The trails and tribulations of being a car seat

Have you ever tried to strap a tantruming two year old into a car seat? If so, you know that they will be holding their body completely rigid but still able to thrash their arms and legs around and screaming as if you were really really hurting them. If they are lucky they will get a passing strike on your chin or your nose. In child 4's case nothing seems to distract him, tickling,toys not even blowing raspberries on his belly.

Child 4 categorically and absolutely hates his car seat but, only on some journeys, interestingly he is happy to travel by car when one of his siblings in the car, or during the introductions, when heading home from the foster carers to his new home. This leads me to wonder if child 4 has linked car seats with major home moves in his short life. It would be unlikely for us to be transporting him to a new home if the other children are in the car, so taking child 3 to school in the rain is fine but strapping him back in to his car seat for the journey home is a problem. Collecting child 3 from school is ok for the return journey when she is in the car but not for the trip down to school.

Today was sunny so we used the buggy, and I think where possible I will use the buggy for as many journeys as possible, where there is no option but to use the car, explaining our destination and travelling with one of the other children could be an alternative and could eventually help child 4 so understand that we will never be taking him to a new home.

I know some will be thinking that he needs to just "get over it" and that I am giving in to the tantrums, but whilest the weather is good and I need the exercise why not go with it. In time he will understand that he is ours and hopefully will not associate car seats with trauma.