Winter Car Seat Safety
With the temperature starting to drop, we all want to ensure that our little ones are warm and cozy when we are leaving the house. One very important thing to remember is that the puffy winter coats and car seats do not mix! Car seats are set up with their straps to be very close to the child’s body with little room for movement. This is for their safety in the event of an
accident. When they get put into the car seat with a puffy jacket, it creates space for the child’s body to move. This could cause harm to the child in the event of a crash. There are options! For the younger children who are in seats that you bring in and out, you can strap them in with hats and mitts on. After they are in, cover them with blankets, in addition, to keep them warm. For older kids, it’s a little different. Have the child dress appropriate for the walk to the car. Then have them remove their jacket once they get in the car before you strap them in. You can use this jacket to act as a blanket.
Want to Know If Their Jacket is Too Thick for the Car Seat? Here is a Simple Way to Check.
- Put the coat on the child, sit them in the seat and fasten the harness.
- Without loosening the harness, remove your child from the car seat.
- Take the coat off your child and have them sit in the car seat again doing up the buckle as it was.
- If you can pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger then the coat is too bulky! Example below.
Car seat safety is very important, especially this time of year! We want them to be as safe as possible when traveling in the car! Check out
Transport Canada for more details on car seat safety.
