Crying in the car?

[julie_ann_jules]

my DS also crys whe we put him in the car. it just breaks my heart. If I sit in the back with him he will smile and talk to me the whole time but if i'm buy myself he cries the entire time. It is just horrible!
I can't wait for him to grow out of it.

[Gigi]

my friend HAD this problem, and recently solved it. she bought a special mirror that fits on the headrest of the back seat passenger seat - opposite where the baby faces, so the baby looks into the direction of the mirror. it's a bigger mirror (in the middle of a monkey or bear) so from her rear vision mirror, my friend can smile at her baby, WHILE she's driving and talk to her. they can see each other easily.

the mirror (in the toy) is not cheap, like 40 something dollars, she got it from a nz website called beyondbelly. the exchange rate was good, postage was ok.

i had a tiny mirror for my bub, only about 10 x 5cm, that i bought at a baby shop for maybe $7 - it was useless. $40 something dollars sounds heaps, but i can see it's majorily destressed my friend, every time she drives her toddler and baby to the toddler's activities. made me think, maybe it's worth it.

i would link you, if allowed.

[Ginger]

gigi- thank you, funny you should mention that LOL i actually went to toys r us yesterday and bought a fisher price precious planet mirror- sounds a lot like your friend's one. it's got a remote control that the driver has that plays special tunes. dh just put it in my car last night, so i'll let you all know how it goes!

[Glamourcide]

Good luck with it, I really hope it works for you!! There's nothing more distracting (or heart-wrenching!) than trying to drive while bubs is in the backseat making themselves hysterical

[Gigi]

bilby has gone from being a model passenger (when rear facing) to being an absolute whingy nightmare passenger (now front facing).

it was so bad on Tuesday evening, i was so distracted by her hysterical loud whining, i speeded - thru a police speed trap of course - and got my first speeding ticket in 8 years. the cop asked me why i was speeding, and i said "the noise my toddler was making was driving me insane, i stopped watching the speedo like i normally do, all i could think was - we're 2 mins drive from our home - cna't wait to get there, so this noise will stop".

i dread picking her up from childcare now. she is so demanding that i pay her attention, when i have to watch the road and cannot turn around at that exact moment. that ride home seems so long, with her high pitched whine.

[Ginger]

oh gigi, that sounds horrible you poor thing!
all i can suggest is that for my toddler we actually have a dvd player and screen on the back of the front seat so that he can watch dvds. we don't have it on all the time, but for long trips or times when we might have to wait in the car for a period of time- he loves it. sometimes i can't get him out of the car!
the mirror went really well yesterday for ds2- no crying!! fingers crossed it keeps working

[Glamourcide]

Rainforest, glad to hear it's working so far - hopefully you're onto something and it will keep being a godsend!!

Gigi, does your visor have a mirror in it, or could you stick one on there and then pay attention to Bilby as you're driving, without having to turn around or mess with your rear-view mirror? DD is the same, loves DH and I looking at her and talking to her while we're driving, and our car has mirrors (with a little slidey cover thing) on the visors so that, at the very least, I have the security of knowing I can just glance up and see what she's up to, without taking my eyes completely off the road (it's very handy because she's figured out how to get her arms out of her harness and reach down beside her seat to get toys etc she's dropped - scares the daylights out of me). Maybe if you can make eye contact with Bilby while you're travelling, she might feel better and not put it on for you?
Good luck