UnbuckleMe Car Seat Buckle Release Tool Review: May The Force Be With You

We often get requests from caregivers looking for easy-to-unbuckle car seats. While some seat buckles might be a little easier to unlatch than others, federal safety standards require buckles to withstand at least 9 lbs. of force… or to put it in laypersons’ terms – all buckles are sort of difficult to open. The reason for this standard is pretty obvious – you wouldn’t want toddlers to be able to unbuckle themselves.

But buckles can be tough for grown-ups too, and they can be especially challenging for people with long nails or limited hand strength due to arthritis, carpal tunnel, neuropathy or other dexterity issues. Plus, there are situations where caregivers may want an older, responsible child to be able to unbuckle their own car seat, but they struggle to do so.

The UnbuckleMe is a great tool that makes it considerably easier for caregivers (and those responsible older kids) to undo car seat buckles.

There are other unbuckling tools on the market that simply provide a larger surface area to push on, but the UnbuckleMe’s unique design actually reduces the amount of force required 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 drop-off line, but he couldn’t unbuckle his harnessed car 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 ride in a booster seat full time yet, so the UnbuckleMe might be the solution I need to get him back in a harness and keep traffic flowing in the school drop-off line.

You can easily 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. They are available in a variety of different colors and they make great gifts for grandparents or anyone with long nails who struggles to unbuckle a car seat!