Question Child can loosen the harness on her Britax Marathon 65 - what to do??

[Jenavira]

My daughter just turned three and is RF in a Britax Marathon 65. This kid really dislikes being confined in the car seat and is also too smart for her own good, so she recently figured out how to put her hand through the cover of the car seat and loosen the harness. She is reaching through the outer slot that's meant to put the buckle through when they get bigger (if that makes sense) and from there she can reach the the little lever that loosens the harness.

Needless to say, this is NOT GOOD. I did a quick Google search to see what other people have done in this situation, since she is surely not the first kid to figure that out, and found some information that indicated that Britax has some sort of accessory that would block that off so she can't reach it.

So I called Britax to inquire, and the rep I spoke to said that they do not have such an accessory for this seat since it's relatively new, and advised me to discipline my child more effectively so that she doesn't do that. Um, excuse me? I am completely unimpressed. I have put some duct tape over that slot, but it's only a matter of time before she pulls it off and in the meantime I am worried sick every time we get in the car that she's going to loosen the harness and THAT is the moment that some maniac will hit us.

As soon as I have a few minutes I need to call Britax back and demand that they do something about this, since when I spend hundreds of dollars on a car seat I should not have to jury-rig it to make it safe for my child. And if they don't have a solution, I want my money back so I can get a seat that she can't undo. In the meantime, does anybody have any ideas on how I could secure that slot more effectively?

 

[bree]

Hi there! I'm sorry that you are dealing with this issue. Unfortunately, it is common for kids to be able reach harness adjusters (or open chest clips or crotch buckles) to try to get out of their seats, so hopefully the posters here will be able to provide tips to help you out to stop your daughter from doing that.

You are correct that Britax used to have a piece to go over the adjuster on the old versions of their seats. I had one for my now-expired 2006 Britax Boulevard. I seem to remember that Britax changed covers at some point to address the issue; I believed my 2008 Marathon had the resigned cover, so it may be a situation where since the cover was already redesigned that they no longer have that piece available. It may be worthwhile to call back and talk to another rep, because they may still have a the piece available in a warehouse or something.

One of the solutions mentioned on Car-Seat.org to help kids learn not to touch their harness adjuster/chest clips/crotch buckles is to plan a fun trip (going out for an ice cream cone or something), and if the kiddo touches the harness adjuster, you turn around and go home. You could also look into getting a lightweight mirror so that you can see when she is touching the adjuster.

It's been a long time since I've seen this issue mentioned, but I also believe that parents used to sew the flap in front of the adjuster closed so that only 1 adult finger could fit through on the bottom. I don't know if that's possible to apply that advice to a buckle slot in the cover, though. We also used to ask parents to make sure the harness was appropriately snug and the chest clip was in the right place, but some kiddos just have long enough arms that they can reach the harness adjuster even when properly buckled (like my son), so I assume that you are dealing with the same thing, which I know is frustrating.

I think we also used to recommend just putting a little piece of cardboard in front of the harness adjuster? I don't know if that's a good idea or not, but maybe someone with a better memory than me will chime in.

Good luck! I hope you are able to figure out a solution, and I think it's so awesome that your 3 year old is still RF!

 

[Jenavira]

bree, thanks for the response! We do have a mirror and we've already implemented the "touch that tape and we will go straight home" plan. So far it's worked all right but it's only been a few days, and I really don't want to rely on a strip of duct tape and a three-year-old's impulse control! I don't think she can reach the slot for the harness adjuster, she's just reaching through that buckle slot, so maybe I'll end up basting that shut until we need to use it. This is just SO frustrating!

 

[CTPDMom]

bree, thanks for the response! We do have a mirror and we've already implemented the "touch that tape and we will go straight home" plan. So far it's worked all right but it's only been a few days, and I really don't want to rely on a strip of duct tape and a three-year-old's impulse control! I don't think she can reach the slot for the harness adjuster, she's just reaching through that buckle slot, so maybe I'll end up basting that shut until we need to use it. This is just SO frustrating!

I understand your frustration! It's important to remember that 3 year olds are just frustrating...period. LOL

You want to remain able to remove her from her seat quickly in an emergency. So while I do get that you'd like an easy fix from Britax, I can also understand why they won't provide one.

And I am sorry that you were upset by the Britax reps suggestion that this was a parenting issue, but I agree. For a neurotypical 3 year old this is something that can be resolved with behavior modification. My suggestion would be what Bree mentioned and what you have been doing.

It sounds like you're on the right track now, and I hope it continues for you!