@timbohemia Yes. I'm in UK and some of my family is in Australia, some of husband's family is in Norway. The Australians have met my 4yo on multiple occasions (them travelling). The Norwegians have not.
@bigskyguy76 As a parent of a sensitive baby who hates cars with a passion, I totally commiserate with you. It’s an extremely stressful environment for both of you, and a 90 min crying session is just awful. I would opt out as well. I like my grandma but my baby is my priority.
@bigskyguy76 My daughter was the exact same, and we didn’t go further than grocery runs for a long time. We never drove at night because she hated that even more. I remember squashing my boob over the side of the seat to nurse her just trying to calm her down. If your kid can’t travel, they can’t travel. That’s the way it is. Your family with just have to deal with it and come to you if they can Also, mine only stopped puking in the car once we were able to turn her seat around, unfortunately. Our way of travelling long distances at high speeds is relatively new in the grand scheme of our evolution. I just figure some babies’ bodies aren’t ready to handle it yet.
@bigskyguy76 We're in a similar situation. Baby (3 months old) hates car rides, his dad's mom wants us to go to her place for Christmas (2 hours away + traffic). We said we're not going and explained the situation. If they're offended, too bad. We're the parents and it's our decision to put our baby first.
@bigskyguy76 I would not second guess doing the exact same as you. When my LO cries in the car it also overwhelms my husband and I and the entire trip becomes absolutely terrible.
My LO cried for the first 6+ months (idk when it stopped). I would time very specifically with naps (which were 30 minutes for ages so 1.5 hours would be awful).
For us it did get better though, so I have hope for you.
And for your mom/grandma. It sucks for them, sharing your LO is so fun. But the stress on your family would be too high. Own your decision, put your foot down and know you aren’t the only parent who prioritizes a happy baby (and mentally calm parents) when it comes to the holidays.
@bigskyguy76 Are you still using a bucket carseat? My son HATED his bucket seat. Same situation as you. He'd scream and scream and cry. I didn't want to go anywhere. We decided to try getting a new carseat and it's been like night and day ever since. If you haven't already tried switching to a "big kid" carseat then maybe now is the time? We got one of the convertible ones so we don't have to buy another. It goes from rear facing to front facing and then can transition into a booster eventually. Good luck!!
@bigskyguy76 Just a suggestion in case you have not tried this…my LO also hates the car seat but longer trips are manageable if we leave at the ass crack of dawn. I’m talking 5:30 am.
@mauann Now that’s interesting! She hasn’t been in the car that early since she was a newborn and we drove her around to fall asleep (she was easier as a newborn, ironically lol)
@bigskyguy76 My baby hates the car and is also 8 months. We have made a 2 hour drive to visit family a handful of times and a couple times we’ve gotten lucky and she did finally fall asleep. When she doesn’t we let her cry till it gets really bad and then we pull over, nurse and hang out a little bit and then see how far we can get until it gets too bad and we just stop again. I bring multiple toys for distraction and switch them out when she starts getting fussy. I don’t think she gets carsick though which I’m sure is horrible for your little one. Idk if they make anything safe for babies for carsickness but you could always talk to your pediatrician?
@bigskyguy76 This sounds like a medical issue rather than normal crying. My daughter was like this in the car and had horrendous reflux. I don't think it's ok to expect an infant to vomit acid repeatedly into their mouth just because relatives want to see them.
Also, mine only stopped puking in the car once we were able to turn her seat around, unfortunately. Our way of travelling long distances at high speeds is relatively new in the grand scheme of our evolution. I just figure some babies’ bodies aren’t ready to handle it yet.