Recently I answered a question on Mamapedia regarding coats & carseats. Today on MSN is an article describing how a carseat/booster should fit a child to provide proper restraint. In my SWH, I will link to the article.
So here's the required question: did anyone read this article today? In my case, I still prefer to keep the coat on. I do not wear bulky coats, therefore I don't want to mess with taking it on/off. Based on the article, if I had to transport kids, then I'd follow the guidelines by using thin coats/heavy clothing. I do not want to mess with bulkiness nor a battle of wills.
http://www.today.com/moms/warning-parents-why-bulky-winte...
I find it fascinating how combative some (only a few) of the responses have been. In my post, I clearly stated how I would comply with the guidelines recommended in the article....which is why I mentioned having answered the previous question posted recently.
"In my case, I still prefer to keep the coat on. I do not wear bulky coats, therefore I don't want to mess with taking it on/off."....this is how I will handle the issue for myself.
"Based on the article, if I had to transport kids, then I'd follow the guidelines by using thin coats/heavy clothing. I do not want to mess with bulkiness nor a battle of wills. ".....in this part of the paragraph, I clearly state that I will comply with the guidelines. The article said to use heavy clothing. In my wardrobe, the difference between "heavy clothing" and "thin coats"....eh, they're the same. Quite often we use just heavy clothing for outside....& thin coats as part of our outfit inside. As far as I'm concerned, this eliminates the issue of bulkiness in the carseat AND the battle of wills.
By complying with the guidelines....read my words! & quit looking for a chance to be snarky! Geez. This whole post was an admission to changing my previously-posted opinion! Crabby much, people?
Moving on....I'd like a study on the extra time it takes to pull the backwards coat off BEFORE being able to unbuckle a child! When you're in an emergency & you have multiple kids to unlatch....that extra time could make the difference between life & death. Just saying....I'm not a fan of that method!
This is one reason why we keep a large beach towel in the car to act like a blanket.
You usually don't need a heavy coat on in the car - but a towel over you (and the seat belt/straps/etc) will keep you warm (least until the car heats up a bit).
Hitchiker's Guide to the Galxay (Douglas Adams):
"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.".
It's so true!
Growing up in Idaho, we always wore big, bulky coats.
Our solution to car seat safety was to wear a thin coat, hustle to the car and get strapped in, then either wear our big coats backwards or use a blanket. My daughter actually prefers this method than overheating in a thick coat once the car's heater kicks on!
This link shows just how much bulk coats can add... Which would compress to nearly nothing when in an accident = greater risk of child being ejected from car seat = easily preventable death or injuries. My child's safety is very much worth the "hassle" of not wearing thick coats in the car.
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a38201575/no_bulky_j...
my kids don't wear coats in the car... we have a heater, and the coats make the straps less secure around your child. it's not a matter of adjusting the straps as you mentioned in your answer to another person's question. in a rollover collision, specifically, if the straps are loose enough to accommodate a very bulky coat, your child can EASILY slip right out of the car seat. sorry, i'm just as busy as anyone else, but when it comes to the SAFETY of my children, I always have a few seconds to take a coat on and off. if i'm in an accident as posed in your answer to the other question, i'd rather my child be strapped in, uninjured, and cold - as opposed to slung about the vehicle, potentially injured or dead, but bundled up in a winter coat.
We do not wear coats in the car either. If it is that cold outside I start the car/van in advance, pull it as close to the door as I can get it, then wrap little one with a blanket to carry them to the car. This also gives them a blanket to cover up with in the car if needed.
My child will either wear a thin coat/fleece, her poncho or no coat. There is no battle of wills because when it comes to things like this, I win. Or we don't go. I once sat in a parking lot at a mall til she sat right and let me strap her in her seat.
When she was an infant, we used a shower cap style carrier cover because it did not interfere with the straps and still kept her warm.
We used Polartec Fleece coats when my kids were in carseats. Thin and non-compressing, but very warm even in below-zero WI winters. Not good for playing outside in the snow but plenty toasty for car trips. If we were going someplace where we'd be outdoors longer than going to and from the car, we'd bring along the thick jackets, snowpants, etc in the trunk.
We always take a coat off before buckling them into their seat. No exceptions. If they are cold they put it on backwards, over the buckles. We also keep several fleece blankets in the car in case they want something before the heater kicks in. I will see if I can find the link that demonstrated the difference in how the buckle fit with and without the jacket. Someone put their child in the seat with their jacket and buckled it all up. It looked as tight as it should be. Then, without adjusting the straps, had the child get out and take their coat off and sit in the seat without the jacket with the straps still adjusted for the jacket. The amount of space was HUGE! In an accident all that material gives way and collapses flat, leaving all that slack in the straps meaning they aren't protected. Even a lighter jacket over their clothes creates too much slack.
It is a battle of wills worth having. If they need the warmth of the jacket outside then they wear it and it comes off to get buckled. It's been that way since day one with our kids so it doesn't even get a second thought, in fact they remind us they need to take their jacket off if we get in a hurry.
My husband and I even take off our jackets before putting on our seat belt. I will wear mine backwards just like the kids if I'm cold until the heater comes on.
ETA: Once the heater kicks in we take the backwards jacket off. It's usually not on very long for the heater to make it warm enough to not need it. When they aren't old enough to take the jacket off themselves we use a blanket or put the jacket over them without putting their arms through the hole just like a blanket. This is not going to be an issue if there were an emergency and we have to remove them from the seat quickly.
ETA2: I found the link I was talking about. :) http://carseatsmadeeasy.blogspot.com/2010/12/keeping-warm...
Honestly, if you don't live somewhere where you have consistent below freezing temperatures...why take the risk? There are some great fleece, thin, coats that are very warm and do not put a child at risk.
I've got 8 kids, up to 2-3 in car seats at a time, and it's really not that hard or a big deal to remove bulky coats. We always carry a blanket or two, but even in below freezing temps, they rarely needed them because of the heater in the car. When getting out they'd unbuckle and pop their coats on. Again, not that hard.
Now a child can wear their coats if you do not have to adjust their straps. Meaning the straps are the same when they are in their seats with no coat. I have one that can do that cause she is so skinny.
I can understand parents who choose to leave the coats on in area's that are always freezing. An accident that knocks the parents out or God forbid kills them could lead to hypothermia for a young child if help isn't right around the corner. It's a judgement call that the parents have to make, but the rest of the population? It just seems lazy to not take the coat off.
We do not wear coats in the car, no.
No matter how cold it is, a bulky winter coat in the carseat or booster is a no-no. I don't wear a coat either in the car.
Kids can shoot right out of their car seats when they are not against their bodies. So please do not put your kids in car seats with their coats on.
You may as well put them in the car with just a shoulder strap and lap belt instead. They'd probably be safer.
The vehicle should be warm enough for everyone to sit in it without a coat on. IF you choose to wear your coat then turn your temp a little cooler but turn the temp up in the back where the kids are. Wrap them up in a blanket if you carry them in otherwise slip their coat on while standing by the side of the vehicle.
This may be possible in milder climates than where I live, but when it is 40 below going without a coat is not an option. Most of the short car trips we take do not even allow the interior of the car to warm up enough for anyone to go without a coat. Blankets and beach towels would not replace down filled snowsuits. I can't even imagine having little kids removing coats (snowsuits) and putting them back on in the car/van every trip. Put the coat on, get to the car, take the coat off, get to your destination and put the coat on again. Now imagine doing that with two or three kids! While you are taking the coat off and on in the car you would likely need the door open and the poor child would have hypothermia! Thank God my kids are past the car seat stage.
We have a heavy thin coat that she wears during the winter only wearing the puffy coats when playing outside. If we will be in the car longer then 15 minutes her coat comes off. It's Not Safe To Have A Lot Of Bulk On Kids In Car seats As The Belts Don't Fit well
I like the idea of keeping a blanket in the car! Thanks!
I warm my car up before leaving anywhere in the winter time. I do not put winter coats on my kids while riding in the car.
During the hard cold winters when i take my DD to school, i warm the car up, sit her in her car seat w/o her winter coat but maybe keep her hat/gloves on and then once i arrive to the school just unstrap her and put her winter coat on. I might have to adjust a bit once i get her out of the vehicle.
That is what I do. I don't think there is a right/wrong way just whatever you feel comfortable with. The car seat straps do adjust/tighten when you chose to keep your child in their winter coat during the car ride.
I have not read the article and probably won't.
I remove my toddler's coat/jacket. I keep one of his blankets in the car and place it across his legs once he's buckled in. He doesn't like for his legs to be exposed when he's wearing long pants, so I use the blanket to cover them. Also, it helps him to feel cozy when he's tired.
