Any tips on dealing with a stubborn child who will no longer buckle themselves?....

emandbri

Well-known member
Benjamin says that he can't buckle the radian. I've tried loosening the straps because that is how he was able to buckle the MA by himself but he says he still can't buckle it, whines and says "I like my green seat," "I hate this seat" :blah blah blah::blah blah blah:. I think he is full of it. I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to buckle it.

It is harder for me to buckle the radian than it was the MA because it sits lower so it is harder for me to reach back from the driver's side to buckle it. It is also much harder to tighten. I told him if I can buckle the radian with ONE hand surely he can buckle it with two. :whistle:

Any tips?
 
ADS

solmama

Active member
My dd is 5 and doesn't buckle her own seat. For some odd reason she doesn't have the coordination, yet. I don't expect her to, anyway.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
My DS has trouble buckling sometimes. It always seems to happen when we're in the pickup line at school, of course. :rolleyes: I've found that if he can get the buckle tongues inserted in the buckle at least a little bit, I can reach back and easily snap them it. It works out well because he doesn't (always) have the strength/coordination to buckle completely, and when we're actually in the car I don't have the strength/coordination to turn reach back and buckle him completely. So we tag team. :p
 

Splash

New member
Buckle him yourself. Maybe he really can't do it, or maybe he's getting back at you because he really hates the seat (Charlie HATED the RN. He screamed for almost the entire way on a 2 hour drive because he HATED that seat. Every time I tried to put him into it, he would start screaming and try to climb out. I sold it pronto, because I knew he was never gonna accept it.
 

skueppers

New member
I think you're right that he's being stubborn, but if it were me, I'd just do it for him until he decided he wanted to be more independent again. It's not as though it really takes more than a few seconds to do.

It strikes me that this is just like getting a kid to get dressed, or eat their breakfast, or any of the other many things they have to do every day. If it really matters to you that he do it himself, I'd use whatever techniques you normally use to get him to do what needs to be done.

I'd probably try to find out what the problem is- it sounds like he misses his old seat- and see if there are any creative solutions. If he's outgrown it or it expired, letting him use it obviously isn't an option, but perhaps he has some other ideas. At the very least, listening to him and trying to find a solution together is likely to help him feel better.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I do think you should consider the possibility that he can't easily buckle this different seat by himself. ;) My DS has a harder time buckling the Regent than the Nautilus, for instance, and he's nearly 8. :twocents:
 

mominabigtruck

New member
Dallas can't even buckle himself into a booster seat so I wouldn't find it at all strange that a child couldn't buckle himself into a 5pt harness.
 

Splash

New member
Charlie can buckle himself into the GN with ease, but he still occasionally says he can't, so I do it for him.

It's also important to realize what their language skills are. He might not have any other word to express his sentiment other than can't. He might be looking for a word and settling on "can't" because it's the closest he can come to what he wants to say. Charlie can't grasp the concept of "will be" but he has "was" down. So he tells us often about when he was a big boy and when he went to school and when he used to drive and when he went to MN. All of these things are things he wants to do or will do, but he can't comprehend the future in that kind of abstract, so he talks about it like it already happened. It's just language comprehension. While a 5 year old admittedly has more than most 3.5 year olds (though you haven't met Charlie... that kid scares me sometimes), he still doesn't have the range that we have.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Karsten couldn't buckle himself into *anything* till about age 6 when we got the backless big kid booster (then a lightbulb went on and he realized he was capable, then he figured out the Super Elite just fine)....annnnyway... the RN IS harder than the MA a bit. Sahara Frontier? :D (just kidding....sort of...)
:)
 

emandbri

Well-known member
He is too tall for the marathon so going back to it isn't an option.

Sahara Frontier? :D (just kidding....sort of...)
:)

I admit I have considered it. I only have 5 months until he starts kindergarten, at least then I wouldn't be dealing with it like 4 times a day. ;)

I also thought about putting him on the side but then I have the problem I had last year where I'm correcting the teachers every time to not buckle him in with the straps twisted.

It would also then be hard for the older boys to get the back unless I put Elizabeth in the middle but then it would be harder to buckle her in.

I could take out the middle seat in the van and have the boys go around the captain's chair. This was a problem with my old van but only because the older boys had to get out of the van and get around the captain's chair with Benjamin in it. Now I could just make sure they get in before Benjamin.

hummm
 

Maedze

New member
Bean the First can't manage his Nauti. It's a bit of a pain because he's in the third row so I have to climb back there, too :rolleyes:

With a lot of psychological persuasion I've managed to convince him to do the retainer clip anyway.
 

Heamae

New member
Madison would some times buckle herself in her MA but some times say she cant and then I would do it. Now she is in the FN and says she cant but I figured she just hasnt gotten comfortable with the seat yet. Now my 2 year old is the opposite! She insists on buckling herself!!! She does the chest clip and if I do it for her she screams!!
 

MySweetAGL

New member
My 5yo can only get the chest clip. We don't loosen / tighten (just leave it tight) the straps, so it'd be next to impossible for her to be able to buckle it all.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
He is too tall for the marathon so going back to it isn't an option.



I admit I have considered it. I only have 5 months until he starts kindergarten, at least then I wouldn't be dealing with it like 4 times a day. ;)

I also thought about putting him on the side but then I have the problem I had last year where I'm correcting the teachers every time to not buckle him in with the straps twisted.

It would also then be hard for the older boys to get the back unless I put Elizabeth in the middle but then it would be harder to buckle her in.

I could take out the middle seat in the van and have the boys go around the captain's chair. This was a problem with my old van but only because the older boys had to get out of the van and get around the captain's chair with Benjamin in it. Now I could just make sure they get in before Benjamin.

hummm

Can you put Benjamin outboard, and Elizabeth in the middle. Buckle Benjamin and have Elizabeth crawl in and get ready in her seat (Sofi is center, and she crawls in passenger's side, goes under her seat to climb on empty driver's side seat to get in). THe older kids can flip the driver's side seat, and you can flip it back down, and sit on it to buckle Elizabeth.

Maybe he can practice buckling and unbuckling before school starts? Or is it preschool teachers NOW that are the problem?
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Or is it preschool teachers NOW that are the problem?

It is the teachers now that are a problem, in July he will be riding the bus.

After I thought about it more he has buckled the radian in the past just not since I made it his primary seat so he is just being stubborn. .

Today I went out to the van early so we wouldn't be rushed. I loosened the straps like I have before told him to get in and told him if he buckled it he could choose a song on the ipod. I then went inside instead of watching him which I also think helped. Sure enough he was able to buckle it and when the preschool teacher brought him out I turned to help him and he said that he could do it himself and he did!
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
It is the teachers now that are a problem, in July he will be riding the bus.

After I thought about it more he has buckled the radian in the past just not since I made it his primary seat so he is just being stubborn. .

Today I went out to the van early so we wouldn't be rushed. I loosened the straps like I have before told him to get in and told him if he buckled it he could choose a song on the ipod. I then went inside instead of watching him which I also think helped. Sure enough he was able to buckle it and when the preschool teacher brought him out I turned to help him and he said that he could do it himself and he did!

awesome! :)
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Thanks guys! I posted, got in the shower and started thinking about how I got him to buckle himself in the marathon, and then remembered the song thing. I've done this before, it is almost as if I have to post to organize my thoughts! :D
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I'm in the same boat here...dd has been buckling her nauti for almost a year, and now suddenly, she can't unbuckle it by herself anymore? She pushes a bit and then starts screaming and crying when it doesn't unlatch. I'm at my wits end, because I physically can not reach it from where I am, without literally getting out of the car and walking around to her side, and we are running into the problem in the car line at school, where time is very much of the essence and you are not supposed to exit your vehicle.

i saw the frontier mentioned,but sort of jokingly? Is the frontier easier to unbuckle? We have one on the way....
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top