When it is cold outside, and you hop into a cold car with your child, it is easy to forget how dangerous it is for your child to wear bulky winter clothes in their car seat. As a general rule, bulky clothing, including winter coats and snowsuits, should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat. In a car crash, the fluffy padding in a coat can immediately flatten out from the powerful force, leaving extra space under the harness. A child can then slip through the strap and be thrown out of the seat or have more injuries from not being snugly secured in their car seat.

You can still keep your child warm in the car while being safe by following these tips:

• You can store the carrier portion of infant seats inside your warm house when not in use to avoid having to put your child in a freezing seat. 
• Dress your child in thin layers with close-fitting layers on the bottoms, then pants and a sweater. Infants should wear one more layer than adults, so you can also drape a blanket or coat over the car straps or put their coat on backward over the properly fitted harness. Once you reach your destination, putting your child’s coat on is easy after getting out of the car seat.
• They can wear hats, mittens, and extra socks to help keep them warm without interfering with their car seat straps. Never use sleeping bag inserts or other stroller accessories in the car seat.
• Always keep an emergency bag in your vehicle with items like blankets, extra clothing, a cell phone charger, food, and water. 

Contact us with any other questions or concerns about car seat safety in the winter.

--Blog post written by Maggie Rietze, Centennial Pediatrics of Spokane Summer Intern Extraordinaire