So we've been waiting for months, almost, for the arrival of our Maxi Cosi Priori, the next car seat ["Don't let this happen to you" cautionary tale forthcoming, I'm afraid]. The Cabrio's been great, but even though the kid's still under the weight limit for it (26 lbs, vs 20 for most US carseats), her little legs looked kinda cramped. So we bought a disposable car seat, literally the smallest, cheapest one at babies r us, to use until the Priori arrives.
And except for the fact that the kid's thrown up in it four times--all with me, all in highway driving on a 2-day roundtrip between NYC and DC--she loves it. Suddenly facing forward must be like sticking your head out of Plato's cave for the first time and realizing the world has more than shadows and blurred lampposts in it.
But I wonder if other people's kids have problems transitioning from a rear-facing to a forward-facing car seat, or if it's just that my child is a weak-stomached mutant. Because seriously, it bugs.
Related: V is for Vomit [trixieupdate, 05/2004]
Why is my baby throwing up and what can I do about it? [babycenter basics]
If she's still under the weight limit, put her back rear facing and show her how to cross her legs. It's safer to leave the seat rear-facing anyways.
My little monster was a vomit comet when we turned him forward facing. That would have been ok, except that he also apparently did not much like being so upright and would scream when not barfing. Unfortunately, he was a big kid and at the weight limit of his seat so we just did not go anywhere for a few months until he grew out of the car sickness.
Actually, we had just the opposite experience. Our guy threw up when he was rear-facing (in between screams). Both outputs subsided when he was turned frontways. Maybe it's genetic...I can't ride in the backwards-facing seats on a train without getting a little woozy myself.
Nonetheless, we were sad to see that Cabrio go, too, for the portability factor alone.
My kids are just all perpetually car sick, my eldest, at 17 is just over it. But drives to the in-laws in Montreal just kill us, especially in the car, the higher up, it seems, the better.
The wasn't such a problem when they were rear facing, but there was definately a puke-factor in the adjustment stage. We are constantly stopping by the roadside. One time we drove to Vancouver, and that was like a zomie-puke movie.
My nephew is almost 5 and gets car sick pretty regularly. It started when he was about 9 months old and during his first long (5 hours) car trip. My sister thought he was just sick, but when he kept doing it on consecutive car trips, she took him to the doctor. His pediatrician was also my sisters' and mine. He told her to get liquid dramamine and see if that helped. It works wonders. He usually falls asleep, but then again he also does that when he's not on the dramamine. I'm not sure where to get the liquid dramamine, but maybe your pharmacist might know. Good luck. I remember the first time he got sick, 'cause I was in the car. We were playing peek-a-boo with his blanket and he just yakked all over himself and began crying. I felt so bad for him.
My 8-year old nephew also gets car sick, and has since he was 2, but like Allison said, dramamine works wonders. Now, they think nothing of driving from Atlanta to Chicago, no puking!
Maybe she's objecting to using the "smallest, cheapest" car seat.
Remember, safety first
Our 10 month old is a rear-facing barfer as well. It's really only in stop and go traffic in the heat so as long as we crank the air conditioning she's usually ok. Sadly we live in Atlanta so that heat's not going anywhere fast. I'll update when we turn her around in July. Yikes!