Next, you have to actually wrestle the toddler into the car seat, and get all arms and legs into the right place so you can do up the harness\u2026 which children between 6 months and 4 years have to have.\u00a0 This is definitely a two-hand job, so sling whatever you can onto the driver\u2019s seat to keep it safe.\u00a0 It can be tempting to hold a stroppy kid in place with a strategically placed knee, especially with those harnesses that require two hands to do up.\u00a0 This does not look good, although in extreme cases, it can be done very gently and lightly.\u00a0 What makes this wrestling job worse is that the person you\u2019re trying to get into the seat is likely to be kicking and hitting at you \u2013 and even a two-year-old is capable of hitting you quite hard in the vulnerable areas that tend to be exposed when bending over to do up a car seat harness.<\/p>\n
So what are you going to do?\u00a0 Here are a handful of ideas that might work for you and your child:<\/p>\n
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- Bribery and corruption.\u00a0 Offer a treat as a reward once the car seat is done up.\u00a0 Might work once or twice but this sets up the idea that once a tantrum is thrown, a reward is given in order to stop it\u2026 so another tantrum is started next time to get the reward for stopping.<\/li>\n
- \u201cThe cops will be very cross with you and me if you don\u2019t have your seatbelt on.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s probably not the best to use cops as a sort of bogeyman who will Get You if you don\u2019t behave, as this does create a bad image of cops as bad guys later on, but can work.\u00a0 Even more effective if a cop is nearby and can be inveigled into telling the child to wear the seatbelt or else.<\/li>\n
- \u201cYou need to be safe in the car in case we crash.\u201d\u00a0 Won\u2019t work.\u00a0 Crashes are an abstract concept for little kids who have never been in one.\u00a0 Explaining and reasoning with someone who thinks a tantrum is the best solution to a problem never works.<\/li>\n
- Hold the child on your lap, or put him\/her in a safe place until the tantrum finishes. Then put your child \u2013 who will probably be exhausted by now \u2013 into the car seat. Requires patience.\u00a0 In a supermarket car park, the back seat of the car is a good safe place for the tantrum to take place.\u00a0 If you sit in the car and do nothing, eventually your toddler will decide that being buckled in and going somewhere is a lot more fun than screaming and throwing a wobbly in the back seat of a stationary car.<\/li>\n
- Distraction.\u00a0 Works for tantrums in a lot of situations. Requires a sense of humour and the willingness to look silly in a car park.\u00a0 You could try making the car \u201cthrow a tantrum too if you don\u2019t let me put your seatbelt on\u201d and then see what you can do with hazard lights, horns and\/or car alarms. Alternatively try \u201cCan you do a louder scream than that?\u201d or \u201cI can see another scream coming \u2013 have a look and see it in the car mirror?\u00a0 What about in this mirror? Does it look the same?\u00a0 What about in the other wing mirror?\u201d Or mimic your child by going \u201cWaaaah! Don\u2019t wanna!\u201d back at them or in synch with them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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