Escaping harness - Talk me out of FF in my car (IE Stop him!)

trippsmom · Apr 14, 2011

You'd think after he'd had ice cubes dropped down his shirt while trying to catch a nap after taking himself out that he'd get it... Ds continues to take himself out of the harness. He's so narrow that it really is easy for him to ease out. I KNOW the harness is tight enough. He pushed down the chest clip on the TFP (moot point really cause as soon as he stops hitting just at 35# he'll be ff in something) and he just undoes the chest clip in the Radian and squeezes out. I can't see him in my car which scares me (thus the reason for the ice cubes) and tbh even if I can see him or touch his shoulder over his seat, it is REALLY hard to get him to get back in it without pulling over. Dh can see him and touch him while driving (passenger seat), but tfp is only seat we own that ds fits rf and fits his truck. He hasn't done it to dh yet. I really cannot commit to FF in my car unless I have to. I've been fighting it all day. We got an FR85 last night ($203 from Diapers.com this weekend) and ugh!

Jess and I were talking about it today. So easy to tell others to "just do it", but he's MINE. He just looks so uncomfortable with his legs hanging... I hate it when we own a 45# rf seat... Etc.

Help.

Here he is in the FR85 when we "tried it on".

An Aurora · Apr 14, 2011

Maybe this will help...
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=101293

trippsmom · Apr 14, 2011

An Aurora said:
Maybe this will help...
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=101293

What did you do?

I'm in the same boat in some areas. He can put on/take of zippered things with ease. I tried the trick of safety pinning above the zipper, but I'm not comfortable with that since he put a hole in a nice LLBean rain jacket. Plus, here in AR, it is way too hot for jackets come 100+ degree summer. He can button and unbutton. He can tear up a cardboard tube (tbh, I'm definitely NOT ok with that! Several people see me take my kids in and out of the car all the time and how can I preach about proper use when I'm doing something sketchy)...

I was REALLY hoping there'd be a better answer by now. Which is why I hope you found something that really did work for little magicians.

babyherder · Apr 14, 2011

Maybe I'm mean but I'd tighten the harness more and see if that helps.

trippsmom · Apr 14, 2011

babyherder said:
Maybe I'm mean but I'd tighten the harness more and see if that helps.

I tried tightening the harness on the RN to the point that I ended up unbuckling him, tightening it, and squeezing him back in and listened to him scream.

I even had the straps on the 4th slot which at the time was barely above his shoulders, now just below, but I cannot think of moving them as high above his shoulders as the top slots would require.

And, he wasn't just being a snotty kid when I tried to tighten it and he complained... When I took him out, you could see marks from the chest clip on his chest that were made through his shirt. :crying:

I'm doomed.

An Aurora · Apr 14, 2011

I tried a few of the tips I got (some I wasn't comfortable with) and I turned her FF on her 3rd birthday. She chilled out and went back RF later.

Kat_Momof3 · Apr 14, 2011

let me tell you... as the mother of a girl houdini... turning her was when she hit that age (because of the weight limits back then... she was over the rf limits on her classic MA and the Scenera, so there we were)... and ff was just as bad... more when I'd pull over and she'd climb all the way out while I was trying to get her back in and then do the flat as a board thing to drop to the floor.

Needless to say... those times were birth control for me... big time.

no chest clip was too hard for her (even the big hard evenflo ones)...

the only thing that worked was constant, consistent, firm discipline, along with distractions with toys, stickers, things drawn on the hands, you name it.

But as for the rf/ff thing... I think it depends on what works for you and your child... if being ff makes him stop doing it... at his age I'm totally comfortable with him ff.

babyherder · Apr 14, 2011

trippsmom said:
I tried tightening the harness on the RN to the point that I ended up unbuckling him, tightening it, and squeezing him back in and listened to him scream. I even had the straps on the 4th slot which at the time was barely above his shoulders, now just below, but I cannot think of moving them as high above his shoulders as the top slots would require.

And, he wasn't just being a snotty kid when I tried to tighten it and he complained... When I took him out, you could see marks from the chest clip on his chest that were made through his shirt. :crying:

I'm doomed.

But could he get out when it was that tight? Probably a bad idea to make it that tight but maybe there is a tightness you can get it to that he cannot escape from that also doesn't let the chest clip leave red marks. Also, I think he's old enough to understand that if he doesn't leave the harness on you're going to tighten it, even if he hates it (but not to the point of actually hurting him). I hope something helps.

laccaycol · Apr 15, 2011

Kat_Momof3 said:
the only thing that worked was constant, consistent, firm discipline, along with distractions with toys, stickers, things drawn on the hands, you name it.
QUOTE]

:yeahthat:

Baylor · Apr 15, 2011

I would turn him only because I would want to be able to catch him the minute he tried it. My Ds is always pushing his chest clip down lately. I reach back push it up. If he does it again I pull over.
But at least I can see him before he frees himself.

I would turn him til you get him to stop.

An Aurora · Apr 15, 2011

Yes, exactly. FF didn't solve any issues but at least I could see her start to wriggle free instead of finding her out of the harness when I pull into the garage.

Baylor · Apr 15, 2011

An Aurora said:
Yes, exactly. FF didn't solve any issues but at least I could see her start to wriggle free instead of finding her out of the harness when I pull into the garage.

Don't even want to know what that feels like...

trippsmom · Apr 15, 2011

Baylor said:
Don't even want to know what that feels like...

How about pulling up at a gas station 200m from your last stop and finding them out of it... Then reaching back after finishing the loop around/through Memphis at rush hour when at one interchange an 18wheeler had to slam into the emergency lane to avoided hitting you as you came around a curve at 55-60mph to a dead stop. I cried when I saw him come around the curve and get into the emergency lane feet from my bumper. I let him into traffic ahead of me.

That is why this is such an important issue.

trippsmom · Apr 15, 2011

At this point I'm just going to keep the FR85 and flip him for a bit. We are having some discipline issues outside of the car and I'm stressed in other areas... I guess too much so to continue to worry ab his safety in a properly used ff seat.

Baylor · Apr 15, 2011

trippsmom said:
How about pulling up at a gas station 200m from your last stop and finding them out of it... Then reaching back after finishing the loop around/through Memphis at rush hour when at one interchange an 18wheeler had to slam into the emergency lane to avoided hitting you as you came around a curve at 55-60mph to a dead stop. I cried when I saw him come around the curve and get into the emergency lane feet from my bumper. I let him into traffic ahead of me.

That is why this is such an important issue.

yeah.. I would just turn him so you can see what he is up to for now. I think weighing it out, It is definitely safer to have him ff and be able to get on him ASAP then finding him out and about.. Maybe once you turn him he will be happier and not mess with it.

An Aurora · Apr 15, 2011

Did you try some of those suggestions that others had in my thread?

Escaping harness - Talk me out of FF in my car (IE Stop him!)

trippsmom

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