Some mothers have babies that fall asleep in the car as soon as you hit the road. I must admit, I envy those mothers. I did not get one of those babies. My son is what some refer to as an “active” child, which to me means that he can’t sit still for a minute. He gets bored easily when riding in the car. That boredom used to begin at the end of the driveway and would be voiced by fussing and crying.

If you don’t yet have children, you probably think that the basic problem with a crying baby in the car is the annoyance. I’ll admit that the annoyance can be formidable, but it is secondary to the major problem – safety! If you are stressed out by the baby’s crying, you will not be able to pay appropriate attention to your driving, putting both you and the baby in danger. If you baby is crying in the car and you are stressed by it, pull into a parking lot and calm down.

If you noticed, when I referred to by son’s boredom, I said that it “used to begin at the end of the driveway.” I used the term “used to” because I have found several ways to lessen his boredom, to minimize his crying, and maximize my enjoyment of riding in the car with him. Some of my personally successful techniques are given below. Try one or more. What do you have to lose except stress?

Ensure that your baby is comfortable

Britax Advocate 70 Cs Car Seat

One problem I’ve had in the past is putting my son into his Britax car seat when he was hungry, had a full diaper, or some clothing didn’t fit correctly. You wouldn’t want to drive anywhere with wet pants, and empty stomach, or clothes that were too tight. Neither does your baby. Make sure the baby is comfortable before seating him.

Check that car seat is big enough

Babies grow quickly. A car seat that fit him well two months ago may not be a suitable seat for him now. If his head is above the top of the car seat, his legs too constricted, or his seat belt is too tight, he’ll be uncomfortable as well as unsafe, and you may need a new car seat.

Monitor the car’s temperature

When you’re driving, you have the advantage of controlling the temperature around your space. The rear seat of the car may be hotter or colder than the front seat. Make sure that the baby is appropriately dressed for the ride. It’s easy to bundle up the baby on a cold day and place him in the car seat. When the car warms up, you can unzip your coat. Don’t forget to give the baby the same benefit.

Keep a pacifier in the car

Even if you’ve just fed the baby before putting him in the car, he may need the comfort and security of a pacifier is he is at all stressed. If he is at an age to begin sprouting baby teeth, a teething ring may help soothe his irritated gums.

Keep the sun out of the baby’s eyes

Having glaring sunlight in your eyes is annoying for you when you’re driving. It is equally annoying for the baby. Tinted plastic materials are available that can be pressed onto the inside of the rear window to serve as a sunscreen.

Provide some live entertainment

Benefit from the miracle of electronics. Install a portable DVD player in the back of the car and out of the baby’s reach. She can entertain himself by watching cartoons as you drive. In a standard automobile, the DVD can be installed on the rear shelf using a strip of Velcro.

Bring a friend or babysitter

On my routine trips to the grocery store or the mall, my daughter really doesn’t have time to get bored. On longer trips, however, I’ve found it beneficial to hire my neighborhood babysitter to sit in the back as a companion when the baby is awake.

Offer the baby some soothing music

Oftentimes playing some soothing “elevator music” or a few of the baby’s favorite songs can quiet him, especially when he is tired. It often puts my daughter to sleep. You can place a specially recorded CD in your car’s stereo player or place it into the DVD player if you have installed one in the rear.

Keep a selection of soft toys in the car

Photo credit: Patou FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes my son simply wants to play with his toys or to hold his favorite rabbit toy. Make sure that you have toys in the car that are unique. The baby will look forward to playing with those toys when he is in the car. Storage and access can be a problem.

Click here to see what toys you can find for your lovely kids!

I usually lay them out on the back seat, and stop to give different ones to him occasionally. I have a friend who placed an older empty car seat next to the one in which the baby sits. She uses it to store the toys, and give the baby direct access to them.