Wendy Schlachta, Soft Landings Infant Care Workshops
In winter, it’s not unusual for Ottawa to be the coldest capital city on the planet, so I can understand why parents often look at me sideways when I tell them not to put their child in a nice, warm, billowy snowsuit before placing them in their car seat.
The truth is that the snowsuits we tend to buy are wonderful for outdoor play and not so safe for car seats. Puffy, thick coats are difficult to compact when tightening car seat straps, making the harness less effective (you shouldn’t be able to pinch the webbing together at the shoulder). In a collision, the force of the impact will compress the material, leaving much more room between your child and the straps that are meant to hold them in place. Some estimates put the average added slack in the straps from a puffy winter coat at 4 inches!
If you’re unsure if the coat you’re using is safe, place your child in their car seat in the coat and do up the straps as tightly as you can. Then, take them out and take off the coat without readjusting the straps. Place your child back in and do up the straps as they were – the excess space is a good indication of the additional movement your child would have in a collision.
Babies and car seats
When you can, start your car to warm it up before you put the baby in the car. Avoid placing your baby in a bulky coat not only for belt safety, but also because babies are more likely to overheat. Once you have the heat blasting on your road trip, babies can’t let you know they’re too warm, or at least, you won’t want them crying as they try to tell you on your two-hour drive to grandma’s house. Instead, go with layers of clothing topped with a snugly fitting fleece jacket or thin snowsuit. Place blankets over the harness, once it’s fastened. The shower cap-style car seat covers are great, too, but avoid the ones that go behind the baby in the seat – you want to avoid adding any unnecessary layers between your baby and the seat and harness.
Older children and car seats
For bigger kids the bulky coat can also make it difficult to gauge belt height. This means that your child might appear bigger or taller than they really are and the straps will sit wrong. This is especially important for children in booster seats, where a lap belt should be across hip bones and shoulder, not neck and belly, where it can cause injury.
To be safer, older children can wear a thin, snugly fitting coat for the car. They can also have blankets, a car seat poncho, or even simply put their own winter coat on backwards, once they’re strapped in. Our school drop-off routine includes throwing a playground-grade coat over a thin car seat coat before heading out of the car. There’s that sideways glance again. Yes, it does mean a few extra seconds getting out of the car, but believe me, it’s well worth those seconds to be safe while driving. If you start your child off young, it just becomes part of riding in the car, like doing up a seatbelt.
Your bulky winter coat
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, this all holds true for your super-warm, puffy winter coat as well. You can keep yourself safer and model seat belt safety for your children by wearing a thin coat, like a fleece, in the car or by opening your coat so that your seatbelt sits flush across your shoulder and hip bones. This is one time moms and dads shouldn’t make an exception to the rule.
Ottawa has so many great activities in the wintertime, take the time to get out to them, but please, remember that bulky winter coats and car seats don’t mix.
Wendy Schlachta
Wendy Schlachta has 12 years of experience in education and health communications and is a certified child passenger safety technician. The mother of two girls, she founded Soft Landings Infant Care Workshops to provide knowledge and confidence to new and expecting parents in the comfort of their own homes.
Soft Landings Infant Care Workshops
Soft Landings offers personalized, in-home workshops for new and expecting parents. With friendly, fact-based workshops, hands-on demonstrations and an opportunity to compare baby items (diapers, carriers, etc.), my goal is to give you confidence in your new role as a parent.
Contact Information
Website: www.softlandings.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/softlandingsottawa/
Email: wendy@softlandings.ca
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