Jackets + Car Seats? I'm clueless.

I'm sure I could figure this one out if I had to, but I'd love to know what you guys do. We live in a hot climate and basically never wear coats. We have a few weeks where a heavy hoodie-type sweatshirt is necessary, but that's it. We're going to be visiting my parents at least once (maybe twice) this winter in MI where weather is cold enough to necessitate real coats. We also might be moving to a colder climate eventually. So, it crossed my mind that I don't know what I'm supposed to do with a coat + a car seat! Do I leave the kid in the coat? Or do I take him out of the coat? Seems to kind of defeat the point of a coat if you are spending a bunch of time in freezing cold weather wrangling with toddlers and their coats (even if it's in the van). It also seems awfully uncomfortable (maybe even unsafe?) for little people to wear a big old coat in the car seat.

Thanks in advance for enlightening me!

Sincerely,
Clueless in Arizona

 

I need to know too! I too am clueless, having lived in Florida my entire life, now I'm in a place that has seasons! Thanks Erin for asking.

 

I live in WI, so most of our year is spent in some sort of coat .

In the winter, my boys wear their coats in their carseats, unless it's a long drive. For example, my parents live 3.5 hours away, so NONE of us wear coats in the car, but for a 20 min trip to daycare, we all wear coats. I try to keep the heat in the car down a little if they're in coats.

As for safety in the car seat, that's always concerned me, too. I just try to make the straps as snug against them & their coat as possible. I'm lucky in that I have an Evenflo Triumph, so the straps are SUPER easy to adjust. I can adjust the shoulder straps to fit at their "new" shoulders with the coats & can adjust the tightness of the straps to go around their coats. I have no clue how people do it with non adjustable straps!

In regards to comfort, my boys have never complained about wearing their coats in the car. They are more limited in their movements in the car (like to get to their toys & stuff), but they learn to adapt. It's just like an adult in a coat, really. I definitely think my boys would prefer to take their coats off in the car, but like you mentioned, it's too much of a hassle to put coats on in the van when we get to our destination. Plus, it gets SO cold here, that the car is usually JUST warming up as we get to our destination & is way too cold when we get back into it, even if it's just a short shopping trip! My guess is that is how it'll be for your trip(s) to MI too!

Now if anyone could convince my duo to keep winter GLOVES on !

 

I always wondered this when we lived in AZ and researched it when we came to IN to visit family over the holidays. Coats should not be worn while in a carseat, it causes you to make the straps looser and when in an accident the "fluffiness" of a coat can compress and leave lots of room between the straps and the child's body. To see how much "wiggle" room a coat causes, put a coat on your child, strap them in their carseat, then take them out without loosening the straps, take their coat off and put them back in the carseat - if the straps do not fit your child like they would if your child was just wearing regular clothes, you know the coat is too big and bulky.

We always take off all coats - the thickest thing I'll leave mine in is a hooded sweatshirt - and we have some really cold winters here in IN! I heat the car up beforehand and always put hats on them. I also keep fleece blankets in the car and they cover up with those!

Here's a link for more info:

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carseats/a/0107_wintercoat.htm

 

We have always worn coats on short trips and will take them off for longer trips. I figure if I am wearing a coat, they can, but at the same time, if I am too warm for a coat, then they shouldn't either. As far as safety is concerned, I don't find that the straps are much different with or without coats. I guess we cinch them in pretty snuggly.

 

We put thicker fleece type jackets (thinner than a bulky winter coat) on the girls in the car all winter. If we're going to be outside, I bring the heavier jacket and put it on them when we get there. I do keep an extra sweashirt and small blankets in the car in case we were to ever breakdown.

 

Fluffy coats are unsafe in car seats. The problem is that if there is a shock, the coat will pretty much get flat, which will leave more wiggle room for the kids in the seat... which is a problem we don't have with regular seat belts, as they're not stuck in one position. The other issue I guess is that if they're dressed warmly they can get hot once the heat is on.

The best probably is to heat the car then put the kids in without jackets. Or you can adjust the strap on them without a jacket on then put their jackets on and try to squeeze them in without loosening the strap, which is a pain to do.

Or you can use layers and avoid fluffy coats. Either way, I hate winter just for that reason!

 

Thanks for the link Jori. I had always heard that it was unsafe to leave them in their coats in the seat. I usually warm the car up so we take off our coats when they get in their seats. I can't stand drying with a coat on, so I tend to think the same thing for them. :blush:

 

I put my kids in their carseat with their coats on.

 

I admit that I just put my kids in the car seats with their coats on. I know you are not supposed to, but it's just too much of a pain to do it any other way. And while I try to warm up the car beforehand, I don't always remember or have time, and they would complain about having to walk to the car without coats on (and there's no way I'm putting their coats on only to walk down the front walk and take them off again). I make sure to pull the straps as tight as I can.

 

Im another one who whose kids (for the most part) keep coats on in the car. Ive heard/read/been told that you are supposed to take them off, because the seatbelt wont be tight enough with a coat on, but I adjust my kids harness' on a regular basis anyway.

The reason I say, for the most part, is because they are getting to the age where they will take them off if they want to. This is mainly only an issue if I am rushing, and Im sitting there waiting for them to take their coat off and then buckle, before I can start driving.

To the OP, since Im sure you still buckle your boys, I guess its up to you how much hassle you want to deal with when loading and unloading, and whether you think they are safe enough with their coats on.

 

As someone who lives in the dreaded MI winters....we buckle in with the coats for short drives (like the mile to daycare in the morning). I garuntee that if it is -20 (like it was here for a few weeks last winter) you would keep your kid in the coat too. Our coats aren't super thick so I don't worry too much about the straps not being tight enough. We park in a garage so our car is usually warm, but sometimes it is just too cold to get in the car without them. The hassle isn't worth taking them on and off all the time. As a pp poster said, if it's a trip where I would take my coat off, I take theirs off.

 

Okay, what about snow pants and shoes? Do you wear clothes underneath them? I'm a cold-virgin. . .

 

Yep, clothes underneath snowpants. Nice warm socks ( and sometimes plastic baggies :laughing under snowboots!


We have really cold winters, too.... -20 sometimes with the windchill, but I'm not comfortable with them being in the carseat with their coats on. Like I said, we always keep their hats on and warm the car up before leaving and then I keep fleece blankets in the car (or house and we carry them out) to cover them up with once they get in the car. My 5-year-old has made it through 2 Indiana winters so far that way, so it works well for us!

 

We dont usually wear coats in the car. Its unsafe to have a coat on in a car seat as you can not tighten the straps. If there was an accident the coat will flatten with the force and you child could become separated from the car seat. Id we are anywhere that we can warm the car with the kids inside (grandma, home ect) we do that. If we are not we get to the car and let it run for a few moments before we leave. We also have blankets in the car for each child to cover with so they are warm with out their jackets until it heats up in the car. I NEVER drive with a coat on. Infact I live in Michigan and I cant remember the last time I owned a winter coat. usually just hoodies!