Just came across this product for car seat escape artists, "Monkey Tyz". Thoughts?

I saw a link to this from the Goores page on FB.
I started watching, prepared to be all horrorfied by some scary aftermarket product. I was surprised, I think it actually looks good! Do any of you think it looks like it would interfere in anyway?

http://vimeo.com/28962092



ETA, HOLY COW! Expensive much? http://monkeytyz.com/ :jaw:

Its still an after market product, so wont be approved for use with seats, but I like the idea. They should have shown better usage though :thumbsdown:

I don't like it, for several reasons. My DD was able to undo the side squeeze buckles before she could undo her chest clips, so it wouldn't do anything other than maybe slow her down. It places a hard piece of plastic between the child's chest and harness, which could cause serious injury. And can you imagine what would happen if it was used on a Chase or Eurosport? The chest clip would have no way to either break open or move down, which could injure the child's throat.

A simple mirror for ERFers and consistent, firm parenting is all it takes for neurotypical children.

Yeah, I don't like the look of cramming an extra buckle under the chest clip. I'd be worried about injuries from that.

O/T but I could not stop looking at her hair in the video.

CommMom said:

O/T but I could not stop looking at her hair in the video.

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LOL I couldn't either!!

As for the product...my first thought was it preventing the clip from breaking in an accident...anyways this doesn't prevent a child from undoing the crotch buckle. My son never messes with the chest clip but I have seen him reach for the crotch buckle. He has never escaped and after reminding him sternly he hasn't tried since..

CommMom said:

O/T but I could not stop looking at her hair in the video.

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TOTALLY! I wanted to post the same thing but since I had nothing productive to add to my comment, I figured I should shut up. :ROTFLMAO: I was thinking, "is this from the 80's?" and expecting to hear "Material Girl" in the background.

CommMom said:

Yeah, I don't like the look of cramming an extra buckle under the chest clip. I'd be worried about injuries from that.

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True, I didn't think of that. I think it's too expensive anyway, yikes!

CommMom said:

O/T but I could not stop looking at her hair in the video.

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who had an issue with her hair

I please ask that whoever decides to bring down this woman's world to do so kindly.

There are oodles of aftermarket products out there yet we are attacking mom and pop companies.

Oh, and don't mention her hair, either ;-)

Her hair was my first thought too!
I also don't like the product at all :thumbsdown:

The buckle will dig into the child's chest, not only making it uncomfortable, but dangerous. All the child has to do is undo that buckle, then they can get to the chest clip easily.

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I wish she'd find a way to sell this to the carseat companies, honestly I'm sick to death of not having some sort of solution to sell parents who come in daily asking for something to keep their kids buckled...but if it were sold by Graco for Graco or something, wouldn't that be awesome? Recommending discipline gets old. Wouldn't stop them from pushing it down, which is generally the problem, isn't it? I dunno, I just wish harnesses were better. Can't someone invent a better harness so people don't have to keep trying to invent stuff to fix the underlying problem?

I wonder if she researched the way chest clips behave in a collision and the injuries that are common from them. I'm not sure she would have gone with the buckle... ouch!


When DD2 started unbuckling her chest clip, I ignored it and she stopped after a week. With a properly tightened harness, she wasn't in any danger. If she continued, I probably would have started rewards for keeping it buckled but I was lucky she got bored with it.

joolsplus3 said:

I wish she'd find a way to sell this to the carseat companies, honestly I'm sick to death of not having some sort of solution to sell parents who come in daily asking for something to keep their kids buckled...but if it were sold by Graco for Graco or something, wouldn't that be awesome? Recommending discipline gets old. Wouldn't stop them from pushing it down, which is generally the problem, isn't it? I dunno, I just wish harnesses were better. Can't someone invent a better harness so people don't have to keep trying to invent stuff to fix the underlying problem?

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:yeahthat: !!

Unfortunately my favorite solution is MUCH easier said than done. *Properly tighten your kids in and nix the chest clips. /rant

The fix for DD seems to be a mirror. I initially put it in so I could check (at red lights) if she had unbuckled. As soon as I put the mirror in, she quite doing it, so I took it out. She immediately started unbuckling again. I put the mirror back, no more unbuckling. I think it's a distraction for her. With the mirror, she can see out the front. RFing with mirror is safer than FFing, so she keeps the mirror. I'll try taking it out again in a couple of months, when hopefully she will have forgotten about it.

I didn't like the plastic buckle (Velcro would be better), but it looked like it had stretchy cords that wrap around the sides of the chest clip ( to fit all sizes of clips). I wonder if they would expand easily enough in an accident to allow the chest clip to do what it would normally? Still doesn't prevent sliding the clip down.

Beyond that, unbuckling a chest clip is often the least of the worries as these kids are often undoing the bottom buckles too which is what really is holding them in place. They undo the bottom and then slide out from under the chest clip right? Is it because the harness is too loose?

Is there a certain type of kid or certain age that they are prone to doing this? My DD has never tried to unbuckle ever, and she rarely helps to buckle herself in. She just now is wanting to help more and she's almost 4yo. I always have made sure her harness is very snug, therefore when you unclip the chest clip it pretty much stays together because the harness straps are snug enough in place. KWIM?

Is undoing the clips/buckles just a product of a too loose harness or just something some kids do and others don't? Just curious.

Kayleen said:

I didn't like the plastic buckle (Velcro would be better), but it looked like it had stretchy cords that wrap around the sides of the chest clip ( to fit all sizes of clips). I wonder if they would expand easily enough in an accident to allow the chest clip to do what it would normally? Still doesn't prevent sliding the clip down.

Beyond that, unbuckling a chest clip is often the least of the worries as these kids are often undoing the bottom buckles too which is what really is holding them in place. They undo the bottom and then slide out from under the chest clip right? Is it because the harness is too loose?

Is there a certain type of kid or certain age that they are prone to doing this? My DD has never tried to unbuckle ever, and she rarely helps to buckle herself in. She just now is wanting to help more and she's almost 4yo. I always have made sure her harness is very snug, therefore when you unclip the chest clip it pretty much stays together because the harness straps are snug enough in place. KWIM?

Is undoing the clips/buckles just a product of a too loose harness or just something some kids do and others don't? Just curious.

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It's something that some kids do and others don't. My DD's straps are tight enough, but she unbuckles. She does it because she can, and because she's investigating her limits, and it's right there. When she unbuckled, she never did anything else like try to get her arms out, but I didn't want her to ever try anything else so I nipped it in the bud.

If the straps are tight enough and the child doesn't mess with the crotch buckle, then it shouldn't matter if the chest clip is undone. The primary purpose of the chest clip is to keep the harness on the shoulders.

More kids unbuckle the chest clip or slide it down and then climb out the top, leaving the crotch strap buckled. It's easier to do this if the harness is too loose, but possible with a properly tightened harness as well. FWIW, my DD is not strong enough to undo the crotch buckle, so if she was going to escape fully from her seat, she would have to do it with that buckle still done.

Thank you wonderful moms for your comments and questions.
There are a few areas I'd like to comment on so that you can make an informed decision as to whether or not Monkey Tyz is right for you and your child.

This product was created to deter kids from unbuckling their top buckle. There are other products out there that address lower buckles, upper straps and seat belt attachments. My inspiration was to build something to deal with my son's issue of unbuckling - not all kids will do that, as some of you mention. Yale University just conducted a study released in May 2011 that shows 1 out of 3 children will unbuckle. There are 4 million babies born in the US each year. So the problem is real and many mothers are resorting to duct tape and turkey ties.

As for crash testing, it’s a little grey in terms of what is required of us as inventors. Technically because we are an "accessory" there are currently no safety regulations or guidelines for us to adhere to. We fit in the same category as the head rests and other car seat attachments. We have been in touch with the, Office of Traffic Safety OTS, NTSB, CHP, certified car seat installers and car seat manufacturers who have given us their feedback. Although we aren't required to do it we are working with three different car seat manufactures that will be doing crash testing for us near future. We are also talking about co-branding with a different car seat manufacturer as well. The support from the manufacturers has been overwhelming. The crash testing will be done with both buckle and Velcro to compare the two tests. Once this happens we will be put on the approved list for each manufacturer. We know that the car seat installers want us on the “list” and we are making great strides in this arena.

The buckle on the back is the best latching solution we have found. It is about the thickness of a large button that you may have on your own clothing; and our belief is that if you were to get into a collision, at least the chest clip buckle will be latched and your child will be in their seat. Until crash tests are performed, we won’t know the physical affects to a child's body. We believe it’s minimal and so do the manufacturers’

Velcro may work to deter younger children, but by the time they are 24 months and older, they would figure it out pretty quickly. We would hope that as a child gets older, and they can be 'reasoned with" or "rewarded" for staying buckled you may not need Monkey Tyz, and that is our goal!

As with any product made, we are constantly thinking about ways to improve it, and other products we might find to keep our little ones safe. If we can save one life then all of these efforts are worth it all. Below I have attached a video from the media addressing the Yale University study. If you have any questions or want to contact me directly, I'd be happy to chat with you about any ideas or feedback you have.

Thanks again for your comments.
Gayleen Pellicano, Founder and CEO, Monkey Tyz
monkeytyz@gmail.com

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY7-tek9sMc"]Survey: Young Kids Unbuckling Car Seats - YouTube[/ame]

I can't see myself using any sort of aftermarket product, because the car seat manual explicitly states not to.

DO NOT use accessories or parts other
than those provided by Graco. Their use
could alter the performance of the child
restraint.

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If you can get Graco to offer this as an accessory then I would consider it acceptable to use, but until then it falls into the same category of "aftermarket product"

Like someone said above, if the straps are tight and the crotch buckle done up..the chest clip isn't a big deal.

My dd was unbuckling hers recently. She didn't move it down just unbuckled it. Her straps are nice and tight so I just ignored her unbuckling the chest clip. With no reaction from me, she stopped after a week or so.

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