How do I for my two-year-old to stop coming out of his car seat? The straps are tight enough, I’ve had two professionals check. He is in a 5 point obviously. He just pushes the chest piece all the way down, pulls one arm out, and then the other. Most of the time, I catch him there but, sometimes he gets all the way out. I’ve pulled over and spanked him and fixed him. I’ve yelled. Most of the time, when I say his name and say “put your belt on,” he puts them back in. Then I still have to pull over and fix the chest piece. I turned him forward at the recommendation of my doctor. We thought it would keep him from getting out if he could see more. Obviously, forward is safer than climbed out. Yet that only worked for a bit. We leave in 2 days for a 15-hour car ride and can’t have him doing that. I don’t wanna make it unsafe, either.
Pretend you need to go somewhere that he wants to go, but tell him he can’t go because he won’t stay in the carseat and it’s not safe. Then let him watch you drive away. Do that a couple times before your trip and I bet he figures things out real quick.
Baling twine. Works like a charm
Put a shirt on him that has buttons on it, button the buttons over his chest straps
There are chest clips you can buy that make it difficult for kids to slip the buckle down. 
But try alternatives first, like a reward system for when he stays strapped in. He also might be doing this because he is bored, make sure he has plenty of entertainment to keep him busy.
Houdini Stop - you can purchase at most baby stores 
Personally I don’t think spanking is correct discipline choice. I’m not against spanking as a discipline action but I think it should only be used in specific needed situations… Its VERY normal for them to figure out they can control their straps.
I stand by the opinion of explaining/showing safety and importance of buckles…
Another suggestion is when you know he has pulled arms out. Stop short to legit show him how extream his body flings in a dangerous situation.
Personally this is why we have the tablet. It keeps my daughter occupied and she doesn’t fuss over the car seat
Toys? Portable DVD player…
Nicely slam on the brakes when hes half way out… gonna hurt a little but will scare him…
I told my two year old that the police would come and growl at him so now he keeps his arms in and tells me the police comming lol not sure if that will work for you but thats what worked for me
Make sure his straps arent to tight !
Dvd player? Toys? Tablet? Put his favorite show on a phone and hillbilly strap it to your head rest.
Our daughter was an escape artist. I bought a couple of toys on rings and attached them on the straps so they hit about where the clip was. She would start playing with them and forget about wanting out of the seat. But for long trips, I had to ride in the backseat with her for a while
I bought mine a new seat she couldnt get out of, but she was undoing the chest strap
It’s a phase… my first did it for a little while. Just waiting for for 3 yr old to start… 
Go to the ploice maybe call frist and see if tou can have an officer talk to them about the safety of seat belt and why its important to wear them and what can happen to moomy if he gers caught not in his seat. Had to do it with my daughter at about that age even maybe a fireman at the fire station could help
Try getting a different buckle or a different car seat with a buckle that is harder to get unbuckled. The car seat my son is in has a chest clip that is difficult for adults to get unclipped let alone a toddler.
Otherwise, put a spray bottle in your car and spray him every time he does this and tell him it’s not okay. It works quite well. Or tell him you’re going to his favorite place and leave him home with dad. Make sure he knows he can’t go with because he won’t leave his belt on.
I showed my kid YouTube videos of what would happen if your not seatbelt or in your car seat .
The crash dummy videos.
Now he tells me to put on a seatbelt .
Wait until he’s 3 and can get out of it completely while you’re running 70 on the freeway. That’s what I’m currently going through. Talk about scared to frigging death.
Try using a very large safety pin and pin him in. Put the pin in from underneath the buckle, harder for him to get to if he tries to mess with it.
Personally, I explained how dangerous it can be for kids to get out of their seat and what can happen in a car accident repetitively and now she asks before she undoes her buckle.
Give him something to be occupied with in the car seat…
I have had to use ducktape. And remove and reapply each time. Everything we tried didn’t work. Good luck.
Put him in a shirt or button up jacket and once strapped in button it up so he cannot pull strap down
Try the button down shirt method! Take a button up shirt, place it on him after buckling him, then button it up!
I can’t keep my 4 yr old in his booster either 
If you are going somewhere that he wants to go, pull over and tell him you go no where until his seat belt is on. If you keep doing that and he will realize that you won’t go until he is buckled in. Be prepared to not go if he doesn’t listen. If you have to go somewhere and can’t miss it, like a doctor’s appointment, and he refuses to listen, tell him no when he wants something. At that age it is a battle of will and you must let him know now that he is not in charge.
Or try seeing if the manufacturer makes hard to unclip buckles 
I had a patrolman talk to my granddaughter and explain why she should wear hers and never had anyone problem
Continue busting that ass. If you do it hard enough he’ll stop🤣
My 3 yr old does this I’ve had to pull over n fix them 3 times on the way to an apt which is 3.9 miles away! I call him Baby Houdini lol
Wait till he is out brake hard(yes naturally while going slow and in a safe area) tell him that is what happens when you are not buckled in
You can get off eBay a piece to attach to the seatbelt that will help
A houdini strap it clips the straps at the front together so it can’t be undone. It didn’t matter how much praise we gave my eldest or how many times we spoke about it, diversion and bringing a specials toy didn’t work and she would unbuckle anyway. Yay for the houdini strap.
My opinion… Try the button up shirt method like mentioned above, DO NOT add anything to the carseat. That will void any warranty if anything were to happen and could do more harm. I would stay away from snacks as well especially with a 2 yr old. Choking hazard. I would try the button up shirt driving around for about 20 min and see how that works, of it stops him then I would also turn his carseat back around to rear face!
With ours we played games where they got to look out the window, had a small box with toys that they picked for the car that changed weekly, and made sure they had a snack or special treat for staying in their seat right for a set time. Also try to find parks to eat at or a reststop that has a small play ground for kids so they can get out and burn off a bit of energy
Hi! CPST here!!! There is A LOT of unsafe advice here. The button up shirt trick is an awesome (and approved) way to deter children from messing with the car seat. However adding ANYTHING aftermarket (from anyone but the car seat manufacturer) is EXTREMELY unsafe as it voids the car seat warranty, in addition to jeopardizing the integrity of the seat and it’s effectiveness in a crash. If the anon person would like to message me, I’d be happy to assist in finding an appropriate solution.
It’s so difficult when they go through their phases especially when it’s dangerous. My daughter used to pull her arms out of the seat as soon as she could but thankfully she has stopped all that now so we just have to look forward to my son doing whatever he does. I used to pull over when safe and get her back into the steps but at two it’s hard for them to understand all you can do is keep explaining and sometimes I would have to say we are going home now then and usually she stopped it. Good luck x
My parents fixed that with my brother by waiting until he was out and then slamming on the brakes hard. Obviously he bumped into the seat in front of him pretty hard and it scared the hell out of him. Only took a couple times of doing that before he quit.
Don’t use any aftermarket products to keep him “locked in.” Not only is it unsafe, but it voids the warranty on the car seat if you get into an accident, not to mention makes it harder for EMS to get him out. The safest method would be to put a button up on him and button it over the chest clip.
Well he’s two so hitting him to get your point across will do more damage then I think you would intend. Find something he loves that he can only play with in the car. Or use an iPad for his favorite movie when he’s demonstrating the behavior you want. Redirect and distract. Stop often to let him run and stretch. My son hates being strapped in but these techniques have worked for us.
Give him something to keep him busy. And leave for you trip at his bedtime, then he will sleep for a good part of the ride. Good luck and stay safe!
I know he’s only 2 but little people understand us way better than they can usually communicate in response. Maybe tell him it’s dangerous, he can get a bad boo boo, show him YOUR seat belt, “see, Mommy wears one too.” Or show him videos of other children sitting nicely in their car seats, because little kids learn proper behaviors through watching others. Then when you have a successful car ride (where he’s not trying to pull a great escape) you can give some kind of positive reinforcement, praise, maybe a little healthy treat. Something to show how happy you are that he’s following instructions. And if that doesn’t work, unfortunately you may need one adult to sit in the back with him and supervise during that long trip, if possible.
I really don’t think pulling your car over and smacking your 2 year old child is a good parenting technique? Praise and rewards! He is two!probably not even out of nappy’s but you think hurting him might work and if your going on a 15 hour car trip one of you had best sit in the back with the baby to pay him attention and keep him entertained. And he won’t be trying to climb out and you will also need to be prepared to stop at least every 2 hours for at least 20 mins so the baby can stretch and run around so you don’t have a totally stressed unhappy baby . Maybe Take an iPad/ tablet . For him to watch some baby shows
Stop the car and tell him our car can’t go unless everyone’s seat belts are buckled properly. Make sure you give yourself extra time to get places while he’s learning!
Tell him as soon as you get in the car not to unbuckle. It sets the expectation! Tell him if he stays buckled he will get a treat when you get out of the car. Do this everytime you get in the car.
I’ve had this problem with my kids. I put a regular T shirt on them then I place a button up on them but I dont button it until they are in there seat and put the car seat straps on them then I button the shirt over the straps! does it take longer, yes but I’d rather be safe than sorry!
You ever heard of a switch get one long enough to reach him and when he or she tries to undo the seat belt hit them with the switch on their legs if this is to extreme for you then if you are in an accident and he goes out the window you will have wished you used corporal punishment of course try other things first
Tie his shoes together,this won’t stop him from unbuckling but he can’t stand up or pull his legs through. Works wonders in a shopping cart!
I told my daughter if she did this the police would come take me away and she would never see me again because I would get put in jail forever for not having her buckled 
harsh, yes, but effective. Never did it again she’s also super gullible so that helps haha good luck.
I put a few layers of packaging tape around the strap underneath the clips!!! Worked very well actually… not sure if it would’ve or could void the warranty though!!
As we noticed our kids doing it we would put the breaks on just enuff to give them a fright, did it once and never had to do it again, before that we told them the police man was behind us and is going to pull us over if they didnt stay put and leave the belt alone.
I told my littlies about car accidents and the consequences of them if you’re not in a seat belt… they won’t ever take their seat belt off while I’m driving anymore.
Get something that "locks " the chest plate into place so he can’t move it down
I have no idea what to use at this moment but looking online for solutions might be helpful
the only way 2 keep him in the car seat is mayb put something in front of the strapes so he cant get out i knw it sounds harsh but at least he will b safe my 6yr old does the same thing
Please do not add any “chest clip locking” products to your car seat. They are all very unsafe!
Give him things to do that keeps his interest?Snacks,a cartoon or cars to play with?I wouldnt want to stay in my seat either for a 15 hr car ride,thats hard for some adults much less toddlers.
Is the crotch buckle tight? Like it doesn’t have too much slack. Kinda suppose to hug their legs? I don’t see how my kid could get out even if he moved the chest clip all the way down. It would be too tight around his legs. But I have no idea. Mine haven’t tried this yet.lol
You can glue the chest pieces in place so that they no longer move up and down… It’s worth a shot!!
Have you asked him why he does this? Have you explained to him how important it is to stay seat belted? Instilling fear will not get him to stay in his seat willingly…
My son did this. I wanted to beat him everytime but I knew I was just getting fustrated. He is a daddys boy so when daddy caught him one day he stopped immediately. Hope he doesn’t get hurt and hopefully you survive threw it as well
You might could try those fuzzy covers that people put on the straps by the neck and put them on the strap under the clip to stop him from being able to slide the clip down…
Tell him no. Don’t let him get out. Every time he tries to get out set him back in there harder and say no!! If you can’t keep him safe now what are you going to do when he’s 16 and won’t wear a seat belt ?
Idk but i remember when i was a kid (obviously can not remember fuck all before the age of 6) but ummm “stop mucking around or ill turn around and go home” seemed to always work for me and my siblings
Put safety pins under the chest strap. He won’t be able to figure those out
Start telling him he has to stay home by himself because _________, and walk out the door without him. He needs to understand that he needs to stay in his carseat to be in the car.
Give him a toy or a book something to distract him.
Spanking a toddler won’t solve anything repetition is the best way show him car safety videos for his don’t yell. Train yourself to be patient and maybe reschedule a trip and focus on teaching him that he has to keep it on without giving him threats of you’ll die without it
you explain its the law
have a police man explain
No advice here. My 3 year old knows how to loosen her straps 
Try a button up shirt over it
I dont know what kind og car seat you have, but there is some without belts all together? Maybe that type of carseat is better?
I dont know if its available in your area, but i know its supposed to be very safe 
If that isnt an option… well… it helped with my oldest to give her a scare. I stopped the car abruptly while she was climbing out og her seat, and that was it. I obviously did it in a fairly safe way, small road, no other traffic and in relatively slow speed
Maybe show him some of these songs the next couple days. I know for my kids visual helps a little more then just words.
you know the metal piece that comes with all car seats? Clamp that sucker below the buckle
Connect with a car seat tech. They will have safe options for you.
Car Seats for the Littles (USA)
SEATS For Kids Discussion Community (Canada)
Tell him your going to call the popo
Taser him
Lol just kidding
Put a button up over it
Probably not the best advice here but when my oldest was 2-3 he would not stop fucking with outlets. I showed him what an electrical burn looks like (nothing too gruesome) and he stopped. Some kids are visual. This all sounds so bad but I’d break check him. Drive around the block til he starts getting out. Don’t say shit and break check him. Sometimes you got to physically show them why
Take a safety pin and pin it below the strap when it’s in the proper position. Then pinch the metal so it won’t come undone and poke him. You could also put some hot glue on the point so it’s not sharp just in case.
We had to buy a different one, the one we had for my daughter, we found out my son could escape from on the way home from Toronto. 2 hr ride and he’s running around the van. He had to have a new one with a different clasp that he couldn’t undo. You just have to look around for the right one for you. We found one that you had to push in on the clasp to release, he couldn’t undo that one.
I have no idea. I have tried everything for my almost 4 year old. We are purchasing a sensor car seat that will alarm if he unbuckles (so I won’t miss it). It’s terrifying to turn back while going down the highway and see your kid unbuckled
This worries me. My son started doing it at only a yr and a half…almost.caused.me to.crash he scared.me.half to.death… but it stopped once we caved and turned him forward…he hasn’t done it since knock on wood, but thank you for posting. Youre not alone!
Omg don’t use cable ties or duct tape!!! What happens if there is a car accident and you need to get the seat unbuckeld in a hurry!!!?
My daughter did the same and Houdini straps work. Use 2 or 3 if you need to. Easy to unclip in an emergency
Houdini straps worked on my son. I have 2 on he’s car seat straps. 1. Towards he’s chest and the 2nd just above the clips at he’s lap.
I’ll backup the Houdini Strap, it was cheap on amazon & my son never once opened it. Now he’s 4"6 & doesnt need a car seat
They make car seat harness guards. It’s basically a child lock system on the harness chest clip
I haven’t tried this, but what about wrapping duct tape around the straps below the buckle so he can’t slide the buckle down.
Try giving him some activities to do while in the car or a tablet to watch. Distract his attention away from the seat
I don’t no my car seat is tight and my lil one is strong and cant get out have you pulled the top all the way up and tighten while he is in the seat?
My nephew always did this but we started talking to him or Through the mirror for him to see you… ohh look at my good boy sitting like me. Do fun games n sing along like a Itsy-bitsy spider. Just interact with him as much as you can.also a little bit of tv time can help too with his favorite show
I literally pulled over next to a cop and had the cop talk to my daughter about keeping her belt on. Never had an issue again
I saw a post a few weeks ago about a mother who struggled with this and they had a 10 hour dr and couldnt keep stopping so they put a few cable ties on to stop him and then just cut them to get him out then put them back on only cost them $2 for cable ties they said it worked and kept him safe 
you could put a movie or something in the car to distract him
Yep, they all do it. I let mine sit in his chair without his seatbelts on a back desolate road then I slammed o. My brakes just enough for him to fall to the floor board. He never did it again and even warned his siblings not to argue about why.
Also get him something to keep him entertained…distract him…besides the harness
Our pediatrician said to put them in the car with a button up shirt on and clip the chest clip and button the shirt over it.
Get a zip up vest and put it on backwards after he is buckled in. That’s all I can think of.