Unbuckling from His Seat!!! Help

One time when I was putting my daughters seat back together I put the buckles on backwards. I had to buckle her in so I just went with it. It was difficult for even me to undo - I thought this would be something I needed to remember if I ever a problem with her unbuckling.

I haven't had that problem in part because I went to visit the police one day and had them tell her about keeping her seat belt on. If she talk about not wanting to wear it I remind her that we would have to go to the police :)

Is there a car seat out there that does not buckle across the chest?

Hi N.,
It sounds to me like your son is liking the attention he gets from being a mastermind unbuckler! If you can, I'd try to ban him from the car for a few days. Recruit family and friends to stay home with him when you have to leave, and even when you don't, so he feels like his antics are taking time away from you and things he wants to do. Don't underestimate the thinking of a two year old; he is perfectly capable of weighing his options. Good luck, I went through the same thing with my daughter, and a pretend phone call to go to gramma's house, that I turned down because she "forgot how to stay buckled" just once worked.

One of the things I have seen suggested is to put velcro on the clip. Maybe the scratchiness would stop the behavior. The other idea is to be ready to turn around & go home if he does it again in the car. Sort of like leaving a store if they misbehave.

Hi! What about a rewards system? Put him on the passenger side so you can reach back easially...lol..and reward him for leaving it on with a small food that he likes! Like cherrios or animal crackers or something like that. The reward may have to be very often for a while...but once he gets used to it it may go down and you may not need as much. Also...what about the carseats with the lap thing that comes down over the head? They still make those??? Good luck!!!
~A.

N. -- Have you tried a reward system? If he stays buckled in for the whole car ride he gets a sticker. A certain number of stickers earns him a "prize" or extra dessert or 15 more minutes of tv before bed or whatever works for your family.... you might have to just do the reward in the beginning --- in other words he gets a reward each time he stays buckled up. Maybe the reward comes in the car with you and you show it to him to remind him to stay buckled. Then as he catches on, move to the star system? It could be that he is enjoying the "attention" he gets from unbuckling. SO hard!! Because, really what can you do? You certainly can't ignore him. Good luck, I hope my thought helps... S.

Hi N.,

My son, now 3 1/2, started unbuckling his car seat at 2 as well. I tried the rewards system, talking to him, having other people talk to him nothing seemed to work. I can remember one time when I sitting at a red light and just as the light turned green the little bugger unbuckled and jumped into the passenger seat and said, "Hi Mom" with a big smile!

The only thing that worked for me was to stop the car every time he unbuckled and I would not move until he put himself back into his seat and buckled back up. If he could unbuckle then he could buckle himself back up. Just to make sure, I showed him how to buckle the first couple of times. The first couple of times after teaching him how to buckle were tough. I would sit on the side of the road for sometimes 1/2 hour. As soon as he realized that I wasn't going to be buckling him in he stopped. I would say within a week he had stopped unbuckling. He only unbuckles when the car stops at our destination now.

Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be!

Hi, N.

I am a CPST :) (car seat technician)

Firstly, is the harness tightened as much as it should be? The harness should be so tight that you cannot pinch any webbing over the shoulders. There should be no slack in the harness at all, and he shouldn't wear heavy jackets/snow suits under the harness.

Secondly, it's never wise to use chest clips from a different seat/company. The seats are crash tested with those specific clips and you don't know what will happen in an accident if they change out.

What carseat does he ride in? Message me and I will see if I can help you through this. I can also set up an appointment with you to help you with your son and car seat installation. Message me for details :)

HI! That sounds SO frustrating! I am just dreading the day my daughter figures that one out.. and I just know she will:) I'm not sure if this would work, but maybe you could try putting duck tape or other heavy duty tape around the buckle. It will still be a pain for you when you reach your destination but maybe your son will lose interest if he can't get the tape undone. Tape has worked well in our house for buttons and dishwasher knobs and such but my daughter is only 11 months old. So, I don't know if this would work for a two year old. Just an idea! Good luck!