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Home › Articles › Babies › Parenting Pickles

Parenting Pickles

Five Common Dilemmas Solved

By Lisa Hurt Kozarovich

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Kim Swift of Louisville, Ky., still cringes when she recalls her 6-month-old son's incessant crying during a two-hour road trip to visit family.

"I thought I was going to lose my mind," says Swift. "I was alone, he had to be in the car seat – there just wasn't anything I could do. Finally, I started singing a Veggie Tales song, and as soon as I got the first three words out, he immediately stopped. Of course, then I had to sing that same song – nothing else would do – over and over again. As soon as we got home, I bought the CD, and the problem was solved."

Handling babies and toddlers who hate riding in cars is just one of the everyday dilemmas many parents often face. Here are some tips, offered by parents and experts, for dealing with common problems.

Babies Who Hate Riding in Cars
Realize that while riding in cars lulls most babies to sleep, some babies don't like the motion, says Dr. Norbert Herschkowitz, a Switzerland-based pediatrician and neurologist.

"Motion often brings pleasure or calms us down," says Herschkowitz, who along with his wife Elinore, authored A Good Start in Life: Understanding Your Child's Brain and Behavior (National Academies Press, 2002). "However, each baby has a nervous system with its own individual settings, and some babies may have a vestibular system that is more sensitive in general or just more sensitive to the motion of a car. If you have ever felt car sick, you will sympathize with them."

  • Start off with short trips and make them frequently.
  • Try to travel when the baby is at his sleepiest or happiest time.
  • Make sure your baby can see out the window.
  • Experiment to see if Baby prefers to travel lying flat in a car bed instead of upright.
  • Use a sunshade to shield Baby's eyes and allow him to see better.
  • Try to determine if there's a smell in the car that upsets the baby, then eliminate it.
  • Play verbal games with your toddler.
  • Take along a few favorite toys.
  • Play music or sing.
  • Make sure he has plenty of physical exercise before a trip.

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