Child Car Seat Safety Compromised by Winter Coats

Child car seat safety warning! Thick winter coats can cause your child to be ejected from their car seat. According to About.com, you should test the thickness of your child's coat before assuming your child is safe. According to their article, you can test this by placing your child in the seat with his/her coat on, and tightening the straps. Take your child out, take the coat off and then put him back in the seat without changing the straps. If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, a test you should do every time you put your child into his/her seat, then the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat.

Child Car Seat Accessories Not Government Regulated

It is even more important to note that, unlike actual car seat manufacturers, after-market car seat accessories are NOT governed by any government safety guidelines. Though labeled safe, they can interfere with the function of your harness, and void any warranty that your car seat manufacturer provides. This is important fine print that Accidents.com staff found this warranty (cancellation) notice in two of our parents' car seats, so BE CAREFUL.

Child Safety Solutions

1. Warm up your car well ahead of time, and put your child in it without a winter coat. Keep one or two layers of blankets over your child after he's been safely strapped in, and dress your child in layers.
2. Infant car seats have covers that do not interfere with the buckles, and zipper over the entire seat. Those are therefore highly recommended. Just make sure that the car seat "clicks" in appropriately and that none of the material from the cover interferes with that functionality.
3. If you can not warm up your car ahead of time, consider spending a bit more on a fleece lined winter coat. According to About.com, Polar fleece jackets and snowsuits are warm but thin, making them a smart choice for winter baby wear.

Source: http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/a/carseatcoat.htm

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Tags:  Accident Prevention · Child Car Safety · Child Safety · Safety and Prevention