We sometimes get requests from caregivers looking for easy-to-unbuckle seats. While some might be a bit easier than others, federal standards require buckles to withstand at least 9 lbs of force…or in laypersons’ terms: All buckles are sort of difficult. (Afterall, you wouldn’t want babies or toddlers to be able to accidentally unbuckle themselves.)
Buckles can be tough for caregivers in general, but especially for people with arthritis or other dexterity issues. Plus, there are times parents want older, responsible kids to be able to unbuckle on their own, but they struggle to do so.
The UnbuckleMe is a great new tool that makes it easier for caregivers (and those responsible kids) to undo carseat buckles. We first saw the UnbuckleMe in early prototype stages at the 2016 ABC Kids Expo, and we were happy to see that they had moved into production by this year’s show.
Some other unbuckling tools simply provide a larger surface area to push on, but the UnbuckleMe’s design actually reduces the amount of force needed by more than 50%.
I recently moved my 6-year-old into a booster seat because he needed to be able to get in and out of the car quickly in the school dropoff line, but he couldn’t unbuckle his harnessed seat fast enough–or at all, in some instances. The UnbuckleMe made it much easier. How easy? See for yourself:
I don’t love having him in a booster yet, so the UnbuckleMe might be the solution I need to get him back in a harness and keep traffic flowing in the dropoff line.
You can store the UnbuckleMe in a cupholder or console for easy access, or you can use the built-in loop to attach it to a keychain.
The UnbuckleMe is available from their website for $14.99, but CarseatBlog readers can use the code carseat15 for a 15% discount.
UnbuckleMe provided CarseatBlog with a sample, but we did not receive compensation for this review, and all opinions are our own.