Uh oh... My 4 year old just unbuckled the car seat!

M

mcuth

New member
My (nearly) 4 year old boy just got out of his Britax car seat. It was tight enough. He didn't slide out of it, he actually unbuckled both parts!

Is this a common skill? What should we do?

mark
 
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carseatcoach

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
At this age, it is a discipline issue. (Not all 4yos can unbuckle seats, but some can. It's not unheard of.) You need to make sure he knows never to do it again.
 
MANDY1234

MANDY1234

New member
:yeahthat: My 3 y/o has no problem buckleing and unbuckleing her car seat BUT she knows its very important never to do it unless mommy says so...
 
bobandjess99

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Yep, it's a discipline issue. My dd has been able to buckle and unbuckle her seat since she was 3.5 yo, and she knows only to do it when she gets in and out of the car, never while the car is moving. The age that kids can buckle/unbuckle their own seats varies from child to child, and from seat to seat (some seats have buckles that are notoriously easier or harder to buckle), but from about age 3 to about age 6, most kids learn to buckle their own seats.
 
S

SusanMae

Senior Community Member
The one way this could not be a discipline issue is if your child has special needs.

You can be proud of your child for doing this...as now he can undo his seatbelt when you arrive at your destination. Each time he unbuckles at an inappropriate time, you'll need to pull over and fix it. Then reinforce that he can unbuckle when you get to ______ and Mom/Dad say it's ok.

If he continues to unbuckle at the wrong time, here's a little training activity. Tell him that you are going to (fun place--playground, ice cream shop, ect), BUT he must remain buckled up the WHOLE way. If he unbuckles, you'll have to turn around and go home. Then if he unbuckles, pull over, rebuckle, and tell him since he didn't stay buckled that you'll be going home. At 4, it'll probably only take one or 2 follow throughs for him to learn that you mean business. Obviously, you can't do this on a day when you need to go to appointments or run errands. Allow yourself extra time to get where you're going to make rebuckle stops.

Susan
 

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