Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Constantly Reminding Children to Wear their Seatbelts | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
For almost a year, I've had to tell my two stepdaughters, ages five and six, to fasten their seatbelts when getting into a car. In addition to this constant reminder, I also have had to consistently remind them to keep their rooms neat and tidy. Is this an age where they must be reminded day after day to do these things?— B.I.T.S. | | | ANSWER |
January 17, 2002 | | | Dear B.I.T.S.,
Fastening seatbelts and keeping rooms tidy are not behaviors that most children do without being reminded. So, I don't think there is anything abnormal about your children's behavior. Of course, seatbelts and bedrooms are two very different issues. With safety belts, you really don't have a choice: wearing lap and shoulder belts (and, at the ages of five and six, sitting on booster seats) is a matter of life and death (or could be, in a crash).
Having a messy room never killed anybody. There might be other ways to teach your children to be tidy (see our section on discipline for some ideas of ways to teach your children to follow house rules, without constant reminding). But for the safety belts, the best strategy is (1) always wear your own lap-shoulder belt, and (2) make it a rule that the car does not start unless everyone is properly buckled in.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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