Britax Traveller Plus carseat - please review this product for me Mumsnetters!

[CaptainPlump]

I'm thinking of getting one of these for DS (nearly 6, severely autistic, budding escape artist) but I'm not convinced by what I've seen on the website. What I need to know is, is it escape-proof for a small boy who, although not particularly cunning, is quite capable of pressing a release catch? He has no qualms whatsoever about taking off his seatbelt mid-tantrum, and tantrums in the car are a far from unusual experience unfortunately.

We're definitely going to be getting a Crelling harness too, but he will absolutely HATE having that put on him so I'm thinking that I'll use it as a "threat", so that if he plays up in the car his behaviour has a direct negative consequence.(Shouting and screaming just doesn't seem to do the trick!) If the carseat will contain him for long enough to give me time to stop the car and put the harness on him then I think that could be a good solution. Any thoughts?

Hi CaptainPlump, I would say it's probably not good. There are 2 press releases. The one you just press like a seatbelt and another like in a buggy where you push with finger and thumb to release and pull. I think if he can manage the bottom like a seatbelt he will wriggle out of the top. Whereabouts are you, if you are close come and look at mine. HTH

That doesn't sound too promising! I'm in Brighton... anywhere near you?

sorry Newcastle!!! If you want I could email some pics of ds in his so you get a better picture. HTH.

I'm in Brighton too. My son hated the Crelling harness at first but we had to persevere as it just wasn't safe for me to take him out by myself. He would be out of a normal seatbelt before I'd even reached the driver's seat and I couldn't put him in the front passenger seat because he would kick the gear-stick the whole time. We looked at the Traveller but we only had a small car and those seats are enormous (not to mention we couldn't afford it). Anyhow, he still uses the harness with a booster seat (aged 9) as he can't seem to resist messing about with the normal seat belt but he doesn't mind it in the least now. In fact he gets in the car and puts his arms through the straps by himself and waits for me to do it up.
Perhaps it would be worth you trying the Crelling harness with a booster seat before you go to the trouble and expense of getting the car seat?

Thanks Pixel, I wonder if I know you! From what I'm hearing about the Traveller I think you might be right about the Crelling harness being the best solution. DS is usually quite good in the car, but those occasions when he isn't are absolutely terrifying. Like your own DS he can't be trusted in the front seat either. Currently he sits behind the passenger seat, and whenever I put the handbrake on he tries to kick me. If I'm sitting in the passenger seat he leans forward and pulls my hair and screams when we go in the "wrong" direction, so I dread to think what he'd do if he was sitting next to me!

Deviantenigma, thank you! I don't think it'll work for us now that I've heard more about it, but there's no harm in getting a closer look. You can email me the photo at kiggles at ntlworld dot com.

The Crelling harness has been a godsend. He's got his arms out a few times (I'm sure he's double-jointed), but he's never managed to get completely free and I've had plenty of time to find a safe place to pull over and strap him back in. The clip works in the opposite way to normal ones, you have to lift it instead of pushing and he's never come close to figuring it out. Dh has enough trouble . Ds likes to pull the car's own seatbelt loose and put his feet through it or wrap it round his neck which is obviously not a good idea (!), but if I do that up first and then the Crelling harness over the top he is unable to get to it so much much safer.

Maybe we do know each other . Mind you I don't go to any 'groups' or anything so I would probably only have met you if our ds's are at the same school. Sometimes one of the teachers arranges a coffee meeting for parents, does that ring a bell?

There are regular coffee mornings for the parents at DS's school, but they're usually arranged for all the classes on the dame day - doesn't sound quite like your scenario! We're very lucky here in Brighton that there are a few good special schools to choose from! :

Yes, ours is fantastic but if ds hadn't got in there was another one I'd have been more than happy for him to go to.

Since we're on the subject, how fiddly are the clips on the challenging behaviour version of a Crelling harness for an adult to undo. DS1 has pretty much outgrown the harness on his Junior Traveller (he's well under the weight, but we can't get the straps over any more than a t-shirt any more) so we've passed it down to DS2 who can escape the harness on the Britax Evolva 123 and given DS1 the 123 with just the seatbelt.

Over the weekend, we've had 3 good journeys when he's behaved perfectly and sat nicely, but we know it's just a honeymoon period.

Incidentally, for anyone concerned about the release catch on the Traveller, because it's a carseat, it takes a lot more pressure to release it then a normal seatbelt. I find it difficult.

Do you mean the steel safety buckle that you can have instead of a push-button one? It seems fiddly the first few times but I can easily do it with one hand now. You'd need to explain it to grandparents/childminders etc as it isn't immediately obvious that you have to lift the catch. HTH

That's good to know, ta. DS will probably be alright with just the seatbelt 9 times out of 10, but we want something we can hook around him the 1 time out of 10 he's being bloody minded while we're 20 miles or more from home!

Sorry Captainplump, I haven't forgot about pics, just haven't mananged to get a decent close up as yet.