Winter Car Seat Safety: Here's What Kids Should NOT Wear to Keep Them Safe While on the Road by Matthew Lister

The holidays are here, and that means families will be traveling on the highways across the United States. What is the best way to keep children safe in their car seats during cold weather? The most responsible thing you can do is to keep heavy winter coats off of your child when they are strapped in their car seats! 

When strapping a child in a child safety seat while they are wearing a winter coat, the straps end up being much looser than they should be, because the coat creates a gap between the child’s body and the straps meant to keep them safe. The gap can cause up to 4 inches of slack. 

As Good Housekeeping writes: “In the event of a car crash, the puffy jacket compresses, which creates unsafe space for a child's body to move and even be fully ejected from the car seat.” 

Since it is not safe for you to have a coat on your child in their child safety seat, what can you do to keep them warm when in the vehicle? You can use:

• blankets
• ponchos
• jackets designed for wearing in child safety seats

Here's a great resource to utilize with instructions and tips on winter car seat safety from Consumer Reports.

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