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Original poster

Carseat problem with 15 month old!

82 replies

Maclaren · 29/07/2009 11:14

I cant be the only one with this problem!

Ny 15 month old is in his second stage car seat but the little bugger keeps taking his arms out of the straps! I have them on the highest hight and as tight as possible but he still gets them out even if he hurts himself doing it!

I am just really worried that if I have to break hard he is ging to come out or at least get thrown back and forth be also pulls himself so he is sitting really forward!

I do alot of motorway driving and so I cant just stop and readjust him!

Does anyone know of a carseat that has a straop that goes across the top of the chest or a strap I can buy for the carseat I have??

OP posts:
kellyatbabyguds · 29/07/2009 15:32

All car seat manufacturers strongly advise against the use of anything that is not approved for your car seat. The seats are tested so that in the event of an emergency a passer by (not just emergency services)can release your child if the car was upside down easily and quickly which is why buckles should not be too difficult to open. If you alter the chest strap positions in any way you can cause serious injury if an accident was too happen, as the impact is not distributed onto the chest as it should be.

MerlinsBeard · 29/07/2009 15:37

Also worth remembering that car seats not bought from UK may not have passed british safety tests

pigleychez · 29/07/2009 16:05

glad to hear people like thier Kiddy inifinty pro... Mine is being delivered tomorrow

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 16:26

I realise that, Kelly, but it's at the stage where I have to weigh up what is the more likely. If I have a reasonably small bump then there is a good chance that DD would be sent flying if she wasn't strapped in properly. If I had a serious accident then the chances are there wouldn't be any need to unstrap her because she'd be embedded in the windscreen

I wish she was old enough to reason with, but she isn't.

sazm · 29/07/2009 16:31

how do you stop your lo doing other dangerous things? like running off in the carpark?you must have someway to disipline her?
i dont know how you can think at 15m she is too young to understand not to do something?

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 16:37

sazm, if she tries to run off in the car park, which she never has, I am able to grab her hand, or run after her. What would you suggest I do when I'm in the middle lane of the M25? Serious question because, if I'm missing something easy then I'd be grateful to know. It's a game to her, she thinks it's funny to do it. So please, give me your suggestions, I'd love to try them.

sazm · 29/07/2009 16:40

you must be able to tell her off without her laughing at you?

kellyatbabyguds · 29/07/2009 16:44

I'd suggest as a last resort having the seat looked at to make sure it is adjusted correctly. I know Maclaren said she has hers as high and tight as possible and her son can still escape but some times you can have them too tight? It should be on the slot 1/2 an inch to an inch above the shoulders and you should be able to fit your fingers between the belt and chest. I do sympathise with you I'm lucky that mine have never tried this game in the car

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 16:47

Right ok. I must work on my serious face then, because my parenting is obviously lacking somewhere .

Kelly, her straps are on the lowest setting as she's little still. Do you think I should try moving them up one? I can't picture in my head whether that would make it better or worse.

kellyatbabyguds · 29/07/2009 16:55

You can try to raise them but try to stay within an inch of her shoulder height otherwise its going to be against her face (its hard to judge without seeing her). Try on small journeys having the straps on different variations of tension and seeing if that helps? If you have anywhere that fits seats nearby they should be able to check that the seat is at its best adjustment

Sheeta · 29/07/2009 17:01

OP - what car seat do you have? I've heard about this happening with some seats (Maxi Cosi Tobi i think).

sazm · 29/07/2009 17:18

eyeballs i think we will need to agree to disagree on this one,
but if at 15m your lo doesnt understand what no means then in my opinion yes you do need to work on your serious face,

Sheeta · 30/07/2009 00:17

sazm - if your 15mo understands and follows no, then you're extremely lucky!

dear god you're judgemental!!

CruelAndUnusualParenting · 30/07/2009 10:01

What about the Kiddy Infinity Car Seat?

abdnhiker · 30/07/2009 10:12

I'm able to tighten the straps of the car seat so my DS1 can't get out BUT we have family in Canada and when we visit them the car seat they bought has an additional chest strap to make sure toddlers can't get out. It's a 0+/1 size seat and looks identical and works identically to our Britax once except for the chest strap. Canadian safety standards are pretty high, in fact more strict on most things than here (children under 12 aren't allowed in the front seat of a car as it's more dangerous there), so I'd be happy to put a chest strap on my DS1 if he was wriggling out...

mrsjammi · 30/07/2009 19:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

sazm · 30/07/2009 20:46

im not judgemental,i just think its mad that you would rather risk your childs safety by attaching something to the seat that could cause it to fail and actually injure your child in an accident,
if you really cant tell your child off,why not get the infinity seat?

Lucky13 · 30/07/2009 23:39

I have the same problem - my DD has now twice got out of her straps on the M25!! It is a brand new seat and i had a road safety officer fit and check it for us before we bought it so i know it is set up correctly.

Like you i have to weigh up the probability of DD not being restrained and having an accident or adding a chest strap and it taking slightly longer for her to be released. I have opted for the latter and bought a houdini strap. These are valid for use in Canada, the US and NZ.

As for Sazm's comments - if you think i am going to sit around on the hard shoulder of a motorway trying to reason with an 19mo why she should not get out of her straps then you are completely bonkers!

sazm · 31/07/2009 19:43

i am not bonkers, and why would i think you would sit on the hard shoulder and reason with a 19mo??

i would not sit and try to reason with a 19mo anywhere let alone on the hardshoulder,

lucky-why bother going to the bother of buying a nice new seat,and having a road safety officer fit it,to then add something to it which could cause it to fail/injure your child in an accident?

Lucky13 · 31/07/2009 21:15

Then please explain how you would get a child under the age of 2 to stay in their car seat?
You clearly have a technique that the rest of us would love to know!

sazm · 31/07/2009 22:28

well how do you stop them doing other things they are not allowed to do?
a stern DO NOT DO THAT,was fine for my kids,and my sisters, however in my sisters car her kids do it because she lets them,

LoveBeingAMummy · 31/07/2009 22:34

I have found asking if she wants a biscuit and when she nods say put your arms back in then and she does

sazm · 31/07/2009 22:40

ha,that wouldnt work with my daughter love lol,she would take them out everytime she fancied a biscuit!i would have to take jumbo packets of biscuits everywhere lol would cost me a fortune.

EyeballsintheSky · 01/08/2009 10:32

sazm, clearly you are in the minority on this thread and have wonderful obedient children who are wise beyond their years. Unfortunately some of us here have real toddlers who won't be reasoned with otherwise this thread wouldn't be here. So please, stop making us all feel like crap parents and leave us to debate it in peace. Repeating yourself over and over isn't helping and I'm really beginning to resent your veiled attacks on our parenting abilities. Do you really think we haven't tried every which way to get them to stay in their seats? Do you honestly believe that we'd rather them sit forward in their car seats than tell them off a bit??

Sorry to make this a bit personal but we are looking for help, not criticism.

sazm · 01/08/2009 11:55

yep if you search everywhere else on the internet you will see that what im saying is the reality,
tbh if you would all rather injure your kids than protect them then i dont want to be part of your strange 'debate' anyhow,

i just can't understand how on earth u can't discipline your kids,
and i couldn't really care less if you resent my 'attacks'?WTF,you really need to get a hobby or something,if you are SO concerned about my views,

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