thoughts on Sunday NYT Magazine column

Thanksgiving_Twins_Mom · Jul 28, 2009

the Other 0.1% by Matt Bai in last Sunday's NY times Magazine - made me wonder how many of you do something to render unused seatbelts inaccessible to curious young LO's (DH asked why we never worried about one of our kids getting tangled up in the center belt like the author's child did, and I replied that it was a non-issue since our '97 Civic has a center lap belt without an automatic locking retractor and the other rear seat belts were always in use to secure DDs' car seats)

and of course I started wondering - was the 3Yo outboard and grabbed the center belt, or was he in a LATCH installed seat in the center so the belt was free for him to grab?

Maedze · Jul 28, 2009

My oldest child did this in a forward facing Britax Wizard a few YEARS back. It was installed outboard in a 2000 Dodge Stratus with lightweight locking latchplates. He managed to reach behind him, get the shoulder belt and wrap it around his neck. Of course it wasn't locked, but he did start to strangle himself before DH realized.

(edited it to correct date, this was years, not weeks, ago! Most of the 'tips and tricks' to prevent this would not have worked in this situation because the seat was installed with a belt, but not locked at the retractor)

AtTheSouthDam · Jul 28, 2009

I do. If the seat belt is not in use it is either disconnected from the seat or buckled and locked. I have to remember to undo the middle row one every time DH has carpool and usually do

mommy2jasmine · Jul 28, 2009

I could totally see my DD do this. She likes to grab things with her feet, including the middle shoulder belt, and I can always hear her back there pulling on it and playing with it. I'll be crossing my fingers, and of course, always carrying a knife of some sort in the glove box, from now on.

southpawboston · Jul 28, 2009

i've discussed this before-- my method is to tuck the unused belt behind the rear seat. since the rear seat folds down, it's possible to position the belt behind the seat while the seat is folded forward. doing this doesn't interfere with the seat locking mechanism, the seat just sandwiches the belt between the seat and the car's frame. this way the belts are completely inaccessible to LOs.

fyrfightermomma · Jul 28, 2009

Right now I don't. If I leave them where they are not buckled there is no way in high heaven my RFing child will get to it. It's way too far away (captains chair of a minivan). And my FFing child has massive SIP wings so theres no way she can get to it either.

But if I buckled it across the seat and then installed her seat, the shoulder belt would lay right across where her feet go. She easily could hook a foot under and pull it to her if she wanted (locking latchplates, not retractors). If i had a seat other than the YS I probably would put the seatbelt behind the FFing seat but with that seat theres no way they can get to it.

So for now in our situation, I leave them. If I buckled them first, then the RFing child could get to it.

kathysr98 · Jul 28, 2009

Great! One more thing for me to obsess about...will have to remove seat, tuck seatbelt in and reinstall...in three cars.

daniele_ut · Jul 29, 2009

I can't remember in which car manual I read it, but one of our car manuals said you should always buckle the seatbelt and lock it before installing a seat with LATCH in front of it so that a child could not strangle themselves with the loose belt. I've always done that, but I haven't taken care of the unused belt. I will now, though. Southpawboston's method would work in my car as well.

emandbri · Jul 29, 2009

My seats are installed with seat belts but when I had them installed with latch I locked the seat belt, I also try to remember to tell parents about it at checks.

celtic1885 · Jul 29, 2009

emandbri said:
My seats are installed with seat belts but when I had them installed with latch I locked the seat belt, I also try to remember to tell parents about it at checks.

Great idea/suggestion! rep'd you.

outnumberedby6 · Jul 29, 2009

kathysr98 said:
Great! One more thing for me to obsess about...will have to remove seat, tuck seatbelt in and reinstall...in three cars.

:yeahthat:

Babywearing Meghan · Jul 29, 2009

outnumberedby6 said:
:yeahthat:

x3..I had the two rear facing seats in captains chairs with latch but I just got my frontier and turned Fiona ffing, I have it in with latch at the moment even though lbp is working for us too.. the latch is just easy.. I took the belt and buckled it behind the captains chair locked it, cause Julianna can reach it from her booster and she is always playing with it.. I have caught them playing with seat belts before:thumbsdown:

outnumberedby6 · Jul 29, 2009

Babywearing Meghan said:
x3..I had the two rear facing seats in captains chairs with latch but I just got my frontier and turned Fiona ffing, I have it in with latch at the moment even though lbp is working for us too.. the latch is just easy.. I took the belt and buckled it behind the captains chair locked it, cause Julianna can reach it from her booster and she is always playing with it.. I have caught them playing with seat belts before:thumbsdown:

i think i am set, my littlest is rfing in a ma he cannot reach the shoulder belt.
my middle child is harnessed in a regent, he could try but there is barely any belt left and since he is harnessed he would have no luck at it reaching him all of two inches or so that is left.
my oldest is sitting in a hbb
and in the middle of them is an empty lap only belt
the other captain chair is empty so i buckled that.
i dont have locking retractors just lightweight locking latch plates but still, my almost 7 year old i can see him doing something like that. he has ADHD and often doesnt think before he does something.
what kind of van do u have? do u like it? i am not pleased with mine

Babywearing Meghan · Jul 29, 2009

outnumberedby6 said:
i think i am set, my littlest is rfing in a ma he cannot reach the shoulder belt.
my middle child is harnessed in a regent, he could try but there is barely any belt left and since he is harnessed he would have no luck at it reaching him all of two inches or so that is left.
my oldest is sitting in a hbb
and in the middle of them is an empty lap only belt
the other captain chair is empty so i buckled that.
i dont have locking retractors just lightweight locking latch plates but still, my almost 7 year old i can see him doing something like that. he has ADHD and often doesnt think before he does something.
what kind of van do u have? do u like it? i am not pleased with mine

I could see my 7 year old doing something like that too! lol.. I have a mercury monteray, it was only made from 03-04 so honestly mine is the only one I have ever seen.. Its OK.. I don't hate it but I think there are minivans I like better.. the toyotas seem nice... my third row is IMPOSSIBLE TO install a seat with seat belt.. the pull out 4 inches no matter what I do even if they do not move at all at side to side at the belt path.. and there is no room to rf back there esp with a radian.

outnumberedby6 · Jul 29, 2009

Yea my inlaws and my friend just got hers and they have the stow and go seats. What a pain. The back seat sits 3 but not 3 car seats. At least not easily. If at all. The seats are very close together too which means u cant rf in the back and the doors open on each side which is nice cept u will have to forego one door to rf in one of the two captain chairs in the middle.
At least she has latch.

we do not.

thoughts on Sunday NYT Magazine column

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