Get a car seat! ZoE loves her car seat. It's elevated, so she can see out the window, and is big enough for her to stretch out in and sleep on long trips.
She prefers to have the window down, and for most trips around town I comply, weather permitting. I know it sounds a little nuts, but I talk to her using the same phrases. When we are going on a long trip (both my kids went to college on the other side of the state so we made frequent 2-3 hour trips), I'd say "lay down. we're going on the freeway" as I put her window up on the freeway entrance. She quickly learned that this meant we're going on a long trip, and she soon settled down.
__________________ (ZoE  )(Chelsea ) |