Difficult traveller? Step this way!
'All babies love the comforting movement of a carseat or buggy', we were told again and again, while we tried to stifle laughter. Our red-faced, squirming little newborn would scream and scream whenever we tried to put her in either of these two vessels of apparent torture. It could be related to Karp's fourth-trimester theory (see the explanation on the homepage) or her mild silent reflux (see Feeding), or it could just be that she doesn't like being restrained in any way.
Even now, as a toddler, our little girl prefers to be carried in our arms most of the time. Other babies with high-needs temperaments actually prefer their own space and being cosseted up in a sling is their worst nightmare. In many ways, it's trial and error. The older our toddler gets, the more we can gently persuade her to sit in her stroller or carseat for a short while without too much screaming. On a good day. For no more than fifteen minutes. |
While some people won't entertain the notion of trying different solutions ("She can like it or lump it!!" suggested one neighbour when we said she didn't like the baby carriage), we found it was important to be flexible, particularly as what she would tolerate seemed to change from one day to the next.
From the day we brought her home from hospital, her preferred place to be was in our arms - we didn't create any sort of 'rod for our own backs', as people loved to suggest - any 'rod' was already created! Think about it - you've been wrapped up warm in the cosy, soothing environment of a womb for nine months. Would you prefer that to be emulated when you enter the scary, noisy outside world or would you rather be laid down on a flat, cold surface with no human contact? Take a look at the rest of this section for some practical travel solutions. |