How can I keep my son in his car seat?

It is not unusual for children to begin "escaping" from their car seats as early as 12 months of age. Most of the time, simply securing your child appropriately will prevent this from occurring early on. However, at one point or another, nearly all toddlers will demonstrate their independence by inappropriately removing themselves from their car seat.

A surprising number of parents still perceive a car seat’s function as restricting the movement of a child within the car (as opposed to minimizing injury in the event of a collision). As a result, most parents do not secure their children tightly enough. The shoulder straps for your child’s car seat should be sufficiently tight such that you cannot pinch any slack between your fingers. Also, keep the retainer clip at armpit level. Children that "slip" out of their seats were not secured properly in the first place.

If your son is appropriately secured in his seat and he is unbuckling himself, then you will obviously need to take additional steps. I do not recommend adding any after-market or home made additional latches or covers to prevent him from unlatching himself. These devices will either not be effective for long or they could cause injury in the event of a crash or they could prevent fast removal in the event of an emergency.

A better approach is to teach your child safe car travel habits. The following suggestions I am reproducing with the permission of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

1. Plan to leave very early for any car travel for a couple of weeks. Each time your child "escapes" from the car seat, immediately pull over and stop the car. Act bored, not angry. Bored parents are boring; but a child may enjoy making your angry. Tell your child the car can’t go until everyone is buckled-up again.
2. When your child reaches the "me do it stage", let him become the Safety Officer for the family. He will be thrilled to remind you to buckle-up if you happen to "forget". Teach your child to buckle-up without your help, but check that the straps are snug and the buckle is securely latched.
3. Sometimes a parent needs the support of a special person the child admires. Arrange a visit with a local firefighter, police officer, preschool teacher or older child who will reinforce the "buckle-up" message.
4. Cancel fun outings if your child won’t stay buckled-up. The next time he or she "escapes," pull over, act bored, get everyone buckled-up again – then turn the car around and go straight home.
5. Tell your child you will cancel other treats if necessary – then do it!

Most parents will have to experience this at some point. However, securing your baby appropriately from the start and following the tips above should enable you to pass through this phase quickly and safely.