When would you drive (Thanksgiving Edition)?

[Anonymous]

6 am Wednesday. Don't expect him to go back to sleep. Also, his straps aren't tight enough or the clip is too low if he can wiggle out of his seat.

[Anonymous]

15:16 here. The 301 route and some shunpiking in Christiana in DE to avoid the tolls will save you time when there is traffic and you'd otherwise be sitting. If you do this drive a lot, you're familiar with it, but think of driving all the way to NJ at 25 mph with occasional periods of parking on the highway. That's what the thanksgiving drive can be!

How far north in NJ do you go? A noon departure sounds risky and late to me, but we go very far north and then sit on the Parkway for a while before we sit on the Turnpike. And sit at the DelMemBr. And sit in Maryland.

Having two adults in the car and a working GPS on your phone will be a lifesaver. I only take the alternate routes when there is significant traffic on the usual routes and the alternates will save us more than 30 minutes. In some cases, they've saved us hours.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! Hope you have smooth sailing.

[Anonymous]

what about coming back - we'll be driving back from Philly to DC on Sunday evening. How bad will it be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:16 here. The 301 route and some shunpiking in Christiana in DE to avoid the tolls will save you time when there is traffic and you'd otherwise be sitting. If you do this drive a lot, you're familiar with it, but think of driving all the way to NJ at 25 mph with occasional periods of parking on the highway. That's what the thanksgiving drive can be!

How far north in NJ do you go? A noon departure sounds risky and late to me, but we go very far north and then sit on the Parkway for a while before we sit on the Turnpike. And sit at the DelMemBr. And sit in Maryland.

Having two adults in the car and a working GPS on your phone will be a lifesaver. I only take the alternate routes when there is significant traffic on the usual routes and the alternates will save us more than 30 minutes. In some cases, they've saved us hours.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! Hope you have smooth sailing.

I'm ok with tolls and have an EZPass so I can avoid some of the toll plaza traffic. I don't think I go as far north as you...I don't have to handle the parkway...just the turnpike. I get off in central Jersey. Don't get me wrong, we sit in NJ, DE and MD too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what about coming back - we'll be driving back from Philly to DC on Sunday evening. How bad will it be?

I find coming back worse that going since people go on various days but so many people, including myself, stay until Sunday. I think evening will be better than afternoon. Have you ever thought about taking the train? I do often but not for thanksgiving, mainly because I get SOOO many leftovers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I are debating when to tackle the drive from VA to NJ for Thanksgiving. When my son was very young, it didn't rally matter since he slept during any car ride. Now that he is 22 months he isn't the biggest fan of the car. We often do try to time certain trips with his nap but that won't work for Thanksgiving (but will for the ride home). Based on the fact that he is wiggly and can even get out of his car seat at time and the traffic around this holiday, when would you leave? Would you leave late Tuesday night (he goes to bed at 8) with hopes there is no traffic and he will sleep and then successfully go back to sleep (we have never done this) OR leave very early (6 am) on Wednesday morning with hopes he goes back to sleep for an hour or two (won't happen!) and just suck it up and deal with the horrible car ride?

If he can get out of his car seat unassisted at 22 months, the straps on his car seat are dangerously loose. The straps should be flat on him and when you try to pinch the harness strap together, you should not be able to the strap together.

Car seats don't work unless the straps are very tight and the seat is installed properly. Please see a tech.

Before my in-laws died, we had good luck with that drive leaving early Thursday morning and having dinner around 3. I don't know how that fits your son's sleeping. schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what about coming back - we'll be driving back from Philly to DC on Sunday evening. How bad will it be?

It will be awful. Your own little personal hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I are debating when to tackle the drive from VA to NJ for Thanksgiving. When my son was very young, it didn't rally matter since he slept during any car ride. Now that he is 22 months he isn't the biggest fan of the car. We often do try to time certain trips with his nap but that won't work for Thanksgiving (but will for the ride home). Based on the fact that he is wiggly and can even get out of his car seat at time and the traffic around this holiday, when would you leave? Would you leave late Tuesday night (he goes to bed at 8) with hopes there is no traffic and he will sleep and then successfully go back to sleep (we have never done this) OR leave very early (6 am) on Wednesday morning with hopes he goes back to sleep for an hour or two (won't happen!) and just suck it up and deal with the horrible car ride?

This is a problem and shouldn't be happening.

OP here. Oh I know! I sit in the back with him because of this. He can just undo the latches himself.

He can undo the Lower Anchors and Tether (the system to install the seat in the car) or he can undo the harness straps which keep him contained?

Either/both are huge problems. You are not using the seat correctly if this is happening. Where do you live? Check the Safe Kids website to see if there is a tech near you. You are facing a potential lethal problem.

If the harness is tight enough, no one child should be able to get out of a seat himself. There are seats that are designed for little houdinis, but you have to rectify this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what about coming back - we'll be driving back from Philly to DC on Sunday evening. How bad will it be?

It will be awful. Your own little personal hell.

We leave southern CT at 6:30 am and are usually in DC for lunch. Miserable to get up so early but worth it in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I are debating when to tackle the drive from VA to NJ for Thanksgiving. When my son was very young, it didn't rally matter since he slept during any car ride. Now that he is 22 months he isn't the biggest fan of the car. We often do try to time certain trips with his nap but that won't work for Thanksgiving (but will for the ride home). Based on the fact that he is wiggly and can even get out of his car seat at time and the traffic around this holiday, when would you leave? Would you leave late Tuesday night (he goes to bed at 8) with hopes there is no traffic and he will sleep and then successfully go back to sleep (we have never done this) OR leave very early (6 am) on Wednesday morning with hopes he goes back to sleep for an hour or two (won't happen!) and just suck it up and deal with the horrible car ride?

If he can get out of his car seat unassisted at 22 months, the straps on his car seat are dangerously loose. The straps should be flat on him and when you try to pinch the harness strap together, you should not be able to the strap together.

Car seats don't work unless the straps are very tight and the seat is installed properly. Please see a tech.

Before my in-laws died, we had good luck with that drive leaving early Thursday morning and having dinner around 3. I don't know how that fits your son's sleeping. schedule.

He can unlatch the car seat...that's the trouble...not that it is too loose!

Unfortunately Thursday is not an option. We need to be up much earlier to help with the preparations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I are debating when to tackle the drive from VA to NJ for Thanksgiving. When my son was very young, it didn't rally matter since he slept during any car ride. Now that he is 22 months he isn't the biggest fan of the car. We often do try to time certain trips with his nap but that won't work for Thanksgiving (but will for the ride home). Based on the fact that he is wiggly and can even get out of his car seat at time and the traffic around this holiday, when would you leave? Would you leave late Tuesday night (he goes to bed at 8) with hopes there is no traffic and he will sleep and then successfully go back to sleep (we have never done this) OR leave very early (6 am) on Wednesday morning with hopes he goes back to sleep for an hour or two (won't happen!) and just suck it up and deal with the horrible car ride?

This is a problem and shouldn't be happening.

OP here. Oh I know! I sit in the back with him because of this. He can just undo the latches himself.

He can undo the Lower Anchors and Tether (the system to install the seat in the car) or he can undo the harness straps which keep him contained?

Either/both are huge problems. You are not using the seat correctly if this is happening. Where do you live? Check the Safe Kids website to see if there is a tech near you. You are facing a potential lethal problem.

If the harness is tight enough, no one child should be able to get out of a seat himself. There are seats that are designed for little houdinis, but you have to rectify this problem.

I'm not sure what all the lingo means, but he can upclip the two lathes that keep him in if he feels like it. Our seat was installed and is checked periodically. Y cops that have gone through car seat training so it is in correctly. This is why I sit in the back with him to monitor him.

[Anonymous]

I am a CPS tech and an instructor and have been so for the last 15 years. The only thing that allows kids to get out of their car seat is when the harness is too loose. I assume he is getting out of his car seat thru the harness straps. His harness strap are too loose. You need to tighten the straps.

Who installed your seat and who checks it periodically? A tech can spot a Houdini from miles away. Is the seat checked with your child in it? what do you do when you drive and he's in the back by himself?

Where do you live? There are techs all over this area. You really need help with this problem immediately as your child is very much in danger if this is how he rides in a car. The He

[Anonymous]

16:10 here

BTW, not all police officers are techs. You need to get this fixed immediately. You are endangering your child by allowing this to go on.

[Anonymous]

OP, the Pria has an easier clip than most. We loved the seat and had two for grandparent cars. You need to teach him not to open the clip and have some type of consequence. I'd also bribe with an iPad or tablet. Or, get a car seat he cannot undo the clips as easily.

[Anonymous]

Here is a video of harness tightness. Are you referring to the harness chest clip as a latch? It is the chest clip. LATCH is an acronym for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. This a system to install the SEAT into the vehicle. Is this what your son is doing. -- uninstalling the seat from the vehicle? If so, you have two HUGE problems. He can't possibly undo the lower anchors unless he is completely out of his seat. If he is strapped in tightly and properly, he should not be able to undo the harness straps. The way you use the harness strap tightened means he would be be able to bend over enough to grab the harness strap tightened up AND PULL it out.

The harness should be tight enough that he is never able to bend that far forward. If you can't get the straps tight enough and he gets the chest clip undone, something is very,very wrong. The straps are not tight enough because when the are, the chest clip lies flat against his body and he shouldn't be able to pull it apart.

You need to learn how to tighten the straps or something may be not be working on the seat. Get to a real tech with your child in his seat to check this out. You may need a different seat.

If you have a burner email address to use, post it and I will try to find someone to help you. Your child risks ejection sitting in the seat this way.

Here is the video. http://carseatblog.com/32635/the-pinch-test/

I know this woman. She works on car seat issues on a national level. She is very well respected.