I went out with my husband in the car a few times and held my baby in my arms in the back of the car. It was a mistake in many ways, I now realise. The main problem that I have created for myself is that the baby now does not want to sit in her car seat. How do I solve this?

You are in for a bumpy ride until your baby accepts that you are serious about using the car seat every single time that you go in the car. This is one of the reasons that parents are given the advice to put baby in a car seat for every trip they take, so that baby learns to accept from day one that there is no alternative.

All you can do now is try creative ways that persuade baby that sitting in the car seat is a fun thing to do. Make a fuss of baby when she sits in the seat, and even make a game of it. Have a favorite toy that is only for use in the car. Play song tapes and sing and chat to her as you drive so that she is not bored and lonely in her car seat. Babies do know when you are serious about something. They generally come to accept a situation, after putting up a bit of a fuss. You just have to make sure that no amount of fuss is going to change your mind, and persevere.

See also:

Car Seat - Correct size

Car Seat - Front or back of car

Car Seat - Keeping baby happy

Car Seat - Safety