1 year old still cries/whinges the entire time in the car!! Help?

Anyone had a similar problem to this - my DS has never enjoyed the car. Short trips are reasonably OK but any longer than 15-20mins (like every time we go to my mums - 1 hour away) he carries on - cries, whines, sounds in pain almost. I try lots of things to distract/entertain him but in the end he just throw things away in what appears to be frustration. I end up frazzled by the time we get to my mums for a visit (I'd like to go at least weekly but this is really stopping us) and then have to endure the same on the way home. He hardly ever sleeps in the car despite my best efforts to encourage a sleep. We have tried going when he's tired, when he's fresh, after a play, when he's just woken ect. but nothing seems to keep him happy for long. I'm at my wits end and dread car trips now. Any suggestions? I thought he'd have grown out of this by now :( - or will it be like this forever (gasp).

Hi Jac, Oskar was like that when he was really young and would scream the car down! Then he seemed to grow out of it, but now he's a little the same again if he's had enough or is hungry or wakes up and has to go back in the car. Is your DS still rear facing or forward? Oskar is rear, but I've now placed a little mirror at his feet which may or may not be helping... but he seems to be a bit happier?? Just a thought. Hope something helps you soon I know how hard it is to concentrate on driving when you are trying to amuse a bub in the back!

Hi Jac :)
Just wondering if he is comfy? I know it sounds strange, but when Charlotte goes off in the car, after finally pullin gover to the side of the freeway and trying everything else, I often find she slid down a bit in the chair, or is crooked or on some weird angle - I dont know how she gets into these positions...And it is only in DF's car seat - it seems to sit upright more, where as mine lays down more (I think this is to do with the angle of the seats in the car)
Did that make sense?

But I think the idea of the mirror is great, cos then they can see you and know they arent just in this weird place alone.

Anyway, hope it gets better for you , its not nice when you cant go anywhere for fear of upesetting him!

Alexis :)

I was going to ask the same thing as Ozzie as my two have preferred facing forward to rearward and have been happier once turn around time came

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter if facing rear or forward as we have two cars with seats facing different ways and he is the same in both. I agree that he may not be comfy at times like Limeslice suggested but it can't be all the time can it? The two seats are quite different in position but he stills cries after 20mins in each of them. If anything, he is a little better in rear facing (more reclined) seat, but only marginally. I hate car trips!
Thanks for your input/suggestions.

Ok, I'm probably not going to be much help....but just wanted to say my DD was exactly the same. She has only slept in the car as a toddler (2yrs+) and even then only a handful of times. Never slept in the car under this age. She also would whinge and cry the whole time no matter what. People thought we were just fussy and couldn't handle a little cry because we didn't travel more than 15 minutes in the car unless we really really had to....but it was constant no matter how long the trip. I can't really think of any particular thing that stopped it. I think it's more a phase. One thing that has helped in the past 6 months though is kids music tapes (oh joy, :cryinglaugh:)....prior to that I'd just sing songs I knew she liked which would occasionally work. Also have you tried putting him in the middle of the backseat? That way they can see everything, cars in front etc....I think we tried this for a period of time and it worked briefly.

Have you tried giving him a rusk to chew on for a while?

Anyway, sorry, I wish I knew what our magic was in the end but just can't think. The next phase we had after she could start to talk was constant asking for a cuddle in the car :wall:, so we made up a way of doing cuddles in the car which is just to hug ourselves with our arms and make stupid noises.....seems to distract the attention seeking for a bit and gets a laugh out of her.