Help! My Son Can Release His Harness in the Carseat.

my kids both went through this... we just stopped the car, said NO really firmly, and waited until they buckled it back up... only lasted for a week or so until they knew it was not safe and quit doing it. i would think at 26 months that your child is old enough to understand "no".

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I think Candice went a little far.... its not a default in the seat! Its a discipline issue with a little one! My son was in a Britax Marathon (basically the same seat as the 50), and he figured out how to reach the release lever too. I ended up tucking the excess length of belt into the cover through that little flap, and then I took two safety pins and pinned the flap closed so he couldn't get to the lever. He lost interest in a day or two once it wasn't easily reached.

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I agree with the others that said pull over every time he does it. In fact, Parenting with Love and Logic actually discusses this very topic and that's what they recommend too! It is scary! It would be a pain to pull over every time, but I'm sure it will work, just try and plan a few extra minutes of drive time for the next few weeks!

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My son was doing same thing , I just tucked the excess into the fabric and he lost interst.

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That little booger! That is a good seat. Is it the belt that he is loosening by lifting the lever by the feet? Our buckles are very strong on our Britax. Have you tried to talk to him and discuss the safety his seats offer?

My daughter just went to swim class for the week. Every day the instructor discuss pool safety with them. She asked do we run by the pool? No. Do we swim alone? No, we swim with the instructor or our parents. Who can show me the lifeguards? (Pointing out all 5).

They really do learn these things, even though they think they are being cute. Just start working on the safety the seat provides him, daily.

It is likely he will unbuckle any other seat as well. Maybe he will be an engineer, already knowing how everything works.

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I remember a response awhile ago about children who could release the belts, not the harness; but, perhaps this may help. The suggestion was to put a piece of velcro on the release button (the rough part of the velcro). The idea was to make the button too rough for their soft little fingers to push. Not sure if it would help for the lever on the belt release, but it would reinforce your telling him that he needs the belt to be safe and he must follow the rules set to keep him safe.

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Tape it each time you use it. Another option is reasoning with him and offering him rewards if left in place. a toy to play with or something to eat would occupie his hands or singing and clapping to music would be a good distraction to keep away bordom with nothing to do but undoing his harness. good luck I hope this works.

My 2yr old learned how to undo the chest clip and I had to pull over a few times and wait for her to reclip it before driving again. I did go buy a different brand clip that would be more difficult for her to physically outdo, but I thought it would be better just to teach her how to be safe, so I never actually changed it. I think her action was part novelty in a new skill and part her search for independence---so I allow her to do it "when we are stopped and the car is off". She loves to clip herself in when we leave and unclip it in the driveway when we get home. My parenting motto is: **A time and a place for everything.**

1st I would call the manufacturer! I would let them know that this is happening and if others have called they may have a solution or a recall. That is soooo terrifying!! If the maker doesn't have the fix I would contact your local fire dept and ask them what they would recommend. I might even try to reverse the lever. You know what I mean.. If the lever is against his chest or his hip and the release buttons on the facing out where he can reach them I would see if it is possible or recommended by the fire dept as safe to flip them, you know turn them to where the release buttons are then against his chest or hip. And harder for his little fingers to figure out how to operate. If none of these work I would talk with the maker and find out if you can get a credit for default, don't be afraid to let them know that this is and you are serious and you want them to compensate you for the default, and just buy a new one. So sorry that this is happening I know how worried we are as parents to keep our little ones safe at all times. I hope everything works out for you and hope this helps. Good luck!

Oh my gosh! I have heard of this happening before. He's a clever little guy! I am a Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor and we do come across inventive children like your son. To my knowledge, there is not a physical fix to block him from getting to the harness release mechanism. If he was unbuckling the seatbelt, there is a cover for that you could buy, but alas...My question is are you sure his harness is tight enough? If it is can he still reach the harness release mechanism? It sounds like you know what you are doing, but I thought I'd ask. I hope you find a good solution for your situation. There is a solution for most of the issues I see in child passenger safety. Good luck!