What do you do when your 18mth old keeps getting out of his car seat straps?

[Poppychick]

Mine does this several times every journey. They are so tight it's crippling but he still manages.

I pull over and retighten of course but when we're on the motorway it's impossible plus I'm worried I'll forget to check.

Sometimes I just want to smack him as this is so naughty and dangerous.

What should I do?

Welcome to the 'parents of mini-houdinis club'!

I posted on the same subject on a couple of months back: it seems that any device designed to hold the straps together is probably illegal. Another suggestion was to check that the straps are correctly adjusted height wise - I've put dd's on the highest setting, and that seems to help: I don't think they press down on her shoulders quite so much. I've also tried getting really, really angry with her - I would rather have a strapped in but crying infant in the back. However, since I attached a sun canopy to her car seat (which doesn't fit properly), her new game is to play with that instead, pulling it over her face and pushing it up again, so some form of distraction might help.

Thanks for that! At least I know I'm not alone.

they are far far far to loose then

Um know the feeling my dd is 2.5 & she has learn't how to undo the whole thing where the straps conect, have no clue what i am going to do now....

First time my toddler did this, I'm afraid I stopped the car (safely) and shouted at him in him 'very nasty shouting voice' and told him I would smack him if he did it again. I meant it too so I think he believed me.

Never did it again.

Months later, he undid his straps when I stopped the car at home which is technically ok but I still thought it was scary. I did the same thing but slightly less 'nasty' and told him that when we got home he could take his straps off when mummy had taken hers off. Did the trick too.

Have you tried belt covers? You can get them at Halfords, they cover the belt release bit.

Actually with DD (20 months) we did manage to stop her fiddling by buying one of those seat back art kits. She now happily whiles away the hours in the car throwing wax crayons at my head instead

Thanks everyone. They're not too loose, they're as tight as they will go!!

I really like the idea of the belt covers and will definately try those.

Think I need to practise nasty shouting voice, he usually laughs when I tell him off the little monster.

Has he got bulky clothes on underneath? If not, then I would buy another car seat with better straps. There's no way I can see that a child could get out of our Britax Duo Plus if the straps were done up tightly.

i know how you feel poppychick my 5yr old has just stopped doing the same she has had 16 car seats and could get out of all of them i too was told the straps arnt tight enough etc i did everything known to man i even contacted britax,halfords,mothercare and no one could suggest anything else

my charge did this at 2 years old

i actually screamed and shouted at him really loudly right in his face as loud as i could possible shout at him 'you do NOT take your arms out, it is very dangerosue and makes me very VERY cross'

it TERRIFIED him, he cried and cried and sobbed and sobbed for 20 mins afterwards....

but never took his arms out again

Thanks all. I can't buy another car seat as I can't afford it especially when I feel that the same thing will happen again.

I think a severe b@llocking seems to be the answer next time he does it (which I feel will probably be tomorrow). x

Are the straps above or below his shoulders?

You haven't met my dd, CantsleepWontsleep . She can get out of virtually anything if she tries hard enough ...

NannyL - I did pretty much the same thing. I was so horrified by him getting out (I looked in my rear view mirror and he wasn't there - he was on the floor) and what could have happened if I'd crashed that I intentionally let him see how scared and cross I was.

Definitely did the trick for me too.

I've done the same thing too when I've seen him touch electric sockets.

I only save that voice for very, very serious matters!

Mine DD (19mo) can also get her arms out. It's as tight as I can get it. It is a Britax something. Not escaped fully yet luckily.

Also took the safety things out of sockets from about 8 months old.

My DS (22months) also did this in his Britax while we were on the motorway on Sunday. Also went ape at him, but to no avail. I think though, it was because it was hot and he only had a thin shirt on; if he has more padding on him he doesn't seem to get out of the straps.

there was another thread about this ages ago and I can't quite remember the gist of it, but someone suggested putting them in the carseat and then putting a t-shirt with the back cut out of it over the top of the straps. (I think you cut the back out and leave the neckband, front and arms and pop it over the top so they can't fiddle with the straps).
I've never tried it, but I thought it sounded quite clever.

Ooh, that sounds quite cunning. Bet my little houdini would still figure it out though. It seems to be his forte, escaping from things, and climbing like a apider.

That should be spider, of course.