Dealing with toddler taking car seat straps off

[missduff]

My DS is 2.5 yo and is a pain in the bum when we're in the car and insists on taking his straps off!

I'm never sure of how best to deal with it, I try asking him to put them back on, explain its dangerous etc, try bribing him, sometimes I'll pull the car over and put them back on myself, but then I sometimes think he just it for the attention he gets, but then again I can't just ignore it when essentially we're talking a matter of potenial life or death.

I know there are some car seats you can get which don't have the straps and just the bumper thing across but to my knowledge they cost best part of £200 and I just can't afford that at the moment, especially not when we'd need 2.

I was wondering if anybody may have any tips on getting him to keep his straps on and how to deal with it (I'm at the end of my tether now!)
And also wondering if anybody knows of any special strap or device u can get which will make it impossible for him to do it?
I'm sure I can't be the only one with this problem?

I like the Kiddy seats too - we have the most basic one which now costs just under £120. It's taller than a maxi cosi seat which DS used in a friend's car recently too which means it will last him longer. As Random mentioned, the lack of shoulder straps is in fact a consciously thought out safety feature (and means they have nothing to wriggle out of too!)

The 5 point plus thing looks good though!

I fully accept that everyone will think I am the worst parent ever here, but I already think I am anyway! So here goes.
I just told my kids what could happen to them if they took off their seat belt. Harsh maybe, but they are fastidious about wearing their belts, and I have never once had to speak to them or remind them about their belts. They were certainly 2ish when they started trying to take them off etc.
I told them that if they had no belt, and someone crashed into us, they would go flying through the windscreen, smash on the ground, scrape along the ground whilst all their skin was peeled off with broken bones....and mummy wouldn't be able to help them.
I didn't shout it, just calmly told them that the belt was their to save them. They were wide-eyed obviously, but not freaked out. They just always wear seatbelt, and if ever have playmate who takes off belt, they tell me to pull over and insist friend puts belt on!
But I do realise that most people will think I am a loon for being so honest.

No I don't think u r a loon or a bad parent, I have told him in simple 2 year old terms that if somebody crashes in to us he will be very hurt and will have to go in an ambulance and maybe go to heaven. I don't think he really understands about deaf yet tho and tbh I think the idea of going in an ambulance probably sounds like quite good fun to him

That is why I placed more emphasis on the horrific injuries side of things...I did this with teeth brushing too. Showed them photos of baby bottle mouth, then airily said if they were happy to leave their teeth like that, it was up to them.
Cue crying and begging me to brush their teeth!

I too certainly dont think youre a bad parent at all, i would much favour your approach than my screaming like a loon one tbh. However my DS would not understand any of that, i would actually consider showing him you tube vids if i thought it would help. In fairness though my DS possibly has ASD so his understanding is not that of a normal almost 3 year old.

one is pretty graphic. This one is more child centred.

Sorry, one more child centred.