Car seats & winter coats

[Emmas Mom]

This is the first winter where the girls will be wearing heavy winter coats (we just recently moved from Arizona & never needed them there!). So, I'm wondering if it's "safe" to buckle the girls in with their bulky coats on? What is the rule of thumb here?

[o_mom]

http://www.carseat.org/Resources/FAQs.htm#coats

Basically, a thin fleece jacket with or without a nylon shell is what most people consider safe. Anything with more bulk can cause the harness to be too loose.

We either take the coats off completely in the car (and put them on backwards over the harness or pile on blankets) or use thin fleece jackets. Most of the time that is sufficient. Several places sell 2 in 1 coats with an inner fleece and a thicker outer coat. Use the inner one only in the car and put the outer one on and off as needed for going outside.

For infants, there are some thin fleece buntings, such as Columbia that are great, and again, blankets over the harness.

[801kelle]

I have read and have been told by my cousin who is a CPS Tech.. you should never put children in their carseat with a heavy jacket on.. only clothes and maybe a light sweater.. Car seats are not crash tested with dummies that have thick/ heavy coats on.. They are tested with just regular clothes on. Because you are supposed to have straps against body they are not meant to work right with a heavy jacket on. My understanding is they can't. I keep a blanket in the car and put it over my daughter when she is in her car seat.. like a thick baby or stroller blanket is what I have.

The rule of thumb as I understand it to be is NEVER USE ANY AFTER MARKET PRODUCTS ON A CAR SEAT... they can effect the safety of how the car seat will respond in a crash. Only use the products that come with your car seat because the seat has been crash tested with them.

QUOTE:

A Real Life Example:
In order to become a certified CPS tech, Ellis had to take an extensive car seat safety course and pass both a written exam and hands-on car seat installation exams. "When I took my tech class we were shown a picture of an infant seat with a snowsuit under the harness," she says. "The seat was pulled out of a car that had just been in a crash. The infant was ejected from the seat and the car and was found some feet away from the car, but the snowsuit was left in the seat just as the baby was wearing it."

Ellis says other parents can learn a valuable car seat safety lesson from this real life crash story. "It's a great example of what can happen in a crash if the straps are not tight enough and if a thick blanket or coat is under the harness," she says. "The harness must stay close to the child's body at all times."

ANOTHER QUOTE:

"It is unsafe to put a thick coat, snowsuit, or blanket on under the harness of a car seat," Ellis says. "In a crash the coat would compress, making the straps too loose and possibly allowing the child to be ejected from the seat."
The car seat harness needs to stay close to the child’s body at all times. If a coat is in between the harness and the child's body it could cause the child to be ejected from the seat. All coats and clothing will compress in a crash, but thicker winter coats and snowsuits could compress enough to allow the child to be ejected from the car seat.

ARTICLE QUOTES ABOVE CAME FROM:

http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/a/carseatcoat.htm


Check All Winter Coats for Car Seat Safety:

It's easy to check and see whether a baby's winter coat or infant snowsuit is too thick to be safe in a car seat. This test will show you how thick the coat is and how much the coat will compress during the crash.

Take the car seat into the house.
Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel. Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
Take the coat off your child.
Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat.

A Note on Car Seat Covers
Many companies also offer thick car seat covers that act like a bunting for babies in the winter. Parents should avoid buying any car seat cover or infant bunting that threads through the harness straps of their child's car seat. Often the packaging of these covers states that the product meets all federal car seat safety guidelines. However, there are no federal guidelines governing after-market car seat accessories. These extra car seat covers and buntings could interfere with the function of the car seat harness, and many car seat manufacturers will void your car seat warranty if after-market accessories are used.


HERE IS ANOTHER ARTICLE and QUOTE:

Instead of putting your child in a car seat with a heavy winter coat, the Texas Department of Public Safety recommends that you 'keep your child in the clothes they will be wearing when they are indoors. Place the child in the infant seat or car seat, making sure the harness straps are snug over the shoulders and that they lie straight and flat down to the buckle. Buckle the child in and THEN put the coat or blanket OVER them - on TOP of the harness system. You can even turn the coat around and put his arms through the sleeves after he is buckled into his car seat. This will ensure your kids are kept snug in their seat, the harness system is able to do its job in the event of a crash, and that the kids stay warm.'

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also recommends that 'to keep your baby the safest, always remove bulky clothing or blankets before you place the child in the seat. Then, put the blanket or coat over the baby. You should never place anything thick underneath the baby, unless that item came with the car seat originally — which tells you it's been tested by the manufacturer. When a child is wearing a thick coat, it's hard to tell if you have a good harness fit, which is crucial. A coat can add a lot of slack, reducing the level of protection for your child in a crash.'


ARTICLE QUOTES IS FROM:

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carseats/a/0107_wintercoat.htm