CLEVELAND — The extra bulk of a puffy winter coat can make the safety-seat harness too loose to properly secure your child in a crash.
It can be annoying and inconvenient to have to remove your child’s coat to put them into a car seat, but it’s important for their safety.
There’s an easy way to determine whether your child’s coat is too puffy or bulky. First, secure them in the car seat wearing their coat so there’s no slack in the harness straps. Then remove the coat and put them back in the seat. If the straps are loose, there’s a problem.
If there’s a crash and a child is wearing a coat, all that puffiness will compress, leaving extra room for them to move and increase the risk of injury.
So how can you keep your child safe and warm in the car? Consumer Reports recommends securing the child into the seat and then putting a blanket or coat on top of the harness. For older kids, put their coat sleeves on backward after they’re harnessed in.
It can be challenging, but the sooner you start these types of safety practices, the sooner it will become the norm.
Consumer Reports says it’s also important to always make sure your child is properly harnessed. You shouldn’t be able to pinch any fabric, and the chest clip should always be at armpit level.