I just have to preface this review by saying how thrilled I am that these two products are now available and that they’re made by a trusted and reputable manufacturer of special needs carseats and related products. Merritt Manufacturing produces many of the most widely used carseats for children with special healthcare needs including the Hope Car Bed, The Churchill Booster and the Roosevelt 5-point harness seat. The innovative Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard were originally designed as “escapism prevention” accessories for the Roosevelt. Recently Merritt made them available for purchase separately and for use with conventional carseats. For families with children who continuously escape from their 5-point harness, this is VERY good news.
The “Carseat Houdini” presents a huge challenge to safety-minded parents and also to the CPS Techs trying to help these families. I’ve seen parents do some pretty crazy (and creative!) things to try to keep their kid in his or her carseat over the years. I’ve also seen a lot of questionable aftermarket products that target desperate parents who are willing to buy anything when discipline and the usual parenting strategies don’t stop the behavior.
This review covers both of the accessories available from Merritt.
For younger kids who don’t have the thumb strength to actually unbuckle the buckle but rather escape from their seat by pushing the chest clip down and wiggling their arms and shoulders free – the Chest Clip Guard is probably all that is needed. You can use this product if you have a carseat that allows you to detach the harness from the splitter plate.
If you just need the Chest Clip Guard – it should work with most current seats including the Diono Radian models, Evenflo Maestro, Evenflo SureRide, Graco 4Ever All-in-One & Milestone All-in-One, Graco Nautilus, etc. It won’t work with seats like the Evenflo Symphony, Evenflo Triumph, or Chicco NextFit because those carseats either don’t have a splitter plate or it’s inaccessible.
For Britax seats with rubber HUGS pads – the HUGS will have to be removed. I know that’s a conflict with the instruction manual but in these cases the parent has to decide if the benefits of using the Chest Clip Guard outweigh any potential risks of using the seat without the HUGS pads. I think it’s important to point out that most kids riding in a Britax convertible with HUGS are not anywhere near the maximum weight limit of 65 lbs. Along the same lines, the Britax Pioneer and DualFit harness-2-booster combination seat don’t have HUGS pads either.
The Chest Clip Guard $49.95
The Chest Clip Guard is truly a brilliant concept. The idea is so simple and yet so effective. I’m just mad that I didn’t think of it first. It’s an attachment to the harness with height-adjustable harness pads that hold a lockable chest clip in a fixed position. The harness pads are attached to each other via a piece of webbing that goes behind the child’s neck. The chest clip can also be locked by using the “key” tool that comes with product. If you lose the key, it’s not a big deal because it’s not really a key and you can insert a variety of different things (including a regular house key or car key) to operate the locking mechanism inside the chest clip. A buckle tongue from the buckle on the carseat harness will do the trick too.
Plastic “key” to lock Chest Clip Guard
This video explains how the Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard function.
The Buckle Guard $29.95
IMMI buckle
As I explained in the video – the Buckle Guard can ONLY be used with the IMMI buckle (pictured right). FYI – the buckles used on the current Diono seats (Radian models, Rainier, Pacifica, Olympia) look similar to the IMMI buckle because it also has a square release button but upon close inspection you’ll see that it’s not the same buckle. This guard will NOT work with the current Diono buckle.
Once the Buckle Guard is attached, it cannot be removed without carefully prying it off with a flat head screwdriver. Once the Buckle Guard has been removed it must be discarded. Therefore this is a product that is intended to remain on the buckle until it is no longer needed.
If you need the Buckle Guard for a seat you already own or if you’re in the market for a new carseat that can accommodate the Buckle Guard – below is a list of higher-weight harness carseats that are currently sold with an IMMI buckle:
| Manufacturer | Models with IMMI Buckle |
|---|---|
| Britax | All convertible seats: Roundabout*/Marathon/Boulevard/Pavilion/Advocate |
| Britax | All Harness-2-Booster Combination Seats: Frontier ClickTight/Pinnacle ClickTight/Pioneer/DualFit |
| Chicco | NextFit convertible (NOT suitable for Chest Clip Guard) |
| Clek | Foonf convertible & Fllo convertible |
| Evenflo | Symphony convertible (NOT suitable for Chest Clip Guard) |
| Graco | MyRide and Size4Me/My Size/Head Wise* convertibles |
| Graco | 4Ever All-in-One & Milestone All-in-One |
| Graco | Nautilus and Argos* combination seats |
| Maxi-Cosi | Pria convertibles |
| Orbit Baby | Toddler Seat convertible* |
| Peg Perego | Primo Viaggio convertible |
| Recaro | ProRIDE and Performance Ride convertibles* |
| Recaro | Performance Sport combination* |
| *discontinued |
Chest Clip Guard & Buckle Guard Combo $79.90
If you need both the Chest Clip Guard and the Buckle Guard accessories for your talented escape artist, that will narrow down the choices since you need a carseat with an IMMI buckle that also gives you access to the splitter plate so you can remove the existing chest clip and attach the guard in its place. Again, I’m only going to list model with a higher-weight harness because Houdini kids benefit from staying in a 5-point harness beyond 40 lbs.
For children with special needs who will likely benefit from the Chest Clip Guard and the Buckle Guard for an extended period of time, the Britax Frontier ClickTight and Pinnacle ClickTight offer the highest weight and height limits of any conventional carseats currently on the market. However, both the Frontier and the Pinnacle come with HUGS pads on the harness and technically Britax requires their usage. Use of the chest clip guard necessitates the removal of the HUGS pads so that will have to be a “parental decision”. My personal feeling is that having an older child with special needs who continuously escapes from the carseat while the car is moving presents a much greater risk than the potential risk of using a Britax seat without the HUGS pads. However, as a CPS Technician I cannot recommend that a parent go against the carseat manufacturer’s instructions. The Britax Pioneer (no HUGS pads; rated to 70 lbs. and now with 19.5″ top harness slots) would be a reasonable compromise if the child is slender and likely to outgrow the harness by height before hitting the 70 lbs. weight limit.
| CRs that can accommodate both Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Model |
| Britax | All convertible seats: Roundabout*/Marathon/Boulevard/Pavilion/Advocate |
| Britax | All Harness-2-Booster Combination Seats: Pioneer/Frontier ClickTight/Pinnacle ClickTight/DualFit |
| Clek | Foonf convertible & Fllo convertible |
| Graco | MyRide & Size4Me/MySize/Head Wise* convertibles |
| Graco | 4Ever All-in-One & Milestone All-in-One |
| Graco | Nautilus and Argos* combination seats |
| Maxi-Cosi | Pria convertibles |
| Orbit Baby | Toddler Seat convertible* |
| Peg Perego | Primo Viaggio convertible |
| Recaro | ProRIDE and Performance Ride convertibles* |
| Recaro | Performance Sport combination* |
| *discontinued |
The Bottom Line
The Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard products can be a lifesaver (literally!) for parents with children who are persistent escape artists that do not respond to typical parenting tips and tricks. These accessory products are well-designed and come from a reputable carseat manufacturer that knows how to think outside of the box – safely. That doesn’t mean that the other CR manufacturers are going to give their blessing to using these accessories with their products – that’s probably asking too much. However, these niche products fill a serious hole in the market and the reasonable prices make them a realistic option for most families. I’m beyond thrilled that there are legitimate products on the market now that I can feel comfortable recommending for children with special needs and also occasionally for the very stubborn and determined 2 year old who just doesn’t respond to the usual suggestions that we tend to give parents in these situations.
For more information on the Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard see the manufacturer’s website: http://www.escapeproof.net
Thank you Merritt Manufacturing for supplying the Chest Clip Guard and Buckle Guard samples for this review. No other compensation was received and the comments and opinions are entirely my own.
Updated May 2019
will the chest piece work with the britax advocate click tight..
Hi Taelyn, yes it will. But you will have to remove the rubber HUGS pads that came with you Advocate CT. Britax states that the HUGS pads are required for a forward-facing child so you will have to decide if you’re willing to go against that advice. That’s what we call a “tough choice”. Have you tried other methods to stop the unbuckling? Does your child have special needs?
Does the buckle guard work on strollers?
How do I get the buckle guard off? Got a new carseat and can’t figure it out!
The buckle guard isn’t easily removed in fact I read on the merit site that chances are u will have to order a new buckle for ur car seat from its manufacturer
Hi I am wondering about the buckle guard between the child’s legs that you use your thumb to push in on the button? Will that fit a Columbia Medical Car Seat? We do not need the chest guard which will not fit for sure just the bottom one. If so how much is the one that you use your thumb to release? Also how long does it take to ship and deliver?
Thanks
Kelli
Hi Kelli, if the Columbia seat has an IMMI buckle (like the one shown here https://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/IMMI-buckle1.jpg ), then the “Buckle Guard” will work. Price is $29.95. You can call Merritt to inquire about shipping and delivery times. HTH!
It will work with the Columbia 2000 and the 2500. However, Columbia has their own buckle guard system that is much like a childproof bottle cap.
Won’t the “Chest Clip Guard” hurt child’s chest when real car crash happened? I’m concerned because the “Chest Clip Guard” seemed to be very hard material and could hurt child’s chest bone in high speed situation.
Regarding your concern that the chest clip guard is too hard, it is made of exactly the same material as a standard chest clip. Only the locking mechanism in the front of the clip is different.
Does the guard work on a Concord seat?
Hi Marianne – please see my comments to Nicole posted above.
Hi just wondering if the buckle guard works with mothers choice car seats?
Hi Nicole, I cannot comment on seats that are made for the European, Australian or Japanese markets – sorry. I”m not sure if Merritt is willing to ship internationally but you contact them to ask. I can tell you that the chest clip guard will work on ANY seat that allows access to the end of the harness straps via a splitter plate in the back. If you can disconnect the harness straps from the splitter plate then you can slip this product on. I know many seats in other countries don’t use chest clips but if you have a persistent escape artist – I would consider the chest clip guard product if you determine that it could work with your seat and if you can get one sent to you. The buckle guard probably won’t work because I’m not aware of any non-US seat that utilizes the American IMMI buckle. HTH!
Coming from a parent who was in an accident a few weeks ago. I don’t think that this is safe at all.. Loose the ‘key’ and your child is trapped.
Parent gets knocked out and can’t give instruction as to how to release it or where the key is.. Surprised the product has made it this far.
@Concerned – I’m sorry to hear about your crash. I hope no one was injured. As I pointed out in the article, the “key” isn’t really a key and the chest clip guard is easily opened with other tools. Also keep in mind that if the crash is severe enough to knock out the driver that the child should NOT be removed from the carseat before EMS arrives. First responders are trained to cut the seatbelt or LATCH straps and remove the child in the seat. The carseat acts as a backboard and provides spinal immobilization. This product is designed to keep the persistent Houdini safely restrained in the carseat. The odds of the child being severely or fatally injured because they weren’t restrained at the time of the crash far exceeds any concerns about how to get the child out if the driver is potentially unconscious.
What happens in a car accident when the chest clip is locked? How is someone without the “key” able to get the clip unlocked to rescue a child? Has this product been safety tested by AU/NZ Standards? If so where is the published report?
@Sarah – I can’t comment about AU/NZ standards because I am not familiar with them. See the response below to “Concerned” for answers to your other questions. HTH!
I imagine in an emergency someone could cut the straps.
It does point out that any flat object can be used to open it, including the buckle part of another seatbelt.
We have this on our Roosevelt Carseat. You can actually unlock it with your fingernail or anything that turns the lock.
@China – does your daughter have any special needs? If not and it’s just a stage that she is going through (dangerous but common behavior for 2 and 3-year-olds) I would not suggest a device like this or any other unless you’ve exhausted all other options and nothing stops the behavior. My kid did the same thing and generally it’s just a stage that will pass. You have to find ways to correct the behavior that she will respond to. Every kid is different so you have to figure out what’s going to work for her and be willing to try a few different tactics. For kids with special needs who will not respond to typical behavior modification techniques – this product can literally be a lifesaver. But for 2-year-olds who are just being 2-year-olds, I wouldn’t suggest anything that modifies a carseat unless all other options have been exhausted. Good luck!
We have the Chicco nextfit. Are there any similar products as the chest clip guard that would work for our seat? My daughter is almost 2 and can actually unbuckle the chest clip and remover her arms from the harness!
@April – yes, the chest clip guard will work with the SureRide.
Will the chest clip work with the evenflo sureride?
Does this work with Diono Radian RXT convertiable car seat?
@Crystal – the chest clip guard will work. The buckle guard will not because Diono does not use the IMMI buckle.
@Shanora – I have a Rainier and the buckle is the same as the one on the previous R120/RXT. Unfortunately, it’s not an IMMI buckle so the buckle guard won’t work with these new seats either.
is it possible to find out if the Buckle guard will work with the new Diono Rainier buckles? They appear to look differently but I haven’t seen them in person.
I think the buckle accessory is genius, but the chest clip worries me. Just because I have most likely an irrational fear of decapitation via a seat belt. I’m pretty sure its because I saw this special once about a little girl who got decapitated by her seat belt. Do you know of any videos that would show this particular chest clip in action being tested during a crash sequence? I watched those videos, but was hoping to see how well it worked during an actual crash.
@Nicole, there are videos on Merritt’s website which may address some of your concerns. This one in particular “Crash dynamics when using the Chest Clip Guard – Merritt Manufacturing, Inc.” The link to all the “Demonstrational Videos” is on their home page: http://www.escapeproof.net/
Keep in mind that these are approved accessories for use with the Merritt Roosevelt. The only difference is that now they’re available for use with carseats that don’t cost over $1,000.
Regarding your comment about the guard not allowing the “chest clip to move properly”, I honestly think that’s one of those things that some people say online that have no basis in reality. Chest clips don’t need to move and they don’t need to break open as I have seen some people suggest recently. Some CRs have the harness adjuster on the harness itself which prevents the chest clip from moving down (e.g. Evenflo Express/Chase). These products are just as safe as CRs with a central front harness adjuster even though the chest clip isn’t able to move down past a certain point.
Also keep in mind that these are products designed for children who continuously escape from their seats. The odds of a child being seriously or fatally injured while unrestrained or half way out of their seat when the car is moving dwarfs the odds of any theoretical injury risk from a piece of plastic attached to the harness in a fixed position. In reality it doesn’t matter how well the carseat performs in a crash if the child isn’t in it at the moment of impact.
The chest clip guard concerns me, regarding how it would affect crash results (I’m concerned with it not allowing the chest clip to move properly and perhaps putting extra force on the child’s neck). I would be very interested to know what testing Merritt has done on it- I would hope they were able to test how it performs in multiple seats. As of right now, I’m very wary to suggest it except as a last resort. I think, generally, I’d be more comfortable with a parent not using the chest clip than using the guard.
The buckle guard looks useful, though, and doesn’t look like it would interfere at all with how the seat performs in a crash.