Almot 3 y.o. unbuckling himself...

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
OK, for more background I also just posted a question above in Car Seats...

My cousin, 3 in late July, right now in an expired OHS. He will be getting a new seat from me tonight at dinner (either DD's spare Scenera or a Chase that I will buy).

He's an escape artist. I think this is the main reason Mom put him in the p.o.s. OHS. He unbuckles THE SEAT BELT - not the harness. The actual seat belt which is holding the seat in. They also have ELR seat belts (I installed using the lcoking clip - Mom had no idea how :confused: ), so when he unbuckles the belt, he's essentially sliding around on the seat. It's a big red button - there's no way he's not pushing it, you know? IS there a way (besides stronger parenting - a la "this car is not moving") to keep him from pushing it?
 
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easterbun

New member
Can you twist the belt stalk so the button is less accessable? That's what I would do.. otherwise I know I saw something recently.. but I don't remember where.. that basically "child proofs" the buckle release - it's like a plastic sheild that goes over the button, but I'm not sure how it works.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
Would it help at all to cover the buckle over with a blanket so he can't see it? Or is this so fascinating to him that he knows where it is and WILL find it on purpose?

Sounds like it could be a control/attention issue. He will obviously get some attention when he undoes the seat. Maybe the OHS has already distracted him from this? Would it help to do a number of trips with someone sitting beside him telling him no over and over?

Just thinking out loud.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
Honestly, if he's tightening in the harness properly he would have to have gorilla arms to reach the seatbelt buckle - esoecially in an OHS seat.
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
1) Definitely make sure the seat is otherwise being used properly--straps tight, etc.

2) If it is, and he can still reach the buckle, there are a couple of things you can try. First, simply flipping the female end of the buckle so that it's facing down might be enough. Some parents have had success using a small piece of hook & loop ("velcro") tape on the button. Use the hook side, which feels prickly. Small fingers often can't put enough pressure on the prickles to push the button in, while adults don't have that problem. Here's an example of what I mean.
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
OOO, good idea with the velcro - I'll pick some up on my way over there. My first thought was to twist the stalk, but the whole think is recessed into the seat- the only thing that sticks out is the actual button and where the latch goes - it's on a bench seat in a T&C minivan, if that helps.

My main worry, is that I'm going to get him out of that OHS, and he's going to immediately un-harness himself (this is one strong kid). I honestly have no idea HOW he's reaching the buckle at all (especially with it recessed in there like it is), but I bet it has something to do with him not being harnessed tightly. He's very strong-willed, so I'm not surprised that she doesn't fight him (I would fight back about car safety, obviously, but he fights pretty much everything - he's TWO, lol)

But really, I'm going to get the velcro. (I think I'll put a little piece on the seat belt release, and a little square on the harness release - that's OK, right?)
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
I've seen techs argue that you shouldn't use the velcro, because it's "modifying" the seat. In extreme situations, I think it's the lesser of evils. You're not modifying the seat in a way that will affect its performance in a crash, so I don't really see it as a big deal (although it might void the warantee if the manufacturer wants to get picky), but having a seat that is unbuckled is definitely a huge safety issue.
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
Re: Almot 3 y.o. unbuckling himself... UPDATE

OK, so he fit in DD's Scenera with about an inch to go (guess what he's getting for his birthday next month! ;) ). I didn't do the velcro on the buckle, because I can barely undo the thing, and he couldn't when he tried (the kid loves all things buckle).

I looked at the seat belt stalk again, and managed to turn it once (it was REALLY hard), as well as put a thing of velcro on it. There is NO WAY EVER this child can unbuckle himself now. Really.

I also had a long talk with Mom about why I was confiscating her seat :D ("can't I give it to Grandma?" :eek: ). By the end she genuwinely understood and somewhat cared, and asked me about my older girl cousins' seats (8 y.o. in a booster, and she loves it - yay!, and 5 y.o. in another booster that's passable).

Anyway, this is my first confiscation, so here are the gruesome pictures before I take the snips and boxcutter to it:

OHS.jpg


And the best looking sticker (most were totally gone, but this one was barely hanging on, and crumpled when I prodded it:thumbsdown: )
P6070018.jpg
 

R&J'sMom

New member
Doesn't it make you wonder how a person could put a child in such a disgusting seat? I mean, even if someone doesn't realize it's expired or unsafe, it's filthy, you know?? Maybe I'm just different, bu I am a fanatic about things being perfect and extremely clean for my children.
Good for you for getting him out of that seat!!!
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Yikes, that is one dirty seat. Good for you for confiscating it & getting it out of circulation. :thumbsup: And yay for him being in a safe seat that's installed correctly now.

Great idea about the velcro tip. It's definitely one to hang on to.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
Yuck. I agree, even if it was perfectly safe, I don't know if I could bring myself to use this icky seat for my son. Glad you have rescued your cousin.
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
Believe it or not, I brushed it off a little before taking the pic :eek:

For the record, these are great, clean people (I am willing to bet that their house with 3 kids is vacuumed more than mine, and I have a young toddler :( ) But their car is a disaster area. I mean, bad. When I took the OHS out, I was shocked at the underneath - filthy. They're really busy people, and all the kids are in multiple activities and sports and such (as well as the parents), and I know they don't have time to be doing everything.

When I installed the Scenera and explained about it (I told them I was "loaning it" to them, so they wouldn't try to give it back next week), she kept saying "you don't understand, it will be trashed in a week" - um, yeah, I realize that, I would rather eat the $40 and have him safe than him being in a unsafe dirty seat like that...
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
I haven't kept up on the story, but assuming they've been using the seat for a while, maybe they didn't realize how bad it had gotten. Dirt accumulates gradually, and it's easy to become "blind" to how the seat actually looks when you're using it on a daily basis.

My seats aren't that bad, but I've been meaning to bring them in and wash the covers since the weather got warm, and I still haven't gotten it done.
 

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