How can I stop my 18month daughter from taking her arms out of the straps on her car seat? Help!!!

Question

I have tightened the straps as tight as they will go without breaking her shoulders and she still escapes!

Answer 1

my sons the same you want to go and buy reins or some ppl call them a harness.you can get them from boots and they fasten around your babys body and can either have a strap attached for when there walkin or they come with two little ties that can be attached to hoops that r usually in the buggy or carseat and u attach the reins to them.not sure if it works for all car seats but do for most buggies if thats a prob too.also maybe have a word eith your health visitor for advise.good luck :)

Answer 2

Double check at a place that sells car seats that it is correctly fitted...If it is and she still wriggles then maybe take the seat out and put her in it when its time for food. By being occupied with the feeding she may get used to it. Give her a spoon to hold whilst you feed her to make it more interesting. You could also try feeding her in the car and making sure she has her favourite teddy/doll to keep her busy could help.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Poor 18 month's daughter ( 1 & a half yr) just can not be idle though you have tightened the straps but you cn not control the little baby?

You must ensure some one else should positively be with the little girl.

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Answer 4

I'm not sure, my friends son has been doing it since he was about 1 1/2 and is now 3 and still does it. As long as he doesn't climb out(which he will sometimes) she isn't too concerend about it. At first I thought it was b/c the straps were too loose but then I tightened them all the way and he still got out..I'd say listen to that other answerer and get the harness they use for the autisitc kids.

Answer 5

Tighten the straps

Answer 6

You can get a harness that locks into the seat belt and then the car seat.  They can't escape, even if they get out of the car seat.  It's used for autistic kids that have fits and don't stay put..  It's safe and looks fine.  

Answer 7

Is she forward or rear facing? If she's rear facing (which at 18 months, she still should be, unless she's over 30lbs) then make sure the straps are at or below her shoulders. If she's forward facing, make sure they are at or above. To check for the right tightness

1 put her in the seat

2 buckle her up

3 put your pointer finger on top of the strap on her shoulder, your

  thumb right below it

4 try to pinch the strap. If you can pinch any strap, its too loose

Make sure the chest clip is right at armpit level and that she can not lower it. One tip to keep her from moving it: get some adhesive velcro (you don't have to sew it on, just stick - in craft section of Walmart or others) put a small piece of the rough "hook" part on the top and/or bottom of the chest clip, or wherever she's touching it to move it down. She has to be moving it down in order to get her arms out, so your goal is to prevent that. One touch and most kids won't ever touch it again, but its not so uncomfortable that an adult won't be able to undo the clip.

She's a little young, but some discipline, or positive/negative reinforcement can work, too. Any time she takes her arms out, immediately pull over (as soon as you safely can) and put her arms back in, telling her the car can't go if her arms aren't in. After a few times, she will remember and likely won't try again.

And on rear facing, if you're interested in why its SO important to keep her rear facing as long as possible, keep reading. A convertible seat is not outgrown rear facing until either of these happens:

1) There is less than 1 inch of seat above the child's head

           OR

2) The weight limit is reached 30-35lbs for convertibles

The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum...  There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And  most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.

Answer 8

Tie them together nearer the top, but use something that you can get off quickly in case of emergency!  

Answer 9

Best bet would be to get a new carseat with more secure straps.  It must be a common problem, so if you go to a specialist kids store/car-seat dealer, they should be able to advise you.  Best of luck.

Answer 10

You don't have it properly tightened....

Answer 11

If you use a car seat with harness like straps, and if they are snug enough, she shouldn't be able to get her arms through.

Answer 12

The chest clip should be at armpit level, if she can wiggle it down then you need to find a way to keep it at that level.

If she can get her arms out with the straps appropriately tightened, the straps are the right height in comparison to her shoulders, the chest clip at armpit level, etc then you need a different seat.