How to Dress Child in Winter?

We keep an extra blanket in the car for cold days. It's rarely so cold that they can't stay warm in long pants, long sleaves, sweater, hat, and the blanket. Put the coat on them when you leave the car.

It's really hard to think of winter with all of this heat we've been having!

Layers....
always dress your child in layers so that you can remove some of the layers if they get too hot.

Once babies are older than around 8 months, it's perfectly fine for them to be in a coat in the carseat. the problem is that a lot of parents don't adjust the straps of the carseat properly and leave them too loose. Make sure they are snug against your baby. I used to dress my son in layers and his coat, then take his coat off in the car if the car was already warm enough (pre-heated). If I was in a hurry and didnt have time to pre-heat the car, then I'd leave the coat on him.

Something else to consider: even new cars sometimes have trouble in the winter. Make sure you are prepared. In addition to the stuff you should have in your car anyway in winter (antifreeze, wiper fluid, kitty litter or sand, etc) also keep a couple of blankets, too. If you decide not to put a heavy coat on your child, maybe keep one in the car. Once the heat is off, it gets very cold inside a car very quickly. Those blankets will keep you and your baby warm until someone arrives to help you.

Once out of the carrier, our kids all wore coats

You are right about the fact that they shouldn't wear a coat in a car seat. Even if you adjust the straps there is still extra space in there to allow for the coat and the coat can always shift around etc. I usually get my son one of those thick fleece bodysuits from Land's End or LL Bean....they have them some other places too. The layer is thin enough that the carseat is still safe, but the fleece is warm enough for a walk out to the car. http://www.landsend.com/pp/SolidFleeceBunting-63661_13317...

With all of 3 kids they get overheated (and throws up when they overheat) if they wear their jackets in the car. Each one of 'em always have a blanket to use that they leave in the car. Small enough of a blanket that doesnt need to be folded and can just be left and dumped in their seat when they are leaving the car, but just big enough to cover themselves up and feel extra comfy. They actually love the blankets!

:-) M.
Founder of MomViews.net
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Hi K.,
100% with the Lands End or LL bean fleece one pieces. The are incredible and SOOO warm!! What's great is that they are roomy and the have the parts that go over the hands and feet, if you prefer to use those, which I do. I don't have but 1 winter jacket for my kids and that's for when they play outside of the house. It's never used as much as the fleece suit.

Good Luck,
K. :~)

My son was 7-11 months old in winter, i'd put a few shirts on him then a big fleecy sweater thing, then blankets over that, a hat, gloves. I also had a big wrapper type winter coat thing but it was too bulky for our graco carseat, but the other stuff worked great, you should warm up the car for a while anyway so it's not usually so cold for them, plus it's not like you are outside for long periods of time in winter. if you are going out for longer period, just pack a coat in the car.

I've only heard of this when the infant is very young (0-7) months. After that point, they typically aren't in an infant carrier/carseat--where you can use a fleece liner or through on some blankets. A winter jacket should be fine for a 10 month old and beyond. As for overheating, as long as they aren't also in mittens and a hat in the car, they should be fine.

Ditto on the fleece body suits from Lands End and LL Bean!

We use the fleece pouch by Kiddopotamus here is an example of what they look like. Then we would just make sure they had shoes/socks and some sort of jacket....you can also throw a blanket (when it's really cold) over the hold for the head. There are a few brands out there this is just an example.

I had the same concerns last winter and read a lot of articles on car seat safety and found that polar fleece was the way to go. It was really warm but very thin. I bought my daughters coat at REI and I think it was about $35, so not too bad. They also had a really cute down one, again really thin though, but it started at a 2T I think and she was only in 12months I think at the time. I had a lot of luck there and they are so helpful there. If you become a member for I think $15 you save 10 % every time you shop. Hope this helps. I wish more people were conscious about their kids' car seats.