Winter Coat and Car Seat Safety

Winter is a tricky season for keeping kids warm and safe

Why coats and car seats are a dangerous combination

Coats worn underneath a car seat harness cause the harness to be too loose and non-effective in a car crash.

Follow these steps to make sure your child's coat isn't too bulky.

Step 1
Put the coat on your child, sit him or her 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, unhook it and remove your child from the car seat.

Step 3
Take the 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, then the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness.

Have a Winter Coat?

Here are tips to keep your child safe and warm without wearing their coat in their car seat.

• For infants, place a blanket over them to keep them warm.
• Using a fitted car seat cover? Only use covers designed to give additional warmth that are approved by the car-seat manufacturer for your specific car seat. Such covers have been tested with the seat and won’t compromise your child’s safety. 
• For toddlers and older, after securing your child in the car seat, allow them to wear their coat backward (with arms through the armholes), so the back of the coat serves as a blanket resting on top of the harness.