Is it ok to wear a coat in the carseat?

[daisy1234]

My friend and I had a discussion today regarding wearing coats. I thought it was ok as long as the coat was thin. She said as long as you can get the seat tight enough with the coat on. I just am so confused? It gets so cold here so we want our kids to be warm but also safe. Also, she mentioned something about how she adjusted the carseat in the back to allow for the bulk of the coat???? Is this ok? Thanks everyone!!!

[Joolsplus2]

If she had to adjust the seat from the back, that means she has a cheap seat with no front adjuster. That's *really* junk in winter, when you have a coat on one day, no coat the next (those seats should be illegal, honestly...they suck).

The thinner the coat, the better. Have you ever put the kid in the coat in the seat one day, then not loosened it, but put him in without it the next? Notice how loose it was? All that extra harness slack is how far forward the kiddo flies before he slams into the harness (hard to imagine when a kid looks squooshed in there, but it's really what happens--they SLAM forward and HIT the straps, rather than riding down the crash with the harness right ON their body).

A coat with fleece/thinsulate lining is better than a poufy down coat, of course, and if you risk hypothermia without it, by all means, it's ok. It's *better* to unzip, put the harness right ON the clothing layer, then re-zip the coat over the harness if necessary, but regular clothing is safest.

Carseat harnesses are MUCH different from seatbelts...once they are as tight as they are, they don't tighten up more in a crash. Our nice loose seatbelts will retract rapidly in a crash to hold us in place, which is why it's not so bad to wear a coat if you are a big kid or grown up in a booster or regular seatbelt.

Hope that helps...might want to encourage her to upgrade to a seat with a front adjuster, if she can afford it.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[daisy1234]

Thanks Jools....I think she meant the shoulder straps...making them higher to account for the coat??? Anyway...I think I will even take the thin coat off my little one to be safe. Sounds like our seats can be a false sense of security in winter! I wish more people knew about this!

[Joolsplus2]

Phew, ok...harness straps higher up isn't nearly as bad as a rear adjuster adjusted way too loose (um...in fact...I kind of had to move mine up once the weather got cold just for my ds's fleece layers)....I'll hop off my crummy carseat soapbox, then, rofl!

If it makes you feel any better, most crashes occur close to home in dry weather... fewer people going lower speeds on winter roads makes them not quite as dangerous as we perceive (ok, so less deadly is still deadly...but still...well, you know... :D)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[daisy1234]

Thank you Jools. Today we put Julia in without her coat..Not only is she safer but it is sooo much easier to put her in without the bulk...and her coat wasn't really puffy! Thank you again!!!

[kahplayground]

I took a carseat safety course as a NICU RN. It was a PR thing that the hospital was doing. What they suggested, was to put a blanket over the child after you buckle them in for added warmth.

HTH,

Karin