[Goldiemom]

Here is my problem. My ds knows how to unbuckle himself from his booster seat. He also knows how to unbuckle the strap buckle on his over the head car seat, so he will stand up while I am driving and climb out of that seat. Is there anything that I can try to keep him belted? I like having him in an over the head car seat {one with a bar across the front} because it is harder for him to unbuckle the seat from the car, and harder for him to get out of. Only problem is that with him being almost 5 he weighs to much for it. So I put him in a booster. well, he can very easily unbuckle himself from this, and often does when he starts to get restless. I just want him to be safe, and I want to be safe from the fines that they hand out like candy for child endangerment. Any ideas?

 

[mammaguess]

Because the SN spectrum is so wide I am hesitant to suggest things for your child. But as you pointed out this is a fairly serious safety issue.

I am fairly dogmatic about this situation. My children have to be in carseats while I am driving. I have stopped my car in the nearest parking lot or even the side of the highway (which has its own safety risks) and insisted they put their seatbelts back on-disagreement is not allowed on this issue. If they refuse I put them back into thier seatbelts and if the trip is one for an outing it is cancelled. I (try to) remain utterly calm during this whole situation. The more serious and consistant I am the more my kids took me seriously. And we haven't had problems in the recent past.

But! like I said I don't know anything about your child. And temperment and development for each person involved can affect what is the most positive way to handle your situation.

Good Luck!

 

[thoesly]

Talk about timing! I just got this info from one of my autism groups, and this is the second time I've posted it on MDC.

Don't know if these will help, but worth a look:

www.seatbeltbuckleup.com
www.BuckleGuard.com
www.buckleboss.com

Hope something helps! I wish I'd known about this when we went through this issue with my son. One thing that eventually worked for us was putting him in charge of making sure everyone in the car was buckled before we went anywhere. Having a job to do took his attention off of how fast he could get out of his carseat and onto how fast he could get in. If he started to fidget and act like he was going to play with the buckle, we'd ask him if everyone was buckled in. This provided enough distraction to break the behavior. It's nice that we don't have to worry about it now, but there were several months when one of the above products would have been better because he wasn't developmentally ready to begin the intervention.

Good luck,

Tara

 

[Goldiemom]

I appreciate the links! I would love to have Adam have some responsibilities, but with only have a comprehension level of a 24 mo old at almost 5 it is improbable that he would even grasp the concept. He has virtually no understanding of cause and effect. He doesn't understand that if he isn't belted or in his seat that if mommy should get into an accident he could get hurt or God forbid die. Every time he undoes his belt I do pull over and get him back in his seat or belted. I tell him that he needs to keep it on. As for ending a trip, he doesn't usually do it on the way there, or if he does, like this past weekend we were 2 1/2 hours into a 3 hour trip. I couldn't exactly tell him the trip was over, since he didn't understand why/where we were going. Often times he gets restless on the way home from places. In that instance I can't use the trip being over, cause it isn't over til we get home. I am going to check out how some of those belt guards and see if they don't help. He might only have the technical comprehension of a 24 mo old, but even 2 y/o are devious, and one that has been 2 for 3 years {for lack of a better way to describe it} can amaze me with his abilities to find a way to do something he is determined to do, yet seem to have no understanding of what it is he is doing. Ok, nuff of that! Thanks again for the info

 

[GranolaMoon]

My SN kiddo will be old enough to get out of a 5 point harness this month but we're leaving her there as long as possible too. She's in a high back booster seat, we hunted for one with a hard to operate chest clip and button, so far she hasn't been able to get out on her own. I wanna say the chest clip is just a cosco?? thing, but even we struggle to open it sometimes, which is a pain but good lol.

 

[PikkuMyy]

My student has no problem staying in his booster in the family car. But the school bus's awful seatbelts are another story. When he's in a phase of getting out, they have this special "lap belt' which has a heavy sort of bolster pillow that goes across his legs/tummy and prevents him from getting out. Since he has autism, the weight can also be soothing and is not heavy enough to hurt but to help him feel calm and prevent him from being able to lift it enough to unbuckle it.

 

[mammaguess]

sorry if I offended you I did try to make my post clear that I was not aware of what your child's level of SN was and that what I was posting might not be relevent to your situation. Plus I hate to see someone's post left unanswered if I have any situations that might be useful, at the very least I have "bumped" them and it might draw the attention of others that will be able to help.

 

[Goldiemom]

Oh! No offense taken, I was just clarifying things. I didn't think to get more specific about his SN. I appericiate all the help and comments.

 

[Mamid]

DS can get the chest strap done up and the seat belt itself undone so we have to make sure the car seat is securely strapped before we start tying him into it. He hasn't figured out the "red button" yet. When he does, that car seat is worthless even if he isn't big enough for the next seat.

What's a mother to do?

 

[TiredX2]

One option:

Get a Britax Marathon (65 lb weight limit) or Husky (80 lb weight limit). Remove the straps. Reinstal them facing "in" (so the button is on the inside). Tighten the five point harness TIGHT. Most kids won't have the finger dexterity to get in and unbuckle it, or the ability to loosen it (you have to pull a metal bar and the straps at the same time).

Good luck,
Kay

 

[Els' 3 Ones]

We use the EZ On Vest that Duncan uses on the bus. It is the ONLY thing that works. He can open any buckle, buckle guard or car seat harness. We were going nutso anytime we went in the car. He, just like your child, has no concept of the danger of being unbuckled.

http://www.ezonpro.com/vest/index.html