She's Escaping from Her Car Seat!!

K.-
I think we have twins!! *L* My daughter started this when she was 2 as well. I switched her car seat to an overhead. (the kind that have a bar that comes down over their head and positions in front of their chest). This works because she can't access the bottom buckle at all. As she got older however (now 4-and TINY for her age, so we'll be in a car seat forever!!) she learned how to unbuckle the top and climb out that way. I finally took her to the store last month and let her pick out her own car seat (with my approval of course) but now I can tell her she picked it out, she has to stay in it and so far, it's worked out very well! She chose the "eddie bauer prospect booster car seat-highland" convertable car seat which is very reasonably priced at babies r us. It has a removable pillow, headrest and back, so when she FINALLY reaches booster size, she can take all the pieces off and VIOLA she has a big girl booster, as well as comfy covering, movable arm rests and (my favorite) built in cup holders on both sides.
Best of luck!!
V.

I don't know what to tell you about the car seat other than giving her things to keep her occupied. There are trays made to go over car seats (at Babies R Us) that make a great platform for coloring, books, etc.

As far as the stroller goes, Walmart has a backpack shaped like dogs, monkeys, etc. and you attach a "leash" on them. It is a great way to give her the freedom she desired while still keeping her near by. I am not a fan of leashed in general, but since these look like backpacks - and work great for carrying a sippy cup or snack, I love these. My niece loves her "walk me" as she calls it!

Another idea may be to get a wagon for her. She may feel a little more grown up than being in a baby stroller. Plus there is more room for toys to keep her occupied.

At 2 its hard to explain and have them understand the importance of staying in her car seat for safety reasons. She's only looking at it as being confined and maybe even punished in a way. If she is in a carseat that she can easily escape from, then you need to find another carseat that she can not unbuckle. There are many different brands and some are easier then others to undo. Take her with you and see if she can open it first and then get one that she is not able to. Then make sure she has lots of toys and other things to do while she is in her car seat or stroller. I keep a little toy chest next to my son's seat with different kinds of toys and he can always find one to play with while riding in the car. As far as the stroller, make sure she is oocupied as well, with toys or snacks. My 1 year old hates the stroller too, unless we are constantly moving, so I have to make sure I give him something to occupy him or try to make a game with him if we stop, like hide and seek. As she gets older, she'll understand that you are doing these things to be mean, but for her safety-hang in there!!!

hey K.!! first of all, i LOVE ocean city... second, my older daughter did the same thing with her carseat!! first i bought these kinda like velcro things that have adhesive on the back, which you stick to the buttons that undo the straps, it just makes it uncomfortable for the child to try to press the buttons to escape (i bought them from babies r us, theyre cheap, but they only worked for about a month...) then i took ALL the straps out of the car seat and put them in BACKWARDS, which worked like a charm, since my daughter couldnt undo the straps when they were facing her. there are no safety issues with doing that, and it was still easy for me to get her in and out. after a few months of that she gave up, and didnt even realize it when i switched the straps back... hope that help, and GOOD LUCK!! ~R.

Hi K.,

Have you tried to give her favorite snack or toy to play with in the car while you are driving? That usually distracts my daughter when she was younger. If she likes coloring, maybe get her a jumbo coloring book and some crayons to distract her. Also, on long rides I invested in those portable dvd's and attached it to the back seat of the passenger so that she can watch her movies. As far as strollers, you can try to distract her with a few toys and snack as well.

Hope this helped. Keep me posted!

J.