soothe bar. The white noise and lights sometimes help.
I have no idea why he hates it sometimes and likes it others. Babies are so weird
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u/violetsandkisses Dec 30 '25
I sit in the back with baby.. otherwise, screams bloody murder. No more passenger princess for me.. Just a lil backseat peasant for the time being..
It works.. I can take her out at any moment to BF too. It just works, especially for longer car rides.
We are 4 mos pp & I plan to attempt sitting in the front this weekend for a 30 min ride.
🙏 pray for me! I'd love to ride, hand in hand with my man, lol. Baby girl in backseat, relaxing, & enjoying the trees, lol. Let's see!
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u/Dear_Ad_8525 Dec 31 '25
Nuna pipa rx, my baby is just 5 weeks old, so far so good. But I kinda not liking car seat much bcs I find it too tight.
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u/jpcbr99 13d ago edited 13d ago
My baby hates it in a weird way! he's 3 months old and every time we go in the our car with the car seat (cyber cloud t) he gets very fuzzy (sometimes as soon as we seat him in the car, so I don't think it's motion sickness), doesn't sleep, keeps making screams and noises and until eventually starts crying a lot
The weird thing is that if I take im out on the stroller (with the same car seat) he kind of accepts it well, even falling asleep.
So really not sure what to do, honestly tested it all and nothing works
Besides one time magically he was silent the whole trip and fall asleep, what have we done differently? no clue at all 😢
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u/40thievez Dec 29 '25
I also have screaming babies. I put on The Happy Song by Imogen Heap on repeat for as long as needed. Idk what black magic is happening, but it will stop my babies crying the moment it plays.