Please help DS can un-clip his harness :(

[3cutedarlings]

I have just bought a new Recaro car seat for my DS to replace his maxi cosi priori (which he broke ). We have had the new one less than 2 weeks and he has learnt how to unclip the harness, i rang halfords thinking that the clip must be faulty (as it's so easy!!), the guy there has told me that it needs to be that easy to undo in case we have an accident! is this right? surely it should at least be a little stiff (like the old maxi cosi) or more fiddly? he is 2.4 years! i have really told him off today(i considered tapping his hand at one point :( ), but he just see this all as a game and all the more reason for doing it!! todays school run has been a nightmare i had to pull over 5 times, on the way home :(.

[TheOriginalFAB]

TBH forget the tap on his hand. When DS2 undid his seat belt he got a proper smack.

[TheOriginalFAB]

TBH a child that young should be in a 5 point harness still.

[satine]

Your ds may well be too young, but a friend of mine has trouble with her dd constantly wriggling her shoulders and arms out of her car seat straps. At hr wits' end, with proper telling off having no effect, inspiration struck one day on the city bypass. She drove straight to the city police station, marched in (leaving dd in the car) and asked for someone to come and tell her dd off. Sure enough, a uniformed PC came out and really strictly told the dd that what she was doing was very dangerous, and against the law.
It worked!

[3cutedarlings]

Sorry i should have said, it does have a five point harness.

Its this car sets Here

[TheOriginalFAB]

Which seat is it?

[TheOriginalFAB]

I would go back to the shop and ask to see another seat.

[SecretNutellaFix]

Can you go back to the shop and test the display model for comparison?

[3cutedarlings]

Right so the general opinion here, is that i need to take it back?. He un-clips it literally using just his two thumbs, there is no struggle for him he can undo it just as easy as i can!.

[3cutedarlings]

Thats just what im gonna do now nutella, it only up the road and is open til 8.

[SecretNutellaFix]

Let us know how you got on.

I would be tempted to wait until tomorrow and take your DS in with you. Then you can get him to "show the man how you undo the clip"

He's more likely to be co-operative earlier in the day and you could then maybe try some others. I know it's hard to get a small child to try seats out (I work with the seats myself), but if the chap can see how easy it is for him, they could recommend something more suitable?

[3cutedarlings]

Yes i will wait til morning DH has just been called out to work so i cant go now anyway. Do you work fitting car seats then nutella?

I have a friend visiting in the morning, she is better at complaining than i am, so i shall take her along to, we can gang up on the manager if needs be ;) .

[whomovedmychocolate]

It sounds faulty to me.

Just from experience I would recommend you take to locking the car doors when driving because opening the doors is the next step.

[oooggs]

ds3 is 2.5 and can unclip the maxi cosi priori

[straightoutofthebottomdrawer]

yes you MUST have the childproof locks on the doors, it's terrifying when you're going along and realise they can open the door

one of mine nearly opened one at woburn in the lion enclosure!

[3cutedarlings]

God that doesnt even bare thinking about!! i have child locks on the rear doors and the rear windows are locked from the front too, wouldnt put it past the little sod to scrabble into the front with me like grease lighting tho!!! one good thing about this seat though is that an alarm sounds when its unclipped, so at least i know as soon as he's done it.

I have totally lost faith in the bloody thing now though.

[SecretNutellaFix]

Yes, I do.

If it was an older buckle he was undoing I would suggest cleaning it out just in case there was any debris stuck in it which meant that it wasn't fastening 100%, but gave the impression it was.

Did he actually try to undo his old car seat buckle at all, or has this just started with the new seat?

[3cutedarlings]

oooqqs NO!! our last one was really stiff!, have you somehow managed to stop him doing it?

straightoutofthebottomdrawer a lion encloser!!! JEEEZE!! i think id have had a heart attack.!

[3cutedarlings]

No secretNutellaFix he did never tried to unclip the old one, though he would push his arms through the harness though, so that only his bottom half was strapped in IYSWIM.......tis just my DS isnt it!!, he is just a flammin nightmare!

[SecretNutellaFix]

I think that, if the manager agrees tomorrow that the clip just isn't safe enough for your DS, the safest option would be to go for an impact shield car seat. No buckles to fiddle with and no straps to wriggle out of either. Plus then you have the high back booster for when he outgrows the impact shield.

[3cutedarlings]

Do you mean this sort? here? like bran suggested?

Problem i think im going to have, is that halfords dont appear to stock that one anymore, its not available to buy or reserve online.

GRRR!! I have always used a local independent shop for car seats (they have a massive range) but i went to Halfords as it was the only place open when DS broke his last seat.

[SecretNutellaFix]

That type definitely.

[3cutedarlings]

Okay dokie, thanks for your advice. I think im going to have to try and get a refund and go elsewhere.....oh hum, i have a feeling this aint gonna be fun!

[whomovedmychocolate]

DS at 19 months managed to open the door on a dual carriageway - he had managed to wriggle down, get his arms out and reach over to the side. Thankfully I realised just before, slowed right down and just as he did pulled over. I was so angry and upset I yelled (a lot) and he hasn't tried this since (and I've put the child locks on obviously). He did chuck my wallet out the window though when he filched my bag off the floor. And some lip gloss

I'm sure it's only boys btw, my daughter has never been such a bugger in the car.