Obviously, keeping your baby or young child warm and cozy in the winter months is important. However, did you know that swaddling your child in layers of thick winter jackets can actually pose a safety threat? It’s true: When you put your baby in a thick jacket or snow suit, their car seat won’t be as effective as it should be.
To be effective, a car seat’s straps and harnesses should fit fairly tight against the child’s body. This is because should an impact occur, the harness needs to be able to security hold your child in his seat. A thick snow suit or jacket, however, will compress on impact, preventing the strap from securely holding on to the child. The results of that could be disastrous! When the winter coat is compacted, the result will be slack in the harness, which could result in your child being tossed from his seat.
To keep your baby both warm and safe, it’s a good idea to layer him up in warm indoor clothes and top it off with a fleece jacket, which is thinner than other winter coat while still offering warmth. If you are concerned about your child being warm enough in the car, bring a small blanket with you to cover your child over the harness. Never place a blanket under your child in the car seat, however, as this could compromise the effectiveness of the car seat as well. Exceptions are any pads or blankets which were already placed in the car seat when you purchased it new. These items have already been tested to ensure they do not compromise the seat’s safety. You can even place a warmer winter jacket over your child to keep him warm while he is in the car seat. (Having a warm jacket is great for times when your child isn’t in his car seat).
Baby,
How can you tell if your child’s car seat fits properly? Use the pinch test. After buckling baby into the car seat, tighten the straps. Can you pinch the straps together with two fingers? If you can, the traps are too loose. There should not be enough slack to be able to pinch.
In conclusion, although it is obviously a priority to keep your child warm during the winter months, don’t be tempted to bundle him up in bulky layers. These layers can cause the harness on your car seat to not work properly to secure your child. If, in the worst-case scenario, your car is in an accident, your car seat may not offer your child the maximum protection. That could result in serious injury, or even death. Prevent that horrible fate by dressing your child appropriately for the car seat and using the other methods described above to keep the child warm while in the car seat.
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Oh my goodness, the first photo is so stinking cute!
This is all good to know as we approach the cooler season.
Car Seat safety is very important.
This is really good information, I wonder how many people who use car seats don’t know this.
I read about this a few years back and it scared me so bad..I shared it with everyone…so important to pass this on to everyone.
This is really important advice. When mine were little I would make sure they were snugly secured and then bundle blankets around them if I was worried they were still cold.
People aways tendd to overdress babies in the winter. Tose heavy coats can really ply havoc with car seats. I like how you really explain how important this is.
Thankfully here in CA we really don’t have to wear heavy jacket much. I can imagine that this is a tricky issue for those in colder climates.
Very informative …and great timing too. Thanks for the info!
I have heard of not using a big winter coat on a baby because it can make the seat not as effective in a car crash! I always used a nice warm blanket and wrapped it around baby!
I tended to leave the suit off my kids then if we were going somewhere cold I could quick put it on them after they were out of the car seat.
These winter jackets are so cute.
I remember the hardest part of carseat safety is the difference in temps changing…one day a light jacket or hoodie, next you might have a heavy coat. (wisconsin is notorious for this). It was such a pain to switch over all those straps. Now they make it so much easier with a sliding cinch. Now we have little grandkids and we are relearning how to do all of this with a newborn just two weeks old. Makes a person nervous and it SHOULD. Car seat safety is HUGE!
As it gets cooler, it’s so tempting to bundle up baby (plus it looks adorable) but it’s just not safe in the car. Thanks for the reminder!
How adorable! i will tell my aunt about this cuteness! lol. my baby cousin would look adorable in these coats
This article has great suggestions for car seat safe coats.
My last baby was born in December of last year and she was a preemie. I was so worried about her keeping her temperature regulated I found a Car Seat cozy that goes over the car seat and doesn’t affect the buckle at all.
This is such good information! I mostly escaped having to bundle mine—Houston, TX just doesn’t get that cold–but it is great to know now that I live in a place with seasons.
Thank you for sharing these and I am sure a lot of parents don’t even think about this.