Of course you want to keep your children safe at all times, but sometimes that may become a dilemma over what is most important.
A new study from Consumer Reports, it may not be safe to buckle your child in a car seat while wearing a puffy winter coat. The bulk from the coat may be too substantial to properly and safely buckle a child in, and a loose harness can render the car seat ineffective in a crash.
To test whether the coat you child is wearing is safe, use these tips:
- Put the coat on your child and buckle him in the car seat. Make sure to tighten the harness until you can’t pinch it with your thumb and finger.
- Unbuckle the child without loosening the harness’ straps and take the child’s coat off.
- Put the child back in the seat and fasten the harness again.
- If you can pinch the strap with your thumb and finger while your child is buckled in, it means the straps aren’t tight enough and therefore the seat is unsafe. If this is the case, it means your child’s coat is too bulky to wear while in the car seat.
Of course it’s important to keep your child warm during the cold winter months, so if the child’s coat is too large to wear while buckled in, you can either put a blanket over him to keep him warm, or you can put the coat on backwards after fastening the child in the car seat.
