The useless sales assistant at Halfords suggest I all ask you for the answer so...

[waitingtobloom]

Well he was an arrogant git! But on a positive he actually suggested mumsnet? I apolgise if he is your DP lol.

DS is 2.4 and a handful - typical boy. He is also very very tall for his age and has grown too tall and heavy for his stage one car seat. We have bought a booster seat (with a back - a maxi cosi rodi xr) and it fits him perfectly. It just secures with the seatbelt though (too big for integral straps).

The problem is he now has control over the straps. Today he unclipped his seat belt and tried to climb out of the seat and out of the car whilst I was doing 60 miles an hour. THANK GOD FOR CHILD LOCKS ON DOORS.

I shouted so loudly at him I dont think he will ever do that again and have bought one of those clips that stop him unclipping it hopefully anyway. However he keeps wriggling in his seat and stretching the seat belt - often putting it underneath his shoulder/under arm if that makes sense instead of over it so he really only has a seatbelt around his lap.

I asked the guy in halfords if there was something I could use to stop him doing this and his response? I need to distract him (yeah so easy when driving) or try some discipline!!!!

I have tried explaining, making a game out of it, saying how dangerous it is, shouting etc etc but he still keeps putting the seatbelt underneath his shoulder or playing with it. I dont think he will unclip it again - I really seemed to scare him on that one but he really scared me.

So any ideas? Are there any devices you can use to stop them being able to stretch the seatbelt out loads or anything you have used? Or any tips for "distracthing" or "disciplining"?

Thanks
xxxx

watching with interest

I have to admit this is one of the few times I ever smacked my dc. Was on busy A road, seatbelt was removed. At 1st opportunity, pulled over to side, dragged child out of car, smacked, made very angry faces, problem solved.

I accept this would not work for everybody

DT2 went through a phase of doing this. I stopped the car every time and waited for her to sort it out. I told her I wasn't allowed to drive the car if she wasn't secure and that I didn't want the police to stop me, so it was better to stop and wait.

yes, ducky that is a better good idea

if safe to do so, stop the car each time, don't reward with any attention, hopefully you will break the habit

'cos it is attention-seeking behaviour

Something like this?

This is American but I can't find a UK equivalent.

www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/333240/sunshine-kids-mighty-tite-car-seat-belt-tightener.html

Thanks Soupdragon - have bought the one you suggested to stop him unclipping the seat. Am thinking the one above may stop him being able to stretch the seatbelt out and put it around his waist?

Scaryfucker - I very nearly strangled him.

Thanks for the helpxx

In some cars, one can put the seatbelts into "lock" mode by puling them all the way out then letting it go back in ( or maybe differnt ways in others cars- check manual).
It stops passenger pulling more belt out, doesn;t stop them unclipping tho:-( .

At the moment this is sufficient to stop my friends boy doing the straps under arm thing in my Toyota.

Oooh! Theres an idea UniS - I will go check...(or rather get DH to as its raining lol)

no idea but at him saying try mn!

This reminds me of when I got pulled over by a policeman when DS2, then two, climbed out of his carseat, rolled the window down and waved to the car behind us...which just happened to be a police car.

Said police man told me he should be under my control (yes of course, ossifer, but I'm driving along a busy A road, with nowhere to stop until I pulled off onto the sliproad where you've just stopped me!).

He suggested.....taping the buckle up!

No advice I'm afraid - this was 10 years ago.

Both ds and niece have done this.
I did the same as madame deathstar.

And when strapping them in, just told them that if there was an accident and they weren't in their carseat/belt properly they would smash through the windscreen and it would hurt alot and they'd have to go to hospital. "do you want to go through the windscreen?" "no". and then they sit properly.

Thanks for the suggestions here - very useful! I looked this up on the ROSPA website once, and they just suggested discipline, which made me

My dd2 (age 8) is severely autistic, and she can't understand much language, so I really need a physical method of preventing her doing this. Thanks for the help - doncha love mumsnet?

What about putting a clip on the seatbelt once the child is strapped in to stop him pulling more slack. A large bag clip like this clipped onto the seatbelt just behind the point where it goes through the top guide would stop it being pulled forward, and he wouldn't be able to reach it to unclip it.

Sorry haven't read through thread so apologies if has already been suggested.

My little sisters grew out of his stage one car seat at about 2.5 and they suggested that my mum got a convertible one so she got the Britax Evolva 123 does a child up to 5 with straps and turns into a booster with back for 5 until 11.

They really are quite big so would definately suggest one.

When DS did it, I explained to him why it was not a good idea and also that the next time he did it, I would turn around and go back home.

He tried it again on the way to Wacky Warehouse... I did the seatbelt again, turn around and went back home.

That did the trick.

I agree that it is a discipline issue.

hmmm, you've got the seat now..but....my son is very tall too and when he was just too big for his group 1 seat we got a britax evolva 123 (that covers groups 1-3) so he was suitable for group 2 but we could still use the straps and when his weight went over 18kgs i think he then went onto the seatbelt..its to do with their weight and the momentum if you had to break really hard...thats when you need the proper seatbelt

not sure if a 2.4 year old understands safety but if you are absolutely furious if he does it again he might get the hint that its a no no.

For most children, yes, but learning disabled children need to be kept safe too when they aren't capable of resonding to reasoning etc, that was my point.

Was going to suggest baby reins but see several downfalls to these like

where do you secure to them?

They don't "flex" like seatbelts (sorry can't think of the right word)

Would they fit a taller child?

but anyway thats my suggestion

My DH tends to use explanation with bad endings for these, along the lines of getting a ticket from the police...

Keeping it simple and relevant to something else they understand at the age, for example getting stopped by the police relates to police "taking away naughty people" and later "going to jail". Similarly being loose in the car if it crashes means you could "fall out of the car" or "bang your head on the window/my head/etc" and you can use your discretion about how graphic you make the description after that. I'm afraid I use "and then you might die" relatively often in this type of scenario and it fits well with my ds's need to categorise everything, which seems to drive the right behaviour almost all the time.

crelling

I know this might be a bit extreme but these people do excellent harnesses for children with special needs.