This winter, my almost 3 yr old daughter has been fussing about getting into her car seat because her coat or pants would roll up or wrinkle behind or under her and it's impossible to get it nice and flat and comfortable for her. We have patiently stood in the cold to adjust it but she would twist and wiggle and fuss, thus making it SO difficult get it right.
Any ideas how to make this process easier? We have a Britax Decathlon now. I was wondering is getting a less cushiony booster seat would help. She is 28 pounds and 34 inches tall.
I think I'm going to take her coat off and have a blanket for her in the car. Thanks for your suggestions. I will also be more observant to see if she has sensory issues.
Could you take her coat off when she is in the car? , it can be uncomfortable sitting in the car with a big coat on , I know mine get's on my nerves when I am driving.
Children should not be in a booster seat until at least 4 years old and 40 pounds. And even then you should keep them in the convertible as long as they still fit within the requirements of the specific seat.
Do the research on booster seats and look up crash test videos of kids in boosters. You will not be anxious to use a booster after looking it up. When my oldest turned 4 I kept him in his Britax marathon as long as I could and it wasn't until he was almost 5 and we bought a new vehicle which had a small third row that I bought him (after extensive research) a 5-point harness high back booster. Just don't be tempted to put her into a high back booster too early. Some will have height and weight lower limits that are below 4 years/40 pounds, but don't do it!
I agree with the other moms here, try taking off her coat. As for her pants, hike them up on her butt a little before she gets in, it could be that they are slipping down when she sits down. If she continues to fuss, try to remain patient and explain to her that her safety is the most important and buckling up correctly is not a compromise.
have you thought about putting a jj cole toddler bundle me in the seat? they're just like the ones you use in an infant carrier but made bigger for toddlers. i've thought about doing this myself as my 2 year old has the same issue!
If she is just bothered by this one thing, then changing the carseat, taking off her coat, or doing things to make riding in the car easier/more pleasant will work.
But if you find that she is either more, or less-sensitive, to other stimuli, she might have some sensory issues.
Is she over, or under, sensitive to sensory input, such as sounds, lights, odors, touch, textures (in food and things she touches or plays with), clothing (do you need to cut out all her tags or she says it's too "scratchy or itchy?) . If so you might want to consider getting an evaluation by an Occupational Therapist (OT) well-versed in sensory issues.
At this age the brain is still growing/adapting, and if she does have sensory issues, getting them addressed asap will save her from a lifetime of being bothered by things that don't bother most other people.
Forgive me if I'm off the mark, but many of the kids I know who have sensory, or other, issues, also have food allergies. They seem to go together often.
Feel free to email me privately if you have any questions.
L., mom to 2 girls, one of who has sensory processing disorder, global developmental delays and food allergies to wheat, dairy, beef and banana as well as some allergies to medicines.
maybe a fabric thats not cloth would work best for the winter months. might be a tad colder at first but if you pick her up as she stands right in front of it and place her where he needs to be her pants wont bunch as she would normally climb in and turn 180 to get in herself. not sure what other print covers the decathalon have but check ebay or their site and see what you can find.
I bought the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat/ booster for my 2 year old. It is still a car seat, but transitions to a booster. I would recommend buying one! Britax also makes a car/booster seat for kids that grow like the Nautilus. It's called the Frontier. It's over $100 more than the Graco one. They are both about the same, except the differences are (I researched all of this before buying)
the Frontier has extra room to move the belt area for the crotch buckle. The Nautilus has a cup holder and side stoage for toys or whatever. You can look up color differences, at BabiesRUs and Walmart. There is a price difference between the 2 stores as well for the Nautilus. Walmart doesn't carry the Britax brand.
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kw=frontier&f...
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=n...
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=n...
There are others out there, but these came highly recommended from a car seat technician.
Good luck and God Bless!
If it's "impossible to get it nice and flat" for her comfort, then the belts probably aren't fitting properly for safety purposes either. Take off her bulky coat in the car. I know it's a hassle, especially with a child her age, to be doing the coat on, coat off, coat on routine, but both for safety and comfort, I'd ditch the coat while riding. Try warming up the car for a few minutes before she gets into it if it's one of these really frigid days. Keep your Britax -- they're great car seats and I wouldn't downgrade to a less padded (and possibly less protective) car seat for this reason.
I know it is not convienent but it is recommended that children do not wear big bulky coats in the car seats because it does not allow the car seat to work at well at it should if an accident should occur. I turn up the heat and give them a blanket to cuddle with in the back but I take off the coats because the car seat restraints just do not fit as they should with the coats.
