Toddler sticking hand/arm through harness

V

VanIsleMommy

Guest
my three year old was doing this about a year ago but has started again... he periodically will stick his hand and can manage to get his wrist and forearm through the harness above the chest clip. the chest clip is at his nipples and the harness passes the pinch test. I've been making the harness a tad tighter than I normally would because I'm afraid he's going to get his arm through or pull the harness off his shoulders.

any advice???
 
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featherhead

Well-known member
At 3 years old, I'd say (unless he is not a typical 3 year old) teach him not to do it. Explain to him why he can't do that. Discipline if necessary.
 

Pixels

New member
Ignore it. As long as the harness is staying on his shoulders, he's not going to accomplish anything. He'll give up soon enough.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Can you take a picture of him buckled in to the seat? You can blur his face if it makes you more comfortable.

I'm just having difficulty imagining how he could have room to force his arm in there above his chest clip.

Pixels may be right - it may be impossible for him to actually get his shoulder out - there simply shouldn't be enough slack for him to get his arm in any further - especially at that point on his body. If it was down on his tummy then the angle would be around the chest clip and it would still be no big deal.

But maybe you can take a picture so we can spot if there's anything else going on?
 
V

VanIsleMommy

Guest
he's rear facing so I can't always see him doing it, I just happened to see him doing it the other day while fiddling with something in the back seat before we left. thinking about it now I don't think there's any way he could slip his shoulder out (unless he was able to push the clip down?), it just worries be that his arm is in between the harness. I imagine at the very least it would be a broken arm in a car accident.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Is your seat a continuous harness design? Maybe he's pulling more slack out of one side to get additional slack on the other. Next time he does it, check and see if the strap is tighter on one side than the other (and of course make sure they're evenly tight on both sides when you first buckle him in).

Also, a mirror so you are more likely to catch him in the act would be helpful. Not, of course, that you can drive around staring at your child in the rear view mirror, but you can at least check on him at stop lights.

If it's not a continuous harness system, then ignore me. I have no ideas. If it is, and if that seems to be the issue, maybe a different seat that doesn't have that harness design would work.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
My 2 year old unbuckled the harness in his MR a few times while we were driving (fortunately I was sitting in the back of the van with the baby and saw him do it). I told him that if he didn't stop doing it, we would get in an accident, and he would never see mommy or daddy or his grandparents or his sister or his Thomas trains ever again. That seemed to do the trick.
 
V

VanIsleMommy

Guest
thanks ladies, I'm hoping he doesn't do it again but I will see if I can find the baby mirror and put that back there. At the time I told him not to stick his hand in there because his arm would get broken if we got in a car accident, but I don't even think he understands what that means. it could be part of his sensory processing disorder as well, he may have been bothered by the buckle or his shirt pressing on his chest or something.

he just turned three but we're going to have to start teaching him some lessons about car safety, in case he does start to figure out how to undo buckles etc.
 

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