2 1/2 Year Old Who Unbuckles Stroller

Hey K. you are not the only one. My 26mo old son learned to undo the carseat buckle. What I did was take him into the store and sit him in all the carseats and see which ones he could undo. I realized that it was the GRACO brand that he could undo because it was so easy you can do it with one hand. You need to find something that has two button or something that is more complicated to open. Kids are so smart my son watches me to see how I do it and then he tries to do the same. Good luck.

Hard as it may sound, he may be "too old" for the stroller. My son gave up the stroller around age 2.5 (my indication was the "hulk-move" of rocking back and forth until he managed to stand up and walk with the stroller still strapped to his back). He also figured out the carseat buckles and gave up naps around that time as well.

My pediatrician advised talking with him and compromising a bit. The carseat was absolute, no negotiation, he had to stay in and only adults were allowed to unbuckle him, but he would be allowed to walk rather than be in the stroller if he listened and followed directions. Nap time turned into quiet-time. He had to lay in his bed for at least 45 minutes to rest -- he could "read" and after that, he could play in his room quietly, no noise. Thankfully it worked for us.

Good luck!

I would recommend getting him a backpack harness. We have one shaped like a monkey that my kids love. If you have time for him to walk (you may want to allow more time for errands when he firsts starts walking) tell him, you can walk wearing your backpack, but if you don't listen or touch stuff, you are going to have to get in the stroller. My son was much more cooperative when he walked, plus I found it tired him out so he took a better nap too. I also found that he would walk for about 20 minutes then ask to ride because his little legs would get tired. Also, to encourage him to stay in the stroller make sure he has some toys and a snack and drink to keep him occupied. I keep a box full of easy snacks (pretzels, crackers, raisins, etc in the back of my car along with a box of snack size bags) so I can give my kids a snack while I run errands. I am not sure what type of stroller your using, but with ours, my son can't really get out without help, since he sits low to the ground it is hard for him to climb out, so I guess he has less opportunity. Also, he is old enough for their to be consequences. If you have warned him to stay put and he doesn't, you can always find a place to give him a time out or take away a priviledge (we take away his bike or sometimes tv) for the rest of the day. That has been effective for us. Our son could care less about time outs, but hates to lose his bike. The trick with that is finding something that your child really likes. Good luck. This is a tough age, but the threes are so much easier:)

I'm not sure about other strollers but my 2 year old twins do the same thing. It drives me crazy. They can get out while it's being pushed and run. Ahh such fun. You're not the only one. Mine can also get out of the belts in the shopping cart too. =)

Hi K.,
Try tying his shoe laces together when he is in the stroller. I know it sounds kind of nuts but a good friend of mine who is a psychiatrist swears this is what worked with his own daughter when she used to do the same thing. (He has a good tape series out, by the way: New Skills for Frazzled Parents, by Daniel Amen, MD. It really helped me when my kids were little).

Warmly,
J. Massengill, LCSW/ MCC

My friends son use to do the same but this seem to work for her..you know those cloth diapper that you can get at target there thin and extra big well even a reciving blanket will work first tell him no no and if you do this take it and you know how you take 2 cornors and twist to pop someone with the towel well do it diapper or blanket like that then take it and tie him in after you have buckled him in if you have one those strollers where you can get around him and tie him in the back if not buckel him in and then take it around put it around the middle strap then cross and then tie a knott over the latchs so he can't unbuckel it. I hope this works..A.