Why You Should Never Dress Your Child in a Bulky Winter Coat for Car Rides
Coats and child car seat harnesses don't mix, but CR experts have helpful tips for keeping your little one warm and safe
“You better bundle that baby up or she’s going to catch a cold!” I knew before I turned around what was happening: The well-meaning lady in the grocery store parking lot wanted to know why my child didn’t have a coat on in her car seat, even though it was the middle of winter.
The reason? Because a bulky coat and a child car seat can be a dangerous combination. As a general rule, winter coats should not be worn underneath a car seat harness because that can leave the harness too loose to be effective in a crash.
How to Tell Whether Your Child’s Coat Is Too Bulky for Their Car Seat
The padding in your child’s winter puffer or snow suit is not a benefit in a crash. In fact, the bulk of their winter coat can create too much wiggle room between their chest and the car seat’s harness. If your child’s coat interferes with your ability to get a snug harness fit against your child’s body, that coat is too big for your child to wear while riding in the car seat. Even thinner puffers can affect harness fit.
“You shouldn’t be able to pinch any harness between your fingers at your child’s shoulders,” Thomas says. “I even check to make sure that my kids’ clothing isn’t bunching up under the harness and creating gaps between them and the harness straps.”
CR spoke with NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ about the dangers of winter coats and car seats.
Ready for a quick experiment? Here’s how to test whether your child’s coat is too bulky for their car seat.
Step 1: Put the coat on your child, sit them in the car seat, and fasten the harness. Tighten the harness until you can no longer pinch any of the webbing with your thumb and forefinger.
Step 2: Without loosening the harness at all, unclasp it and remove your child from the car seat. Take your child’s coat off, put your child back in the car seat, and buckle the harness straps, which should be adjusted just as they were when the child was wearing the coat.
If you can pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger now, the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness, Thomas says.
Watch this step-by-step guide to checking whether your child’s coat is too puffy for their car seat.
Safe Alternatives for Keeping Kids Warm in Their Car Seats
Here are some parent-tested and expert-approved tips from the pros at CR’s Auto Test Center for making sure your children are safe in their car seats while staying warm all winter long.
For Babies
Keeping babies warm in the winter takes a little extra effort, from tiny mittens and hats to blankets and layers. You can tuck a blanket around your child once they’re buckled into their car seat, or purchase a specific cover, fitted blanket, or canopy designed and tested by your car seat manufacturer for your car seat model.
If you are looking to purchase an additional cover, the fitted covers approved by the car seat manufacturer for your specific model are the safest way to add a warm layer. “These covers have been tested with the car seat and won’t compromise your child’s safety,” Thomas says.
Warm pajamas have been an easy go-to for my babies over the years, especially the type with convertible footies that can be folded over. Just make sure there’s no bunched-up fabric that might prevent the buckle from fastening correctly.
For Toddlers and Older Children
The backward coat trick is a classic parenting hack: “After securing them in the car seat, turn their coat around and put it on backward (with arms through the armholes), so the back of the coat serves as a blanket resting on top of the harness,” Thomas says.
You can also encourage kids to dress in layers, such as a “base” layer akin to long underwear, followed by a T-shirt and sweatshirt. Or look for fleece zip-up jackets that offer warmth without bulk, like this one my kids have loved for years.
