Kicking in the car - Help!

[af1212]

My daughter is 2 1/2. She sits in a rear facing car seat. Two days a week she sits between two other children in the car - an infant who also sits rear facing and a preschooler in a booster.

My daughter has started kicking the preschooler in the face/shoulders whenever they are in the car together

I am at a total loss as to what to do. If I turn her seat around, I'm afraid she will kick the infant. I cannot switch the seats around because they don't fit in any other configuration.

I have tried punishing her, but I can't seem to find the right consequence that is both effective, and possible to do while I am driving. Any ideas?? (PLEASE!)

[ijack]

I would just tell her that if she does it then she doesn't get "x" (tv, books, whatever is important to her). Or I might be really mean and tell her if she does it then the preschooler gets to kick her back.

[af1212]

Thanks.

I'm not willing to let the preschooler kick her, but I can work more on the taking away priveleges. I have tried that before (no duplos, no books, etc. when we get home) but it doesn't seem to matter to her. I think it's too long between the behavior and the consequence. We are in the car to drop the preschooler off at school, and we don't usually make it home again for another 20 minutes.

[pacificrules]

Is there something you can put in between the seats? Some kind of cardboard or mesh or something?

[af1212]

May 13, 2012 16:04:27 GMT -5 pacificrules said:

Is there something you can put in between the seats? Some kind of cardboard or mesh or something?

Hmmm - any ideas about how to fasten something between the seats?

I tried zipping her into a bundle me in her seat but she quickly figured out how to wiggle her legs free.

[csquared]

How about a sticker chart for having "good" car rides? Remind her to sit criss cross applesauce and maybe take her shoes off in the car? DD was rear facing until she got too tall at 3 years 7 months, so I understand. It was slightly unpleasant when anyone had to sit in the backseat with her (her seat is in the middle, so she'd always accidentally "kick" people next to her).

[Willis Jackson]

DS is forward-facing and kicks DD's infant seat to wake her up because he wants to play. I reach back and hold his kicking leg still and refuse to let go until he agrees to stop.

[GailGoldie]

And this is why moms of more than 1 kid love a car with 3 rows

my boys are all in the back row together- but Gibby has been kicking Griffin --- I have told Griffin he can kick him back at times- and it's worked to stop Gibby.... but i have also threatened making him sit by himself in the middle row... which none of them want to do- so that works, too.

find something you can take away... let her bring a stuffed animal in the car for the ride or something- and then that can be taken away if she kicks.... but phrase it as a reward - "if you sit nicely and don't kick your sister, you can hold a toy", etc.

my husband laughed hard at me the other day b/c i threatened to take off Gibby's shoes if he kept kicking... not b/c it would hurt less- but b/c he LOVES wearing shoes, so that threat alone got him to stop, lol.