Autistic 3 year old destroying seat

oscarbosie · Apr 13, 2013

I recently moved my 3.5 year old to her brother's Frontier because she had about a quarter inch left in her Marathon. She has now destroyed the foam in the head rest twice by reaching back and pulling off the fabric, then taking out the foam and snapping it several times. By the time I can find a place to pull over, it's too late to stop her.

She is very large for her age. 3y5m and 42 inches, 42 lb. And she has a long torso. She is on the same harness setting that her 6 year old brother was on when I moved him. It's the second from last. I think. What other options do I have? Is there something I can do with the fabric to keep her from getting it off? What other seats are there? She has a Maestro for back up, but because of her sensory issues she hates the straps and the crotch buckle placement. What on earth am I going to do with her? She will definitely not be ready for a booster when she outgrows the Frontier, even if I can get her to stop destroying the foam.

DaniannieB · Apr 13, 2013

Have you called Britax to see if they have any suggestions for keeping the cover on so she can't take it off?

It would be pricey, but you could look into a special needs seat like the Merritt Roosevelt or the SnugSeat (Britax) Traveller, which would allow her to remain harnessed but don't have the kind of headwings that are on most of the HWH seats now.

gagenivy · Apr 13, 2013

Hugs! My son went through the same issue. The only seat I could keep him safely restrained in was the Evenflo HBB. I know how hard it is

MommyShannon · Apr 13, 2013

You might look at the SureRide. It doesn't have headwings so it might be easier to keep the cover secure (taped from behind maybe?) and a 19" harness which is the tallest seat available besides the Frontier. It won't solve the problem long term but it might work better for now. It goes on sale for $80 sometimes.

henrietta · Apr 17, 2013

gagenivy said:
Hugs! My son went through the same issue. The only seat I could keep him safely restrained in was the Evenflo HBB. I know how hard it is

But at only 3.5 yrs old, she is safer in any harnessed seat than in any high back booster. Even if the foam is pulled off, I still think the Frontier is safer than any high back booster seat.

3.5 is not an acceptable booster age for any child. Their bones are not developed and ossified enough. It's also illegal in some states and voids the instructions on some booster seats (more are adding 4 as an age minimum every day).

henrietta · Apr 17, 2013

Another option, that Wendy suggested to a parent of a 3 yr w/PICA, was to call Britax and ask them if the foam can be removed and left off OR if there's an acceptable way to secure it (like taping the cover over it).

Also, giving her something else she CAN destroy while in the car might help distract her. They sell "fidgets" of all kinds in the Achievements catalog (http://www.achievement-products.com/) that she can't hurt herself with.

Does she hate the headwings? A regular old Radian is shallow and doesn't have headwings, if that's the main issue to her.

I have a 7 yr old w/high functioning autism...and although carseats haven't bothered him much, I could see him destroying other things that bugged him at that age.

gagenivy · Apr 23, 2013

henrietta said:
But at only 3.5 yrs old, she is safer in any harnessed seat than in any high back booster. Even if the foam is pulled off, I still think the Frontier is safer than any high back booster seat.

3.5 is not an acceptable booster age for any child. Their bones are not developed and ossified enough. It's also illegal in some states and voids the instructions on some booster seats (more are adding 4 as an age minimum every day).

Agreed. It was a harnessed seat. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

henrietta · May 6, 2013

gagenivy said:
Agreed. It was a harnessed seat. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

That's ok.

It's always better if we clarify, just in case, for the sake of others who are just reading for their own knowledge and haven't posted a question of their own.

TheNimpsGirl · May 21, 2013

henrietta said:
Does she hate the headwings? A regular old Radian is shallow and doesn't have headwings, if that's the main issue to her.

I have a 7 yr old w/high functioning autism...and although carseats haven't bothered him much, I could see him destroying other things that bugged him at that age.

My son has sensory issues and if something is bothering him he will flat out destroy it, rip it off or mangle it till it is out of his way.

On the flip side, maybe she enjoys the feeling of the material snapping? My son is a sensory seeker and once he finds something that appeals to him, it is very hard to get him to stop the behavior without distracting him to something similar.

Besides the fidgets, what about something like Playfoam? It won't snap like the foam but it still has the foam balls? Or what if you went out and got some of the rigid foam boards that are used for packaging, cut them down and put them in a ziplock? Basically make a sensory bag filled with foam?

MaKoski · May 22, 2013

Have you looked into E Z on vests it might be a good option for now and down the road when she outgrows traditional car seats. She shouldn't be able to destroy it as long as you get one that zips up the back.

LM4M · May 26, 2013

What about taking those clips that hold sheets on mattresses (like this [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005VL1NXG"]Set of 8 Bed Sheet Grippers Mattress Straps Metal Clips:Amazon:Home & Kitchen[/ame] ) and clip one clip to one side of the cover and one to the other side (behind the seat) so when she tries to pull it forward, it won't come off?

I know that's really random, but I can't imagine it could interfere with the function of the seat in any way, and could be worth a shot. That's all I could think of trying.

Autistic 3 year old destroying seat

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