Parents share genius 'Houdini shirt' trick to stop kids from unbuckling their car seat straps while

Publish date: 2024-05-04

DO you have a child who undoes their car seat buckle while you're driving?

One mum whose son does just that took to the Gentle Parenting group on Facebook to ask for advice about how to stop it.

And while parents shared numerous suggestions in the comments section, there was one that kept coming up - the Car Seat Lady's Houdini shirt trick.

Paediatrician Alisa Bear is co-founder of The Car Seat Lady, and has explained her hack in numerous parenting groups.

"First make sure they’re buckled in snugly," she said.

"If they’re wiggling out of the straps try my shirt trick.

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"Place a button-up shirt over their clothes and button it securely over the straps.

"Most kids aren’t able to undo the small buttons until ages three to five."

Another mum commented on the post, writing: "Can you put a button up shirt on and button it up over the buckles?

"Or some people put the shirt on backwards so the child cannot undo the buckle."

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"The button up shirt trick is worth a try!" someone else added.

While others shared their own suggestions, with one writing: "We planned a fun outing (go get ice cream or something they like).

"Then we watched for the unbuckle. We then turned the car around and went home.

"We explained on the way home that we can’t go to fun places if they won’t stay buckled in their seat. 

"Then tell them you will try again tomorrow if they stay buckled all day. Then stretch it to a week then a month. You will get a good habit started."

"My son also did this when he was 2!" someone else said.

"I told him he was allowed to take his seatbelt off when the car was stopped, when we’d be almost stopping I’d let him know it’s almost time, then made it REALLY exciting for him to do it when it was safe to do so like ‘yes, you can ABSOLUTELY do your seatbelt, thank you for waiting, amazing job’ !

"I found giving him a level of ‘control’ and just changing the ‘when’ was helpful!"

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As others had more drastic approaches, with one commenting: "Tell him if he doesn’t keep it buckled he’s going to fly through the window and die.

"I told my 4 yr old that he hasn’t done it since."

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