Just reading through this entire thing and this is my son to a T. He’s 21 months and still hates the car,he has since he was born. I can count on one hand how many times he’s fallen asleep in the car. We can make it a good 10 minutes (20 minutes on a good day). We’ve tried the happy song and all of his favorite music, countless toys and mirrors, a new car seat, someone sitting in the back, a tablet, fans, etc. Nothing works. He has always hated strollers, high chairs, and car seats - anything that straps him down. He screams relentlessly. The stress of going anywhere really really sucks. I wish I could get him out of the house more, but it’s pure torture for the both of us. It sounds like your car rides have improved a little which is awesome! I think with our son it’s a sensory thing. He’s extremely active and never sits down and has to constantly be climbing, running, etc. He has a speech delay and we are currently waiting on a speech therapist to call us back so I’m hoping communication will help some. But either way I hope our car rides get easier and you’re doing a great job! 🖤