Child is Escaping from Carseat
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
Safety >
Child is Escaping from Carseat
Jan 2008
My 2 year old uses a Britax Roundabout carseat. She has
recently taken to slowly working the chestclip down until it is
directly adjacent to the buckle, making it so that she is only
restrained at the waist. This happens regardless of how tightly
she is buckled in. I called Britax, but they were not able to
help and did not advise pinning it or doing anything like that
since, if we were to have an accident, rescue personnel would
need to be able to easily free her from her seat. Any
suggestions are welcome, since I am becoming increasingly afraid
of taking her anywhere in the car for fear she'll work herself
completely out of her seat. Thanks!
Why don't you try sewing a large button on either strap right
below the chest clip? The button would prevent the clip from
being pushed down.
kelly
Can you sew a large, protruding button on each side of the seatbelt? Position the top
clip in the proper position (across the chest), and then sew the buttons just below
the
clip, so the clip can still be opened and closed easily, but cannot be slid down.
Mommy of 3
My daughter has done this and it is indeed very scary to see her
sitting there with her arms out over the straps. When she does
that, you need to stop and rebuckle her. Mine did not make a
habit of it. I think you may not be adjusting the straps tight
enough. If she is buckled in very snugly and you push the clip
up pretty high on her chest it is harder for her to slide it
down. Hope this helps. If she is a little Houdini and keeps doing
it, then it is a discipline issue. Just explain calmly that you
have to wear the seat belt the right way and you are not allowed
to drive like that.
anon
I have the same problem, I put some duct tape around the strap
to stop them being able to push the buckle down. This works
and does not seem to be a safety issue as an adult can push it
down with some force.
melissa
A few thoughts:
1) Is the seatbelt too tight? Maybe she is doing it because she is uncomfortable.
2) Have you tried giving her something else to occupy her hands while you are in
the car?
3)Instead of tampering with the carseat, how about laying down the law and
teaching her that it is not ok to mess with her seatbelt? It would be be inconvenient
for a couple of days, but if you turned the car around and went home every time she
did it, she would probably stop soon enough.
Tough Love Mama
Nov 2004
My lil Houdini 1 year old gets her arms out of her Roundabout
backwards facing car seat. I have tightened it but she keeps
escaping. This makes the buckle turn in towards her belly.
Yesterday a deer ran out in front of the car, and I had to stop
short. She was fine, but this made me again realize how
dangerous this situation is - she had a slight red mark on her
belly.
Does anyone know if there are additional restraints I can use.
Will turning it around to face front help - we have to do that
now anyway. Should I just get a different style carseat that
stops the escape artist?
Thanks for any and all advice.
Houdini's mom
I know you said you tightened up the straps. You should make
sure only 1 finger of yours fits between the baby's shoulder
and the strap of the seat. Also another thing I see incorrect
with a lot of seats is the chest clip psition. Make sure it is
at arm pit level. If you make sure you do these 2 things it
may help. Otherwise check out this site
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppcarseats?redirCnt=1
there are lots of people there that know more about seats than
I do. Good luck.
Melinda
Dear Houdini's mom, you might need to tighten the shoulder staps even
more. The recommendation (I'm a car seat safety technician) is that the
straps should be tight enough so that you can only fit 1 finger
underneath the stap at the chest/collar bone--that's pretty tight. Turning
the car seat around is not going to make a difference, unless she's trying
to get out to see you. On that note, you may turn the car seat around if
your child is 1 year AND 20lbs--both of these criteria need to be met, not
just being 1 year. As an FYI, I'm not familiar with any after market product
that will help, however if you do find something, please remember that
after market products have not been crash tested with the seat.
Good luck.
Dana
Maybe a convertible car seat would work better for you, assuming
your baby is the correct age/weight/height to be in the
forward-facing position.
I'm not familiar with the particular seat you mention, but
rear-facing carseats are NEVER safe facing forward - they are not
designed fto be secured into the car in that position. Are you
sure the seat's straps are through the correct slots for the best
fit? Is the slide-buckle up high enough (armpit level)? Maybe
you could get an expert to help you assess the fit.
RK
Make sure the shoulder straps are at the right height. As you
know, there are three (I think) slots to choose from in
threading the shoulder straps through the seat. I was told by
the owner at Rockridge Kids (who seems very educated on car
seat stuff) that you should choose the slot either at or below
the point your child's shoulders sit, so that there is not a
lot of space (if any) between the top of the child's shoulder
and the point at which the shoulder strap comes out of the
seat. Not sure if this adjustment is the cause of your child
being able to escape, but worth checking. I don't see how
turning the car seat around would make a difference. Best of
luck.
Tracy
Apr 2004
My 2-yr old has figured out how to easily unlatch the chest
strap on his carseat (a Britax Roundabout) and now does so
frequently while the car is going. Although we continue to try
all sorts of behavioral strategies, he's just turned 2 and
we're not having great success -- and trips can take forever,
with us pulling over every time this happens. Does anyone know
of an actual physical gizmo meant to block kids from opening
these kinds of latches?
Jen
We had the same problem. I went to Rockridge kids, and Britex
makes a snap on piece for this, they gave it to me free.
Sally
While I haven't had this problem with my two girls in their
Roundabouts, I've heard of other people securely duct-taping the
two sides of the buckle together, but so that it still slides up
and down. Then you can just slide the two stuck pieces down so
the straps can be lifted over the child's head to get in and out.
Heidi
When my son started playing with the carseat buckle, I got a
small plastic cover at Rockridge Kids to clip over the buckle.
It is really tough to open! (I actually haven't used it though
because my son seems to have forgotton about the straps.) I'm
sure you can pick one up from any store that sells Britax
carseats.
Jen
this page was last updated: Mar 8, 2010
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network