Torture
Trip to walmart? Total fail. She screamed the whole way there, causing me to pull over twice to try to calm her down. I seriously felt like crying myself when I pulled her out of her carseat, wiped the tears from her red eyes, and she shuddered and nuzzled under my chin and fell silent. I thought that was the end of it, I put her calmly back in the seat with her pacifier, pulled out… pacifier fell out, and screaming re-commenced. So then I switched to Plan B: turn up the radio and get there as fast as I can.
I thought she’d be okay while in Walmart. She had quieted down and was falling asleep, so I put her carseat on the stroller, thinking she’d just sleep while I shopped. Big mistake. She woke up and started crying, so I picked her up. Stupid me, I forgot the carrier in the truck, so I had to carry her in my arm and push the stroller (which I used as a shopping cart). She was okay for a little while, but then? Then she started getting fussy. Then she started crying. And crying. And crying. No amount of swaying, jostling or shushing got her to stop. The cashier felt bad for me as she rushed to get me checked out while I juggled her, the stroller, the backpack, the purchases. I carried her out to the car.
Of course I had to strap her in again. So I nursed her first, thinking maybe that would help her fall asleep – but I didn’t want to sit in the parking lot for an hour. So I nursed her, put her down, strapped her in – I even got some sleepy smiles. Gave her the pacifier. She seemed happy. Content. I tried to use a burp cloth under her chin to get the pacifier propped in there. Ahahahahah. Yeah, right. 5 minutes in, crying. Crying crying crying. It got more and more pathetic the closer we got to home – she was obviously really REALLY tired, and all she wanted was her damn pacifier so she could fall asleep. I chose not to stop, but just to get home as fast as I could.
I got home, picked her up, rocked her in my arms for 30 seconds – long enough to get her to stop crying and settle – then I put her on her belly in the pack’n’play, patted her back a couple of times. Out. Like. A. Light.
She’ll wake up perky, yawn and start smiling at me. Thank goodness babies have a short memory for these things. Too bad the same isn’t true for mommies.
I think the great thing here is that you didn’t turn around and go home. I love that you continued on to Walmart and did your shopping. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, whether the baby is crying or not. It’s not pleasant but it’s not the end of the world either.
And I’m sure every mother (and father) who saw you in Walmart was feeling your pain. We have all been there.
Carrie
I have driven with my arm snaked into the backseat, holding the pacifier in, several times back when mine was that young. I also always keep a pacifier in the front seat with me just in case I need one or he drops the one he’s using (luckily, we rarely need one in the car these days). But you are very brave, we didn’t intentionally take him out shopping until he was 5 months, and that was with both of us during his more predictably happy time of the day. We have still not ventured walmart.
Every parent in that store was probably thinking: ugh, I remember those days. The non-parents? Well, it doesn’t really matter.
I too did the snake of the arm to keep a paci in place. I used a paci tether so that when it did fall out I just reached for the tether that was clipped to the strap closest to me. That way I was always able to reach it.
She is absolutely precious…and getting so big! Glad to hear things are going so well for all of you! I clearly recall those screaming in the carseat days and failed trips to run errands etc…. It gets better, no….. actually it gets different. Diaper blowouts in the middle of Wal-Mart, vomit in the produce section, tantrums worse than anything on shown on nanny 911….the list goes on.
Now my trips to the store are often interrupted by my telling my son “don’t touch that”, “don’t run off”, “stay near mommy”, “please do not climb that shelf”, “the clothing rack is not a monkey bar”, “that cash register is for the cashier”, “why did you open that bag of candy”? (as thousands of M & M’s cover the floor of Target)…and other things along those lines.
The worst is when you take your eyes off them for a split second and “loose them” for a split second….many people have looked at me like I am completely nutso when I scream hysterically “where’s my baby!!!!??? (and he’s right behind me or less than an arms length away). At least you can carry Kate out of the store. Dragging a kicking and screaming 5 year old out of the store (because you refused to purchase the M & M’s that are strewn about the floor so he can eat. all. of. them.) is a whole other experience! (Just a glimpse into the future).
Life with a baby/kid in tow certainly makes for an adventure whenever you leave the house (and even when you don’t leave)! It makes for a very exciting life. Have fun!
When she’s a year old, you will know what you should have done when she was 1 month, 3 weeks and two days (like I know now what I should have done back then lol!) Just courious, when you had a stroller why did you *have* to carry her in your arms (you mentioned something about forgotten carrier)
Molly – She screams in the stroller if she’s awake (but I bring it because if she’s asleep, it’s nice to have). Usually when I pick her up she stops, but alas, not this time. Typically I would use the sling or beco, but had neither. Le sigh.
Oh I see, thanks… my Sydney (aka baby Moesha) also screamed a lot. I had no idea what to do, tried everything (now of course I know what I would do!) I had slings and that was the best thing for us, I carried her in it a lot, she even slept in it. It does get better, takes long time for some babies, though … the rolled cloth under her neck helped us too cause it was hurting her just to lie down flat…
With my first child I would never let her cry in the car. I remember pulling off the interstate in the middle of downtown Austin and nursing her in the parking lot of a nasty gas station, because I was so desperate to not let her cry. By the time I got to my fourth, I was doing what you did. Just try to get home asap. I think you did the right thing, even though yes it is pure torture!
I didn’t mean to post anonymous. That’s me right above this one!
My oldest did the same thing. Every. Time. We. Put. Her. Into. The. Car. I’m not sure how I survived that, I cried many a time. Then she just stopped when she was about 6 months old.
You did good, and isn’t it the best when they do wake all smiley at you. Kate is adorable!
We had the same problem with our oldest for awhile. I discovered that singing to her helped settle her down. The singing helped keep me from freaking out and hearing my voice seemed to calm her. This phase won’t last for ever, so keep trying.