Your child has become Houdini in the car, you are already likely familiar with the safety concern, frustration, and daily difficulty that this can cause. Children who discover the ability to unbuckle their car seat harness or seat belt are a challenge unlike any other. Here are some tips to prevent car seat escape from our Child Passenger Safety Technician to get you back on the road safely. We need to consider the reasoning – finding the right cause will likely lead us to our most fitting solution.

Attention Seeking

Bobby thinks it’s funny for mom to get flustered when she’s driving. He repeatedly unbuckles his seat belt from his booster and laughs, waiting for a loud reaction.

Solution: Stop the increase in attention. Use consistent, simple responses. Stop the car and calmly tell Bobby to re-buckle (or help him to do so) and give it no other positive or negative attention. Be extra mindful of your wording here. Asking “can you please put your buckle on?” leaves an opening for him to simply say, “nope!” and spiral into a power struggle. Instead, try a statement. “That is not safe, please buckle your seat” or “that is not safe, I’m going to help you buckle”.

Solution: Have a conversation about why it is important to stay buckled in the car. Sometimes, a fireman or police officer may be willing to help you with this if you ask ahead of time. Set consistent boundaries and talk through them with your child if they are able to understand. Example: “We’re headed to the park to play. I need you to stay buckled so we can get there safely.” The expectation: we stay buckled, car moves; we unbuckle, car stops. The longer it takes to get there, the less time there is to play (or make it to the birthday party on time, or get to Grandma’s in time for dinner). Natural consequences can go far.

Discomfort

Discomfort is an important consideration to not skip over, though one that is often missed. Check that your child’s car seat fits them properly. Our CPST can help with this for free if you have questions. Harness straps that are too low, too tight, or incorrectly positioned can leave toddlers just wanting to escape and be comfy. Consider their recline, crotch buckle, and belt positioning.

Solution: Ask your child if something hurts, and schedule a car seat check to work out the problems.

Solution: Look through your manual for anything you may have missed.

They are Practicing Car Seat Escape Skills

Sometimes, kids discover they can do something, such as escape, and want to keep trying:

Solution: Make a sticker or reward chart to motivate making a more positive choice in the car. Each safe ride gets a sticker, price, race car, whatever works for you!

Solution: Wear mittens or gloves that make it harder to push down or open a harness clip or access a seat belt fastener.

Solution: Button Up Shirt Trick – put your child in a button up shirt, harness the straps appropriately, and button over the top. A reminder for our fellow Montanan’s, snow gear and puffy jackets are NOT safe for the car and you should not use them in this fashion.

Sensory Tips for Car Seat Escape

In our clinic, we often have children who are refusing standard car seats due to sensory needs or differences. They may not like that a harness has to be pulled tight, leading to an unsafe sit; or not be able to handle sitting still well enough to graduate into a booster, but they’re past the weight or height limits from a harnessed seat.

Solution: Schedule a free seat check with a CPST, or talk to your occupational therapist. Some supports may include: a special toy or fidget that stays in the car to keep their attention while moving, having a safe snack in the car to keep us busy, or at times, a special show or song playlist. A weighted lap pad may help calm a busy body.

What if These Tips Don’t Work?

If these tips to prevent car seat escape aren’t enough, it may be time to consideration a special or adaptive car seat. Or, consider a standard car seat with different features than your own. We have options of adapted vests or seats with buckle locks if our development does not allow us to work through these escape behaviors in a successful manner. A few safe options you could consider:

• Evenflo Seats with Sensor Safe Buckles. This chest clip is generally harder to move up and down, as well as open for small hands. An alert will sound, notifying parents if the chest clip becomes unbuckled.
• Maxi-Cosi Seat with Magnetic Chest Clip: Another seat that can be harder for small hands to disrupt.
• EZ-ON Adjustable Vest
• RideSafer Travel Vest
• Roosevelt Special Needs Seat with Chest Clip and/or Buckle Guard

Driving with a loose harness, adding additional padding that did not come with your seat, or using zip ties or gadgets off of Amazon are NOT a crash tested solution and should be avoided. There are better ways to keep you child safe in the car. Let’s work together to keep you moving safely again.

In a world filled with screens and technological distractions, it has become increasingly important to emphasize the value of getting children outdoors and into nature. Nature can have a profound effect on child development. From the rustling of leaves to the vibrant colors of flowers, there is an undeniable magic in the great outdoors. Nature serves as a playground for the imagination, a source of inspiration, and a teacher of life’s greatest lessons.

First and foremost, spending time in nature allows children to tap into their innate sense of wonder and imagination. The sounds of birds chirping and the feel of cool grass beneath their feet spark their creativity and encourage them to explore the world with wide-eyed curiosity. Whether it’s building forts out of fallen branches or pretending to be explorers on a grand adventure, nature offers endless possibilities for imaginative play. These experiences cultivate creativity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to think outside the box.

Nature is also a source of inspiration, nurturing a child’s sense of awe and appreciation for the world around them. From breathtaking sunsets to majestic mountains, children are exposed to the beauty and magnificence of the natural world. This exposure fosters a deep connection to the Earth and a desire to protect and preserve it. Such values are crucial in developing a responsible and environmentally conscious generation.

Moreover, nature provides a wealth of valuable life lessons. It teaches children resilience as they navigate rocky terrains or climb trees, instilling a sense of determination and perseverance. They learn about patience and observation as they watch plants grow or wait for animals to appear. Nature also teaches children about the interconnectedness of all living things, nurturing empathy and a sense of responsibility towards the environment and its creatures.

Getting children out in nature is of utmost importance for their holistic development. It fuels their imagination, inspires them, and imparts valuable life lessons. So let us make a conscious effort to encourage them to reap the effect of nature on child development. Let them breathe in the fresh air, run through fields, and chase butterflies. By doing so, we not only enrich their childhood experiences but also lay the foundation for a future generation that will cherish and protect our beloved planet. Happy exploring!

Auditory recognition and discrimination are the abilities to identify and recall sounds that we hear and to perceive and differentiate between similar sounds. Auditory recognition is foundational to speech and language development because it helps children recognize familiar sounds, words, and speech patterns. For example, when a child hears the word “apple,” auditory recognition allows them to identify the sound and associate it with the fruit. This ability is often the first step toward building vocabulary and understanding language. It involves hearing and processing sound without needing to distinguish between subtle differences in sound.

Auditory discrimination, on the other hand, goes beyond simply recognizing a sound or word. It requires the listener to notice subtle differences in pitch, tone, frequency, or length. For instance, in early childhood development, auditory discrimination is critical for phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words. Without this skill, children may confuse sounds, leading to difficulties in reading, spelling, and speaking clearly.

Why Auditory Recognition and Discrimination Matter in Speech Therapy

• Early Language Development: Auditory recognition helps children link spoken words with meanings. This lays the groundwork for vocabulary acquisition and language comprehension.
• Supporting Communication: It enables children to understand and respond to spoken language in their environment, which is essential for social interactions and academic performance.
• Interventions for Auditory Processing Issues: Some children, especially those with auditory processing disorders, may struggle with recognizing sounds or words, which can delay language development. Therapy focused on auditory recognition can help them connect sounds to their meaning more effectively.
• Improved Speech Clarity: Accurate auditory discrimination helps children correctly produce and articulate sounds. For children, it supports accurate pronunciation and the development of clear speech.
• Reading and Spelling: Auditory discrimination is crucial for developing literacy skills. It enables children to break down words into phonemes (the smallest units of sound). This is a a foundational skill in reading and spelling.
• Addressing Speech Sound Disorders: Children with speech disorders, such as articulation delays, may struggle with discriminating between sounds. Speech therapists often work on auditory discrimination to help correct these issues.

If you have concerns about your child’s auditory recognition or discrimination, call MOSAIC today.

Completing physical therapy marks a significant milestone in your journey toward recovery, but many people find themselves asking, “Now what?” Whether you’ve regained strength after surgery, improved mobility after an injury, or achieved better balance, maintaining the progress made in PT is vital to long term health and mobility.

Do These When You’re Done with Physical Therapy

1. Keep Up with Your Home Exercise Program – The exercises and stretches your therapist prescribed are crucial for preventing strength regression and maintaining your mobility. If you’re unsure about which exercises to continue or prioritize, don’t hesitate to contact your physical therapist for clarification.

2. Incorporate Movement into Your Daily Routine – Staying active is key to long-term health. Find ways to incorporate movement into your daily routine, whether that’s walking, swimming, yoga, or cycling.

3. Focus on Ergonomics and Posture – Good posture and proper body mechanic reduce risk of future injuries. Consider making ergonomic adjustments to your workspace, home, and exercise routines.

4. Set New Goals for Your Health – Use your PT progress as a foundation for new fitness goals. This is also a great time to engage in new fitness challenges or try something you’ve never done before. Try things like a hiking trip or taking a dance class.

5. Consider Long-Term Wellness Support – Periodic follow-up appointments with a physical therapist may be helpful. These sessions can ensure you’re still on track with your goals, help you make adjustments to your exercise routine, and provide additional guidance on injury prevention.

6. Celebrate Your Achievements – Completing physical therapy is a huge accomplishment! Take a moment to celebrate your progress. Remember, PT isn’t just about recovery from an injury or surgery, it’s also about improving your quality of life and giving you the tools to stay active and healthy.

Finishing PT is just the beginning of your health journey. Staying committed to your well-being ensures that the work you’ve done in physical therapy will continue to serve you for years to come.

Why do physical therapists worry about head shape? Plagiocephaly, the condition where a baby’s head becomes flattened on one side, is not simply a cosmetic issue. It can impact various aspects of a child’s development, including gross motor skills, strength, speech, feeding, handwriting, and balance, if not addressed.

Gross Motor Development

Plagiocephaly is often linked to torticollis, positional preferences, limited neck range of motion, and asymmetric neck strength. Without intervention, this asymmetry can persist and affect not only head shape but delay or negatively influence overall movement patterns (rolling, crawling, sitting, walking) and strength development.

Head Shape and Speech Development

Alternately, plagiocephaly can lead to asymmetry in facial muscles and tongue and lip alignment. This misalignment can make it difficult for the child to form sounds correctly, potentially delaying or affecting speech clarity and articulation.

Feeding Challenges

Infants with plagiocephaly may experience difficulty breast or bottle feeding. This is especially true if they have difficulty turning their head due to muscle tightness. In more severe cases, asymmetries can lead to slower weight gain.

Head Shape and Handwriting Difficulty

Although less obvious, plagiocephaly can also have long-term impacts on fine motor skills, such as handwriting. Skull and facial structure asymmetry can lead to issues with posture, the ability to sit upright, and the ability to hold a pencil correctly. Children with postural asymmetry may also experience difficulties with eye-hand coordination and concentration. This may make school tasks such as writing much more difficult.

Balance and Coordination

Plagiocephaly can affect a child’s sense of balance and coordination due to the impact it has on neck/head posture. This restriction can lead to uneven weight distribution while sitting, standing, or walking, which can negatively affect overall balance.

While plagiocephaly is often mild and can easily be treated with physical therapy, it is important for parents to monitor and understand that early intervention can help address these issues and prevent long term developmental complications. We recommend starting physical therapy by 2 months of age for the best possible outcomes.

Playgrounds are more than just places for children to have fun. They’re essential environments for physical development. The benefits of playing on playgrounds are numerous, and different playground structures have their own unique benefits.

Climbing Structures

Climbing structures like monkey bars, ladders, and climbing walls develop upper body strength, coordination, and problem-solving skills. Children engage their arms, shoulders, and core as they navigate these challenges. Additionally, climbing promotes bilateral coordination, which is the ability to use both sides of the body together. This is a key skill for tasks like writing and buttoning clothing. Climbing structures also provide opportunities for proprioceptive input (awareness of body position) and grip strength development, which supports fine motor tasks like holding a pencil.

Benefits of playing on playground Swings

Swings are an excellent tool for developing core strength and balance. As children pump their legs to gain momentum, they’re also building strength and coordination. Swinging also provides vestibular input, which helps children develop a better sense of balance and spatial awareness.

Balance Beams and Stepping Stones

Balance-focused structures challenge a child’s ability to control their body while maintaining stability. Walking across a balance beam or navigating over stepping stones engages a child’s core and leg muscles. These tasks are also essential to help build foot and ankle strength. Balance structures at a playground build the foundation of a child’s dynamic balance, skills that are critical for running, jumping, and participating in sports.

Benefits of playing on playground Slides

Sliding is also a great way to work on balance, coordination, and postural control. Climbing up to the top of the slide builds strength and endurance, while the act of sliding down helps children practice sitting upright and sustaining core and trunk activation. Sliding, also provides vestibular input, which supports overall body awareness and coordination.

Tunnels or Enclosed Slides

Tunnels and enclosed slides encourage children to crawl, squat, and use their imagination as they navigate tight spaces. Crawling promotes reciprocal movement patterns as well as core and upper body strength development.

So, when your kids ask to go to the playground, think of all the benefits that playing on playgrounds is providing while they are having fun! Here are 6 great playgrounds to try out.