Car Ride

14 months, 3 weeks & 4 days old.....

No, not the car you see above.

I have been sending and fetching Ethan from the daycare everyday (except when I travel, hubby will take over) for about a year now. In the beginning, the car seat was placed in the front seat facing the rear so that it’s easier for me to monitor him. It’s also because my car doesn’t have air bags and it’s ok to do so. When he was older, I put him at the back seat facing the front so that there is more room for his legs. I can also put him in the front seat facing the front but I think the position is pretty vulnerable in case of an emergency brake.

When I first put him at the back seat, he will cry throughout the whole journey from the house to the day care, which only takes about 10 minutes. It can be very distracting listening to his cry while driving. Normally, I will just give him the pacifier to soothe him. Sometimes it worked but other times he just threw it away. Luckily it’s only a short drive. So, I just need something to distract him for a short while, like:

• Children songs. It will calm him down. To enhance the effect, pacifier will help.

• Sing along. He will keep quiet when he hear my voice.

• Musical mobile for some hand exercise. He pulls it so hard as if he’s going to lift himself up from the car seat. Luckily, it’s still working after so many months.

• Mini board book. Small enough for him to hold and easy to flip. Most importantly, it can keep his mouth busy, so that he will not cry. The down side is, it has to be replaced after sometime because the pages will be chewed off.

• Soft book. To keep his mouth occupied also. Practically a waste of money because he can’t flip the pages as they are too soft. The only thing he did with it was chewing.

• Bird! Just say ‘bird! see the bird outside?’ He will look outside the window looking for birds.

By the time all the above tasked have been performed, we will reach our destination. Not that difficult right?

As time goes by, Ethan has improved a lot in the sense that he can sit quietly in the car when I was driving. Pacifier + songs (from the CD player not me) will satisfy him most of the time. It’s a different story if I sit with him at the back when hubby is driving. He will cry until I free him from the car seat. Hubby always says ‘just let him cry and ignore him’ wor. It’s hard to do but sometimes I listen to his advice also, to discipline the little fella. And you know what? It works. One day when my mother was holding him at the back seat while I drove, Ethan just climbed to the car seat and sat there quietly until we reach our destination :-)