Child Seat Safety in Cold Weather

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As the weather begins to turn cooler, parents naturally reach for extra layers to keep their children warm.  However, it is important to make sure the added layers do not compromise safety.  This is especially true when it comes to children who are in child seats.

Dressing children in bulky or puffy coats, for example, can prevent the harness from being tightened to the child’s body and compromise safety by reducing the effectiveness of the harness.  As a general rule, bulky coats should never be worn under the harness of a child seat. 

How do you know if your child’s coat is too bulky?  There is a simple test you can perform.  Start by putting your child’s coat on them, then place them in their child seat, and tighten the harness.  If properly tightened, you should not be able to pinch the harness webbing between your fingers.

Next, without loosening the harness adjustor(s), unbuckle the harness and take your child out of the child seat.  Take your child’s coat off, place them back into the child seat, and buckle the harness without adjusting the straps.  Now, try to pinch the webbing as you did before.

Is there more slack than when your child had their coat on?  If so, the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness.  The slack you see would reduce how well the harness restrains your child in the event of a crash when the puffiness of the coat is compressed by the forces of the impact.

So, how do you keep your child warm in the car if they have a coat that is too bulky to wear under the harness?  Here are some options:

• See if you can find a less bulky coat.  For example, a thinner fabric such as an insulated sweatshirt or fleece coat can provide warmth without bulk.
• Have your child remove their bulky jacket before they get in the child seat and cover them with a blanket after they are harnessed.  This is a good method if you are using a carrier-style child seat because you can harness the child in and cover them with a blanket before going outside.
• Rather than a blanket, you can also place the child’s coat on them backwards after they are harnessed into the child seat.  In this case, the coat serves as a blanket with arms.

Remember, no matter which of these options you choose, harnessing a child too loosely in their child seat is a common and avoidable error.  Leaving slack in the harness will increase the movement of a child in a crash and can even allow them to be ejected from the child seat.  Taking these steps to ensure car seat harnesses are properly tightened will help keep children warm and safe during cold weather travels.