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#1 2008-06-06 20:48:45
- LisaAutismAdvocate
- Member
- Posts: 110
Seat Belt Help!!!
http://www.bucklepuzzle.com/
I stumbled accross this today...and thought it might be some useful information...for those of us that have children that dont like to wear seat belts or love to escape.
I have to admit, I did have to get a child harness for my son...but now he will wear a seatbelt...but wish they had something like this when he was younger.
Keeping a kid in a car seat is a challenge for many families, especially when that little escape artist can't keep his hands off that oh-so-interesting buckle. The parents behind the Buckle Puzzle observed their child's buckle fascination and figured they might as well make the best of it, so they created a buckle loop that could be clicked together or pulled apart. It's a pretty nifty addition to consider for your boredom-busting bag of tricks.
From the site, you can order the Original Buckle Puzzle (pictured), which breaks into five individual pieces, or the Buckle Puzzle Jr., which binds the pieces together with a central strip so there are no small pieces to lose or swallow. There's also a page of Ways to Play with the puzzle, including using the hook to attach it to the car seat. Maybe with so many buckles to snap around, your child will be distracted from that big important one.
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#2 2008-06-07 04:54:10
- lisadianne
- Member
- Posts: 39
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
We have a lot of trouble regarding seatbelts... and this post inspired me to ask if maybe some of you have advice. Our problem is that when Benjamin gets upset about something in the car, he gets out of his seatbelt and tries to jump out of the car (or onto his sister to hurt her). We have the doors locked but the seatbelts have been a puzzle. Of course, we pull over and work things through to get him back in his belt (which can take a long, emotional, frustrating time) and if it's a preferred activity we are driving to we have some leverage. When we're going somewhere he doesn't care about-and especially if we HAVE to go and be on time-he can hold our whole family "hostage" because we can't keep driving. Any advice? Thanks,lisadianne2
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#3 2008-06-07 06:18:38
- shannonj
- Member
- Posts: 298
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
I will be interested to see what the advice is for your post, Lisadianne. My son used to be the same way, but has mostly just outgrown it--nothing we did, I have to admit. Now, we are only left with his OCD habit of opening and closing the door while the car is moving!
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#4 2008-06-07 10:16:03
- Jake9068
- Member
- Posts: 78
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
You bring back memories. Micheal loved to get out of all seat belts. We ended up buying
a cover for the buckle part of the seat belt. He couldn't get it off because he was at the wrong angle to open it. I'll have to see if I can find the name of it. It was over 5 years ago. He eventually outgrew the behavior.
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#5 2008-07-13 20:48:37
- heansa1224
- New member
- Posts: 4
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
lisadianne, have you tried higher harnessing seats? you can flip the chest clip around so they cant get it off and cover the buckle
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#6 2008-07-13 22:22:14
- alesovoy
- Member
- Posts: 36
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
I used a EZ-On-Vest harness, with crotch straps. Also a booster seat, and the piece to go over the belt buckle is on order from the company, however i have to wait another 3 months to get it through insurance. the harness would have been over $400, and the hardware for the car would have been $200. Medicaid covered it, thank god. Right now I have to put masking tape over all seatbelt buckles to keep the belt on him, otherwise he just dangles from the shoulder harness straps. We also make sure to keep the child proof door lock thing on the back doors engaged, or he'll try to jump out of the car going 60 mph.
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#7 2008-07-14 19:53:10
- heansa1224
- New member
- Posts: 4
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
medicaid sucks when it comes to stuff like that. it takes forever for it to go through. that is great that you are getting it tho!
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#8 2008-07-14 20:14:10
- Sherry
- Member
- Posts: 47
Re: Seat Belt Help!!!
It's interesting to see what other parents are going through. My Autistic granddaughter didn't even want to try unbuckling her own seat belt until she turned 6 back in November. And it's only been in the last couple of months that she has been interested in trying to buckle herself, she gets so frustrated so quickly and just gives up.
However, since she only weighs 45 pounds she is still using the toddler car seat I bought for her older sister and I have to push a button to release the buckle for her, it takes a strong hand to release, especially since it's at a difficult angle for the child who is sitting in the seat. But she has started undoing the plastic slide that holds it together at chest level, and lifting the whole thing over her own head. And she has started pushing the buckle into the slot by herself.
Ah, progress!
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