Son Taking Arms Out of Straps After He's Been Straped in His Car Seat

J.,

Hi there. I have a 3 year old. And she was doing the same thing. We tell her that she cann't get out of her set till the car has been cut off. But we also had to make the straps a little bit tighter. They want them to be where that you can get 2 fingers under them. If there is more room then he is not safe in his set. You also need to talk to your Son and tell him how unsafe it is for him to be takeing his arms out of the straps. Also you may want to tell him that he has to show little sister how to set in her set. Or tell him that the car will cann't go with out him in his set the right way. And with his arms out of his straps that is not the right way to be in his set. Make it like he is doing something to help you out. I hope that will help you in some way.

K.

Hi J., sometimes even when they are properly restrained, kids will find a way to get out of their carseats. My son figured out how to undo the latch at his chest. Whenever he did it, I pulled the car over, and fixed it. I had to do this about three times in one day on the highway! Eventually he stopped doing it though.

Just make sure he knows that he HAS to be strapped in, or you aren't going anywhere!

Good luck.

G.

The correct way to strap him into a car seat is to pull the middle adjuster (the thing that slides up and down the straps) so that it is aligned with his underarms. If this is done, is he still able to pull his arms out? Our son cannot once we slide that adjuster bar up.

J.~
I was also and sometimes still have problems with my now 3yr old little girl. The straps are properly installed (heighth wise) with a little wiggle room...problem was and is that she has figured out how to unbuckle the piece aross her chest. I know this sounds harsh...my final solution....I got a mini-flyswatter that goes above my visor...all I have to do is pull that down and we usually do not have anymore problems in that trip. I have had to pull over twice and use the flyswatter....but very seldom now do I find her little arms out of her seatbelt.
Hope this helps ya out ....some.
Smiles,
T.

If you push the top buckle up high enough, he wont have enough room to wiggle out. I push my 19 months old sons' up to his shoulders after I strap him in and he cant get his arms out above it. Hope that helps!

actually you need them to be that tight, you should not be able to "pinch an inch" if you can then its not tight enough. the looser the straps are the less effective the seat will be in a crash. if you want to read more or ask more questions about car seat safety to go car-seat.org there is lots of information there on carseat safety including how to make sure you are using your seat properly and you can also ask questions and there are trained techs that can answer your questions. hope that helps and feel free to send me a message if you need any more help

edit : after reading the other responses i just wanted to add the the chest clip should be level with him armpits and the shoulder straps should be at or about his shoulders if her is forward facing. if he is still rear facing (which is much safer at 2 if he still fits the seat weight and height wise like that) they should be at or below

I think you need to tighten the straps. You can tighten them so that he can't pull his arms out but not so tight he can't move.

try one of these. www.houdinistop.com

I don't know of anything to help other than to tighten the straps. The straps should be snug and not allow him to move much. You should only be able to get one finger between the strap and his shoulder. A snug strap will keep a child secure in the seat and not allow the child to move forward should the car stop suddenly.

Also, where does the top of the strap go through the back of the seat? Is it above his shoulders? The strap should be at or below his shoulders when it goes through the back of the seat. This may be giving him a little extra room to wiggle out.