As I sit here typing this, I’m watching the snow fall outside my window. It inspired me to share some great resources on car seat safety during the cold winter months.
Many parents wonder if it’s safe for their child to wear a winter coat in their car seat. I was one of those parents.
When I was pregnant with Olivia, I had no clue there were so many dos and don’ts to car seat safety. I had no idea that there was a right and wrong way to buckle your baby into their car seat. I had no clue that it’s not safe for your baby to wear a coat while buckled into their car seat. I just assumed that as long as the car seat is installed properly and you fasten your baby in tightly that they’d be safe.
So is it safe for your child to wear their winter coat in their car seat?
The short answer? No — thick coats and puffy jackets prevent the harness from fitting correctly, even if it feels tight. In the event of a crash, the padding compresses, leaving too much slack in the straps.
There is nothing more important to me than my children and their well-being. I know the same is true for you. I know that no loving parent would intentionally put their child into a situation where they could get hurt. But I also know that most people are simply unaware of some of these things. Like me, most people don’t know there are so many common mistakes when it comes to car seat safety. There are even products made for car seats that are NOT safe to use and yet they’re still on the market available for purchase. This is not only insane but one of the reasons I wanted to take a little time to share these articles and photos to help bring more awareness to car seat safety for parents like me who just were unaware. So I’ve compiled some great resources on the subject to help you keep your babies safe and warm this winter! None of the following resources are mine. I am just sharing them on this page.
This is a wonderful article on car seat safety and how to keep your child both safe and warm in the winter. https://csftl.org/hello-winter-good-bye-coats/?fbclid=IwAR3Ey31Q2Zrrty8j_oKpK2ZIFi_vA53PdU3_cCD5F9qcyeWe4MX1Ttcow8w
This is another fantastic article. This one in particular is my favorite. It has great visuals, and tips, and breaks down by car seat brand if certain accessories are safe or not. It also has great information on safe jackets and such to use. https://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/
A couple videos for a great visual.
https://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b60UikqEKHc
Some photos
Fearless Joy 