My child can loosen their harness, is this normal/safe?

As with all our products, children’s safety is of our foremost concern and we dedicate a lot of time and resources in ensuring that our products exceed the requirements set out by the Australian Standards Committee.

Restraint design is governed by the type that the restraint is, this means that the location of the harness adjuster clamp must be easily accessible and usable in when in either rear facing or forward facing mode, depending on the Type of restraint, without hindering the access to it. Unfortunately the style of a harness adjuster is restricted by requirements within the standard, with heavy emphasis on quick release in the event of an accident.

The downside to this is that children are curious by nature and like to find out how things work. This can obviously be a danger to them if they are curious about their own car seat, especially as they are watching their parents buckle and unbuckle them every day. While teaching children how to behave and what’s expected of them when travelling in a vehicle is a process that every parent goes through, for some children this is not quite enough. Which is why safety organisations, like Kidsafe, recommend using distractions techniques. This is not meant as you personally distracting them while you’re trying to concentrate on driving, but rather by providing them with activities, soft toys etc. to distract their curious minds from focusing on their restraints fascinating buttons, belts and levers.