3 year olds take carseat belts off - what to do?!

[at-home]

My twins will be three next week. They now think its really funny to undo their seatbelts while I'm driving! (They know how to unbuckle the top buckle in their car seats, take their arms out and then try to stand up, etc. If they work hard enough at it, they can undo the bottom latch, also.) When I stop the car, re-buckle them, sternly explain that it is dangerous and unlawful, they just smile.....and then do it again. Have you had this experience and what did you do about it?

[AbbieB]

Pull over every single time.

I've been there done that with DD when she was 3. I had to up the anti a little with her. If she could not stay buckled we did not go anywhere fun in the car. So no zoo, no park, no pool.

[prone_to_wander]

I remember reading how one Mom lied to her kids by pulling over and shutting the car off then telling them that the car wouldn't work until they put their seatbelts on.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

Pull over every single time.

I've been there done that with DD when she was 3. I had to up the anti a little with her. If she could not stay buckled we did not go anywhere fun in the car. So no zoo, no park, no pool.

This worked for us. It especially hit home when it was somewhere DS wanted to go.
One time we completely missed a movie because he wouldn't stay buckled. He cried and cried, but I think it got the message across.

It can totally be a PITA to follow through with on some days, but in the end it's worth the safety.



I also might have mentioned that mommy can be pulled over and given a ticket for him being out of his seat. If I have to pay for a ticket then it means less money saved for toys and fun!!
I dunno if that helped, but he still talks about it.

[nd_deadhead]

My twins were not quite 3 when they made this wonderful discovery!

I don't remember how many time I had to stop the car, but I don't remember it taking forever to get the point across.

The trouble with twins (in our case, at least) is that one would do it, I'd stop and buckle him back in, get going again - and the other would do it! They did this with a lot of things at that age - they needed to know that the rules applied equally to both of them, I think!

Good luck, and hang in there - pretty soon they'll be yelling at Grandpa to buckle up (at least mine did).

[chfriend]

My dp is wonderful with car shenanigans at that age. Without rancor or comment, she pulls over at the first safe spot. She sits quietly until everyone has re-buckled. Then, again without comment, she pulls back onto the road.

If they take a while to get back in, a book helps pass the time.

She does not agree to drive without everyone in their buckled place.

[moondiapers]

I would turn the buckles around. And pull the straps tighter.

[Mrsboyko]

What kind of seats do they have ? I know that sunshine kids makes their buckle available for purchase to be used on any seat. It is hard for a kids to open, much harder than the greco or britax buckle.

[jrabbit]

Originally Posted by prone_to_wander

I remember reading how one Mom lied to her kids by pulling over and shutting the car off then telling them that the car wouldn't work until they put their seatbelts on.

"lied" is a little strong. But this is what I do. Granted, I haven't had any experience with repeated unbuckling while driving, but each child goes through a phase of not wanting to be buckled. Our car doesn't "turn on" until everyone is buckled. In the Houston heat (or bitter cold, somewhere else, I would guess) - it really doesn't take long to figure out consequences. I'm perfectly fine with sitting in the sweltering car for 5 minutes ... and lest you think that sounds cruel, I would never walk away from the car. I actually get into the driver's seat and close the doors and wait. My kids would then tell me they were willing, so I'd get back out and buckle them in.

Otherwise, we don't get to go anywhere. That works, too.

--janis

[Polliwog]

Originally Posted by Mrsboyko

What kind of seats do they have ? I know that sunshine kids makes their buckle available for purchase to be used on any seat. It is hard for a kids to open, much harder than the greco or britax buckle.

That can't be safe. And I bet if you were in an accident and you had a buckle other than one from the manufacturer on a carseat, your insurance company would have a big problem with it.

[That Is Nice]

Subbing. I've been there, as well.

Here is what I did. Pulled over immediately. Got out of the car, rebuckled and tightened. Then gave a stern talk to my DC about why that is not safe and we don't allow it.

[JL83]

I don't lie to DD. I tell her the truth. I WILL NOT drive without her properly buckled up.

[Savoir Faire]

Do they ever have toys in the back seat? If I had to stop the car because of that, I'd be taking a toy up to the front with me.

[AidansMommy1012]

Ugh. My three year old did this. On the freeway. On the way to pick my mom up from the airport. It was a trip that should have taken a little over an hour to get there and it took almost three hours because I had to keep finding places to pull over. It was, of course, the one time my mom's plane has ever landed on time. She was glad she'd packed a book in her carry on as she had a bit of a wait until we got there.

eta: I do mean that I got off the freeway to buckle him back up; no, I did not pull over ON the freeway!

[sapphire_chan]

And when you *have* to get somewhere on time, turn the buckle around and/or stick the hooks of hook and loop tape (e.g. velcro, aplix) to the button(s). It won't actually hurt them, but they'll be disinclined to push hard enough to release the belts.

[sapphire_chan]

Oh, FYI, also watch where the car seats are placed. My friends rode in my car on a longish trip once, and it turned out their 4 year old could reach the door handle from his car seat.

We locked the door and had a nice little chat about how the door handles were only if an adult said they were okay.

About 5 minutes down the road they had another chat with him about how the button (showing red because it was locked) was also not to be touched without permission.

And at our next stop, like a hour?, later, he asked if he could work the button and door, got permission, and got right out.

[nikkiethridge]

We aren't there yet, but i've also heard of other moms using the 'the car won't go until you are buckled in' and it's worked well. Um, The lying doesn't bother me more than an unbuckled kid would. You got some good advice here, so just do what works. The main goal is safety.

[lilylumos]

Not there yet either, but I am reading over these suggestions for when/if the time comes. My DD already plays with the latch on her carseat. I try to keep her hands busy with toys.

My good friend actually lost her daughter in an accident to this very thing 2 months ago. She was 3 1/2. She didn't notice that she had undone the buckles, and didn't know until the truck flipped and her DD was thrown. So I take this seriously.