I don't feel comfortable with kid self buckling

[dimsumdaddy]

I know many people here allow their kids to self buckle. My 4 year old can do it, but I don't feel comfortable with it. Most of our chairs have the gratifying click, but the Britax Roundabout we have doesn't always give that click.

I make it a habit of clicking in, and then pulling to insure it is latched... and a few times the buckle has popped out. 100% of the time when I hear the click, it's buckled. But since the Roundabout sometimes doesn't click even when it is properly latched, it's unclear when it really is latched unless you pull on it.

But when you let your kid buckle themselves, you don't know if it's been buckled properly.

What are your thoughts about this?

[An Aurora]

My 2 yo self buckles but I always check & tighten.

[scatterbunny]

I think most of us (I can't say all ;) ) let our kids buckle if they can/if they want to, and then double-check. My dd buckled herself in harnesses from the age of 3+, I always tugged on the harness to make sure it was buckled and then pulled the adjuster strap to make sure it was snug. Buckling boosters was actually more of a concern for us; it's much harder (at least for my child) to pull a seatbelt around without twisting it, and get it buckled and pulled tight. My child couldn't self-buckle boosters reliably until after she turned 6, even though she's used boosters part-time since age 4. She's almost 7 now and does great, but I still check her belt to make sure it's flat and tight.

[Stretchy Glue]

My dd buckled herself for a long time before she outgrew the harness. I always checked it but I also taught her how to check it. She's now an obsessed car seat kid and is very good at making sure she's safe. I wanted her to know how to buckle herself correctly so if she was riding in another person's car, I knew that I could count on her to be buckled into the car seat safely. She also got in the habbit of checking if the seat moved at all :o, which greatly annoyed some of my relatives.

[Defrost]

My kids all buckle themselves, but I always check. Not physically, but then they're old enough that they've been taught how to buckle correctly and that's part of our verbal check. I don't just ask "Is everyone buckled?" I ask if the seat belt is routed correctly, pulled tight, and for DD I ask if she's got the "top and the bottom," as she has been known to just do the chest clip and forget the buckle. Both times that's happened we've caught it before going anywhere, though, because of my verbal check.

[mcomommy]

My dd just turned three and has just started buckling her crotch strap. She has been doing her own chest clip for awhile but I am always right there to double check her and make sure it is tight. I would not feel comfortable driving with checking her but I too want her to know how to do so she tell others when they are doing it wrong (on her seat) which will make me more comfortable having other people drive her places.

[mommyto2angelgirls]

dd1 is 4 and i let her self buckle. like pp said i double check by pulling and then tighten. but at 4 you are nearing the school age which comes with playgroups and friends. and even emergencies that may require someone other then you to pick up your child. i want her to be able to know how to buckle herself correctly and encourage her to speak up if it is wrong.
last week she screamed at my mil for trying to buckle her into her carseat with her winter coat on. mil just loosened the harness put her in and gave it a small tug. my 4 yr old was able to pull her arms out and slide the chest clip all over. she was very mad and told my mil that she did it wrong and they couldn't drive. she got out of her seat took her coat off got back in did the chest clip and the crotch buckle and then made my mil tighten the harness. i would let her buckle it is a sign of independence and good for there motor skills along with knowing safety. just double check it physically if you have a doubt because of the buckle. also teach her to double check the same way. she will start to do it after buckling. we have a ma with the old style one click buckle and dd pulls on it and sometimes it has popped out of course before driving anywhere.

[MyBeachBabies]

My 5 1/2 year old buckles himself in and I pull the harness and adjuster strap to make sure it is fastened securely and tight.

[Morganthe]

My 4 1/2 year old dd has no interest in self-buckling. :o

She'll pitch a fit if it's not correct or tight enought. I think because there's different degrees of snugness due to her outfit du jour, she realized she doesn't have the strength or coordination to hook her crotch buckle in. Occasionally, she'll help with the chest clip, but it's usually to position it or smooth her clothes to where it's in the most comfortable spot.

Some days she's wearing leotards & tights, on others sweatshirt or dress. I rarely adjust the lever to loosen it and she happily makes do. :whistle:

[Susan in MI]

My older two buckle themselves. My youngest can only buckle herself if the harness is loosened, in which case I double check the buckle and tighten it for her. If the harness is kept tight, which it is most of the time, she can't buckle it, so either dh, an older sibling, or I do it for her. The older sibs know to pull up on the harness to be sure it is securely latched, as does youngest dd for that matter.

I double check middle dd's booster seat usually visually but sometimes verbally like Defrost said. She sometimes forgets to pull the lap belt tight, so I always double check that.

[tanyaandallie]

My dd has been buckling herself for at least a year. She always loosens the harness to unbuckle so has to tighen back up when she gets back in. She can tighten but doesn't always want to. I always double check, straighten the retainer clip if it's gets wonky or adjust if it's in the wrong place. She cannot get it moved very well.

[jen_nah]

Both my girls buckle themselves up (6 1/2 & 4 1/2) but with the younger I do double check her buckles every single time. With my oldest after she buckles up she tugs on the harnesses to make sure they have locked in and then pulls her harnesses tight if they need it. Very rarely do I have to double check her work but I do watch her do it so I can spot an error and tell her.

At 6 1/2 she can buckle herself in better then 97% (our area misuse rate) of the parents in our area.

[Kabes]

I always double check like the other poster have said. If my kids didn't self buckle I would never get any where; 4 harnessed kids is a lot of buckling!

[waterbaby]

I let mine do the chest clip and I always do the crotch buckle... mostly because they don't seem interested and I'm a big paranoid anyway. My oldest is just barely starting to show interest in doing her own buckle, so I coach and double-check it.

[Mach Knockers]

My 3 yo son gets the straps sorted out, sometimes buckling the chest strap on his own. Our Boulevards are just like the OP describes; not always giving that gratifying click. (That worries me and I always triple check it when that happens.) They are also pretty hard to click into place, so my son is simply unable to get them to latch.

Is the lack of click or the difficulty latching it a concern? They have been washed out, per Britax's directions, so I don't think they're clogged.

[papooses]

Oh, even when my kiddo does self buckle (which isn't all the time simply because she takes forever and a day just because she CAN!) ... I *always* double check that the straps are straight/flat (she's really good about that, though) & by pulling on the crotch belt to make sure it's properly buckled & also by yanking the extra strap to make sure it's tight enough :cool:

[wendytthomas]

When Piper buckles herself in I either check her, or I ask her to tug up on her harness for me to see that it's in.

Wendy

[dimsumdaddy]

I always double check like the other poster have said. If my kids didn't self buckle I would never get any where; 4 harnessed kids is a lot of buckling!

Something about this made me think of the roller coaster rides at amusement parks where the attendants have to go down the row checking everyone's harness. :D And... one of the reason why the lines take SOOO LOOOONG.

[natysr]

I just wanted to add that with the roundabout, only the second buckle tongue will give you an audible click. If this is not happening, or it is coming out, you may need to remove and clean the buckle. Directions to do this are in your manual.