Figured I'd post here to see if anyone has ideas or experiences related to keeping kids buckled up in the plane.

The last flight I made with my family (and the first one with the Wag-Aero shoulder harnesses front and back), our son let himself out of his seat while we were descending to our destination. My wife eventually got him back in his seat before we landed. She's done a search for devices that prevent kids from unbuckling themselves, but they all seem to be for automotive style seat belt buckles. Does anyone know of a product that is designed to keep kids from lifting the release flap on "aviation style" buckles?

On the doors-off photography flights here, they use a few wraps of duct-tape around the buckle.

You might try some double-sided velcro strips. I have some that are 12 inches long by 1/2 inch wide, made for wrapping up computor cables. They also work nice to keep the belts rolled up when the back seat is empty.

I don't know man. Those things are designed to open easily and quickly for a reason. I hate for you to be in a situation where you needed to open it up in a hurry and couldn't. Maybe just spend a little extra time with him teaching him how to use it correctly and a consequence for not??? Not trying to get into parenting tactics here but It would scare me to have one of my kids "stuck" in the back.

CW

...I'll add a kind of funny story. We had just departed in Cali on our way back home and everyone was situated and ready to go. We were in the air for only a few minutes and passing over San Luis Obispo when we hit a few little bumps at the foothills. It was at that moment that my daughter in the back realized that she forgot to securely fasten her seatbelt...it was undone...and she freaked out! She was sure she was going to die. It took a little team work with my wife to convince her that I wasn't mad, she wasn't going to die, and all she has to do is snap it together like she's done many times before on the ground! I always ask if everyone is buckled in before we leave but should have been more diligent and double checked her work. One thing was for sure, she knew that thing was important!

clippwagon wrote:I don't know man. Those things are designed to open easily and quickly for a reason. I hate for you to be in a situation where you needed to open it up in a hurry and couldn't. Maybe just spend a little extra time with him teaching him how to use it correctly and a consequence for not??? Not trying to get into parenting tactics here but It would scare me to have one of my kids "stuck" in the back.

I'm right there with ya. I'd hate to end up in the water somehow and be fighting with something besides the buckle. He's been fine on all of our previous flights, but those just had the lap belt where the buckle was off to the side of his booster seat after it was tightened. Maybe it was the accessability of the buckle or the bundle of hardware on his lap that made him uncomfortable.

I do have an idea for a clip that I think might work and be easy enough to get off in an emergency, just need to find the time and material to fab one up. The buckles are pretty slippery, and I think they have a bit of a taper to them, so I think the velcro would probably slide off too easily. I thought about a heavy rubber band, but I think he could probably work that off, too.