In general, it's okay to let your baby cry in the car seat for a short period of time if you think they'll eventually fall asleep or stop crying on their own. However, if they seem distressed and are still crying after several minutes, it's best to pull over and check on them again.
Some parents make poor driving decisions when their babies are crying, which puts everyone in the car at risk. Either pull over and calm your baby down, or focus on your driving. Don't try to do both.
As your baby gets older, he'll likely outgrow the worst of his crying, including the fussiness he feels in a stroller, bouncer or car seat. Babies tend to cry the most during the first three months of life; colicky babies tend to outgrow it once they're 3 to 4 months old.
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep. And they'll nod off faster if you leave them to cry.
Most babies start demonstrating the ability to self soothe around 4 months old. So until your baby can self soothe, it doesn't make sense to do any “cry it out”. It's an unrealistic expectation to put on them, and there are other things you can do to optimize their sleep instead!
Reasons Children and Babies Cry in the Car
Body temperature (too hot or too cold) The child is not feeling well. They are bored. They don't like being confined.
Baby Cries And Sweats in Car Seat
If they continue to cry and sweat, it's best to pull over and take a break. Let your baby out of the car seat to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. You can also try breastfeeding or giving them a pacifier if they are still upset.
“Consider adding a toy or book for amusement or play their favorite song and sing to them.” Some other possible reasons your baby is inconsolable while you're driving: They dislike being physically restricted in the car seat and are used to more freedom of movement.
Your baby's missing your touch and attention, and they're letting you know about it . From their very first hours of life, babies will cry when separated from their mothers. Somewhere between around seven or eight months and just over one year, they also often experience separation anxiety .
If your infant is really distressed, sometimes a ride in the car will put them to sleep, though it can also make some more distressed. Children with reflux can suffer from motion sickness. They may vomit, complain of tummy pain or feeling sick, or may go very pale.
Babies don't self-comfort in isolation. If they are left to cry alone, they learn to shut down in face of extensive distress—stop growing, stop feeling, stop trusting (Henry & Wang, 1998).
As many parents know, babies often love to sleep in the car. The droning sounds of the engine remind your little one of the womb—and may help send them into slumberland. And the jiggly movements seems to keep babies stimulated enough to promote breathing.
Infants and toddlers left to sleep in a car seat have also died when they slump and rest their chin on their chest, restricting or stopping breathing. Infants and toddlers awake but unattended in a car seat or sling have died because their movements may block their nose and mouth, preventing breathing.
However, infant healthcare professionals, safety experts and most car manufacturers recommend that babies should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours at a time and they should be taken out frequently. If your trip involves driving for long periods of time, you should stop for regular breaks.
Turns out, the inside of a moving car is a lot like the safe, warm and quiet environment inside your womb. The sound and vibration of a moving car's engine creates the similar sound and motion that helps your baby relax.
The feeling of constant gentle motion that children experience while riding in the car often puts them in a relaxed, sleepy state. For some kids, even if nap is still an hour or two away, they'll nod off for a nap in their car seat after enough time spent in the car.
In addition to rising temperatures in the car, your child's body can heat up quickly too. “A child's body overheats three to five times faster than an adult,” Fejt said. “Children have died of heat stroke when the temperature outside has been as low as 60 degrees.” The danger of hypothermia is also a serious risk.
Long stretches of crying can start when your little one is around two weeks old and continue until they reach three to four months. Inconsolable crying that can last up to five hours a day is a perfectly normal stage of development called the period of PURPLE crying.
Although "crying it out" as a sleep training tactic is not recommended for newborns, if you're about to start crying hysterically, it's OK to put baby down in a safe space for a few minutes to give yourself a break.
In conclusion, letting a baby cry for too long can have negative effects on their physical, emotional, and cognitive development. It can cause increased levels of stress hormones, which can have negative effects on the baby's brain and immune system.
He always recommends parents respond to their baby's cries, especially for infants younger than 6 months old. “The more you respond to their needs like when they cry, the more secure their world becomes for them,” Obudzinski says.
Once babies reach the four-six month mark, they begin to develop some ability to self-soothe. Before this in the newborn stage, babies' circadian rhythms, which help them sleep longer stretches at night, haven't developed yet, and they also do not have the ability to self-regulate.