You might think your child is securely snug in the car seat when in fact the harness is not tight enough because there is so much air in the coat or clothing.
Child safety seats and winter coats.
To keep your children safe in the car this winter remove their coats and jackets and pull the harness tight enough that you can just get two fingers between your child and the straps.
First adjust the harness while your child s coat is off.
Experts at the american academy of pediatrics and nhtsa recommend no coats or bulky clothing should be worn in car seats.
This video will show you how to do the pinch test to make sure the harness is snug enough.
Buckle me baby car seat coats are the easiest safest car seat friendly coats that end car seat struggles for parents.
Experts weigh in on dangers of winter coats and car seats.
Despite puffy and thick coats being dangerous children will still feel a chill when they first get in the car.
Car seat technicians also say to put nothing thicker than a sweatshirt on your child under the harness straps of a car seat.
In his excellent report for today on this issue reporter jeff rossen stated.
Winter is a tricky time for car seats.
Winter coats and car seats can be a dangerous combination.
How to keep your child warm.
Bulky sweaters coats or fleece garments prevent a snug fit of the car seat harness on your child.
Bulky winter coats can pose a serious threat when worn under the straps of car seats and even booster seats by creating too much space in between your child s body and the harness itself.
This is scary because another statistic says 96 of parents believe their child safety seats are installed correctly.
As a general rule bulky clothing including winter coats and snowsuits should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat.
A child can then slip through the straps and be thrown from the seat.
In a car crash fluffy padding immediately flattens out from the force leaving extra space under the harness.
In the winter puffy coats are the biggest contributor to loose harness straps.
When it comes to winter coats and car seats child safety experts agree that it s not safe for kids to wear their heavy jackets while secured in their car seats.
Meanwhile these misuses increase a child s risk of injury during a crash.
Put the coat on your child sit him or her in the car seat and fasten the harness.
Experts at the nhtsa and american academy of pediatrics recommend parents take dangerous traditional coats off in the car seat.