Winter warning

**Nishu** · 11-04-2008, 11:50 AM

For parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc...

This was brought up on another board I go to, and it was basically news to me so I thought I'd share.

I'm not one of those parents that has to bubble wrap their children, but there are a few things I'm particular about. Safety belts and car seats are one of them.

Bulky clothing, blankets and coats are unsafe to wear underneath car seat straps. In the event of an accident, the material will compress and prevent the restraints from working properly. When putting infants into car seats, DO NOT swaddle them into blankets before strapping them in. Have older children remove their jackets before placing them in their car seats. I know it's cold out there, but I think we'd all rather have our child be cold for a few moments rather than having them seriously injured in an accident.

There are several more guidelines in the article. Please take the time to read it, and/or visit carseat.org for more info.

http://babyproducts.about.com/od/car...arseatcoat.htm

Thanks for reading!

**Momto2Boyz** · 11-04-2008, 12:47 PM

Yep, this information actually came with my child's first carseat when we bought it. All blankets should go over the top of the straps.

It is my understanding that no coats should be worn with any straps that are attached to a booster or car seat. Once the child is old enough for a booster seat with the regular seat belt, then a coat underneath is fine.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-04-2008, 03:24 PM

That's not really something that you can do here in Canada, especially in the wintertime. When it gets to be -30C or lower and your car's heater is broken or doesn't function properly, then your child needs to be bundled. I wouldn't take the coat off of my child even if it's freezing cold outside and the car is really warm.

**Momof3girls** · 11-04-2008, 03:47 PM

Really?

I didn't know that!

**McD** · 11-04-2008, 08:36 PM

They are some what spendy, but for infants, there are these great things called Bundle Mes http://www.jjcoleusa.com/original-bundleme

I had a couple given to me, some 2nd hand stores have them. I keep Wesley wrapped in thick fleecies for transport to and from the car. I also warm up the car beforehand. We also only drive about 4/5 blocks to and from daycare.

**reginaastralis** · 11-04-2008, 11:54 PM

Ok, I had no idea. We don't really get cold here in Florida, but are they talking about bulky snow like jackets? We don't have a need for these here, but we do occasionally need a thicker than sweater type jacket.

LOL ... I sound so new to this, but honestly, I don't think my daughter owns a winter jacket. She has a slightly thick one, but ... it's not really huge. Would just a normal jacket be ok to be worn under her carseat straps?

**Nishu** · 11-05-2008, 12:04 AM

Actually if you look at the article I linked, it tells you exactly what's acceptable and what isn't. It says that fleece is a smart choice so I'm assuming it's okay. I think the difference is how much it compresses.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 11-05-2008, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by MomToTwoBoys

That's not really something that you can do here in Canada, especially in the wintertime. When it gets to be -30C or lower and your car's heater is broken or doesn't function properly, then your child needs to be bundled. I wouldn't take the coat off of my child even if it's freezing cold outside and the car is really warm.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Because at that point they would have a serious chance of a winter affliction (frostbite, etc.)...much higher chance than being in a car crash. It gets too terribly cold here to do take a coat off...even if they're already inside the car (especially for those of us who have no garage).

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-05-2008, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Luv2BeFrugal

This is exactly what I was thinking. Because at that point they would have a serious chance of a winter affliction (frostbite, etc.)...much higher chance than being in a car crash. It gets too terribly cold here to do take a coat off...even if they're already inside the car (especially for those of us who have no garage).

That's how it is for us too. We have a driveway and DH warms up the van, but I never liked him doing that because it wastes gas and pollutes more than is necessary. It'd be nice if our van had heated seats but alas, it doesn't. Sometimes when the snow is blowing so hard and it's bitter cold outside, I'd rather bundle my child up in the seat.