Buckle up
The belt scrapes the neck, the buckle refuses to click, and the car cannot move until it is in. The pictures below show the steps in order so the body knows what to expect.
♂Buckle up seatbelt
A person in a red t-shirt is holding a black seatbelt that goes across their chest.
About this visual support
A seatbelt is not one thing but several at the same time. It is a wide band that often lands at an angle against the neck, a buckle that asks for finger precision in an awkward direction, and a feeling of being held in place that not every body welcomes. If one of those parts is hard, the whole car ride can start with a fight.
The visual support above gives the child something to look at while the body settles. One image for finding the strap, one for pulling it across the belly instead of the neck, one for the buckle, and one for that little click sound that means it is in. Knowing the moment has a clear end makes the held-in feeling easier to ride out.
A concrete tip just for the belt: let your child move the strap down off the shoulder so it does not press on the neck. That small bit of control over where the band sits often reduces resistance more than any explanation. The whole drive, from front door to car seat, can be planned in Routined and tried free for 14 days.