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Behaviour/development

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2 year old in car seat

8 replies

iphammer · 28/01/2026 20:59

Does anyone else’s child take there arms out of there seat belt straps whilst your driving along ?

No matter how tight I pull my 2 year old sons seat belt he always finds a way of wiggling out of the arm straps

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skkyelark · 29/01/2026 10:37

Sometimes they do this because something is uncomfortable, so worth having a check that nothing is twisted, bunched, hard bit sticking out somewhere. Also make sure you aren't over-tightening the straps, as that's also uncomfortable.

Some people have luck with stopping the car and refusing to move until they've put their arms back in, but that's not always practical, and two is maybe a little bit little for that level of impulse control.

You can get 'belt collectors' that help keep the straps together so it's harder to slide out. I think the 'BeSafe' one has been properly crash tested, but there may be others as well.

NoKnit · 29/01/2026 14:02

Yes we did.

Only options were walk/bus or another adult in the back. Total pain

BertieBotts · 29/01/2026 19:20

Have you checked that you have the headrest at the right position? When the headrest is too low, it makes it much easier for them to escape even if the straps seem tight.

iphammer · 31/01/2026 05:10

NoKnit · 29/01/2026 14:02

Yes we did.

Only options were walk/bus or another adult in the back. Total pain

I was thinking this ( walking instead), and I can't put him in the back as it's a van. I don't have a car.

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iphammer · 31/01/2026 05:13

BertieBotts · 29/01/2026 19:20

Have you checked that you have the headrest at the right position? When the headrest is too low, it makes it much easier for them to escape even if the straps seem tight.

Yes, I have tried adjusting the headrest, but still no difference. This is the seat I have

Joie Car Seat

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BertieBotts · 31/01/2026 12:44

Ah the Joie seats are pretty notorious for this, because the pads are so bulky, it creates a much bigger gap at the tummy and so children (esp if they are slim) can suck in their tummy and create a really big gap to get their arms through. You could try putting some biggish gummy wristbands on him - e.g. those charity wristbands or spare straps for fitness band (watches). However he might just take them off.

The headrest also has to be much higher than you'd expect in this seat to be at the right height - you go by the position of the straps rather than where the headrest looks right. For rear facing the straps should be level or just below the shoulders, for forward facing level or just above. Depending on his understanding you could try making it slightly less tight as a sort of "deal" for him to keep his arms in. Obviously it still needs to be snug to his body but it's OK if you can fit two fingers flat under the straps. Sometimes people think you need them as tight as humanly possible to the point it's uncomfortable for the child.

You could also try a reward chart so if he keeps his arms in all the way he gets a small reward leading up to a bigger one to help break the habit. Or a consequence if he takes his arms out although it's tricky at 2 because it needs to be fairly immediate and there aren't many things which will work when out and about.

In terms of physically preventing it, you could try Five Point Plus - it's crash tested and doesn't affect the workings of the harness so is a bit better than the clips which hold it together. It just blocks the area of the straps where they can make a gap. https://5pointplus.com/ Or if you prefer to try a clip, Besafe Belt Collector is a good one as it is designed to come off if there is an accident. I would use that preferably over the Houdini stop or random non branded ones.

If no luck, you might want to consider one of the Cybex Pallas impact shield seats. They have a different design so no straps and can be harder to escape. They tend to work well in vans but if you don't have isofix then you'll need to find one of the R44 ones which fit with seatbelt only.

There are other seats from other brands which are belt fitted but the padding on the straps is less bulky. Forward facing you could try Britax King Pro or rear facing the Axkid seats. However this is a bit of an expensive solution and if he already knows how to escape a 5 point harness it could be he does it in any 5 point harness seat.

5 Point Plus – Anti-Escape System

https://5pointplus.com

Nelly44 · 31/01/2026 20:12

Yep! They get over it after a bit. Don’t draw attention to it and it’ll stop

cocobanana922 · 04/02/2026 10:10

I got my 2 year old a belt clip that stops him from getting out of the straps as no matter how tight the straps were he still got out.

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