Cover bulky airplane seat belt buckles with a tube sock

Kim! BRILLIANT.

The last time I flew with my 2.5 year old, she was obsessed with her huge belt buckle. On a recent cross-country flight, we cut a tube sock and covered it up so that she wouldn't be tempted to open her belt. Worked like a charm! It also added a little extra padding-- a "crazy leg" or leg warmer could work too.

Related: Most of what's in the Travel/Going Out archive

Comments

[Stormy]

I actually consider the belt buckle distraction a good thing! It was great entertainment for my 2yo.

(But if the flight attendant wouldn't say anything, I wouldn't worry about his seatbelt at all. I mean, really, they let them sit in your lap without a seatbelt!)

[John E.]

Let me get this straight, you're covering the _release_ mechanism on a safety belt? Things like that should not be messed with, just be honest with your kid. Tell them if they unbuckle the seatbelt they'll die if the plane crashes. My 3 year old understands when bugs die they don't come back, and when we tell him that something is dangerous and he could die...he is not scared, he is cautious.

[Amanda]

Another advantage of bringing their regular carseat for plane travel :) especially if you'll need one at your destination anyway.

[stacy]

This hack surprises me. My son is about this age (he'll be two-and-a-half in June) and last time we flew without his car seat, I found it impossible to use the regular airplane seatbelt for him. Not because of any mischief on his part, but because he just slid right on out from under the thing. It may as well not have been there at all. There was no way to get just a lap belt tight enough to hold him in, without the assistance of a between-the-legs strap like he has on his car seat.

Am I doing something wrong?

[ta]

Presumably I'm supposed to post something that costs little/no money, but FWIW these things are great: http://www.kidsflysafe.com/. I have no affiliation with the mftr, simply can attest that they work well.

[Michael Campbell]

This seems overly dangerous. The chances are small, but god help you if you ever *need* to open it up, quickly.

[hunkeedoree]

I think this is a great idea. Some two year olds can be very persistent and if your not ready to explain the concept of death to your two year old (which i am not, John E.)this is the perfect way to keep this safety mechanism secure.