[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats\/","headline":"Beware: Winter Coats Can Keep Children from Fitting Safely in Car Seats","name":"Beware: Winter Coats Can Keep Children from Fitting Safely in Car Seats","description":"An arctic blast has sent temperatures plummeting in New Jersey and New York, as NJ.com reports. When it becomes frigid outside, parents may be tempted to outfit their children in puffy winter coats, scarves and hats. But for babies and young kids, beware \u2013 bulky coats can render car seats...","datePublished":"2015-01-23","dateModified":"2019-07-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/author\/dsslaw\/#Person","name":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/author\/dsslaw\/","identifier":12,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/645d493126a7be6f90be911a6e7d4382c0cd63874673097832081394c8bcf8ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/645d493126a7be6f90be911a6e7d4382c0cd63874673097832081394c8bcf8ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/bg-logo.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/bg-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":90}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats.jpg","height":192,"width":289},"url":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw","name":"Car Seats and Winter Coats - What's the Danger?!  Watch this Car Seat Safety Video","description":"Parents who live in colder climates question what they should do with winter coats and car seats with young children.\n\n\nWinter coats can put your child at risk if they are inside the harness of your car seat. We all want our little ones to be warm and here you learn how to so it safely. This short video is brought to you by https:\/\/SafeRide4Kids.com home of the RideSafer Travel Vest and the Tummy Shield. \n\nThe idea is we want to avoid having a lot of bulky clothing inside the harnessing system in the child restraint. In a crash all the bulk will squish down and the harness straps will be loose.\n\nIf your child is rear facing and the harness straps become loose, the straps could come off the child\u2019s shoulders and the child could come out of the car seat.\n\nKeep the straps close to the child\u2019s body. \n\nHave the child come out to the car in a coat or wrapped in a blanket. \n\nTake off their covering quickly and put them in the car seat. \n\nPut the coat and\/or blanket on top.\n\n\n\nAt Safe Ride 4 Kids we are all about child safety when it comes to car seat safety and traveling with kids. Sign up for our newsletter and get child\/car safety tips at https:\/\/saferide4kids.com\/#protectlovedones\n\nParent with children who are 3 year old or older, you may be interested in learning about the safe and CONVENIENT child restraint called the RideSafer Travel Vest. This \u201ccar seat\u201d is great for travel, carpools, fitting 3 across and when the child rides with multiple caregivers. Get more info at https:\/\/RideSaferTravelVest.com","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/yL4qc6Wvmtw\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/yL4qc6Wvmtw\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/yL4qc6Wvmtw\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/yL4qc6Wvmtw\/sddefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2013-02-03T19:57:08+00:00","duration":"PT1M48S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yL4qc6Wvmtw","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8X18ipq-vwGNN2YGZPKI4Q#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8X18ipq-vwGNN2YGZPKI4Q","name":"Safe Ride 4 Kids","description":"Safe Ride 4 Kids has a mission to help parents protect their children in the car from conception up. Safe Ride 4 Kids does this by offering current car seat safety information by child passenger safety technicians and innovate car safety products that are the solution to some car safety challenges parents face like maternity seatbelt discomfort across the belly, traveling with children with ease, fitting 3 across or a child who rides in different cars (aka carpooling) without needing to buy several car seats or moving seats frequently which increase car seat misuse.  \n\nFor information regarding SafeRide4Kids products, child car safety information, traveling with children and safety concerns when driving while pregnant visit http:\/\/www.SafeRide4Kids.com","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_kMEqI-QkWN-2IFEwHTjtHO9tcFpxAItPLd_UKG3f6JXWY=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":5293}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yL4qc6Wvmtw#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":13}]},"about":["Car Accidents"],"wordCount":811,"keywords":["New Jersey Car Accident Lawyer"],"articleBody":"An arctic blast has sent temperatures plummeting in New Jersey and New York, as NJ.com reports. When it becomes frigid outside, parents may be tempted to outfit their children in puffy winter coats, scarves and hats. But for babies and young kids, beware \u2013 bulky coats can render car seats and booster seats ineffective, putting children at risk for serious injuries if a car accident occurs.Car seat straps must be snugly fitted to a child\u2019s body to provide proper protection in a collision. But thick coats can prevent kids from being restrained safely because the material flattens upon impact, and the harness will be too loose to keep them restrained. That means they are at risk for excursion or even ejection from a vehicle, according to Consumer Reports.Is Your Child Snug Enough in a Car Seat? Try the Pinch TestExperts emphasize the threat is serious even at slow speeds. Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, medical director of the Tom Sargent Safety Center at an Oregon children\u2019s hospital, told the Today Show that at 30 mph, the force of impact on a 10-pound infant is equivalent to dropping a bowling ball out of a three-story window.Fortunately, there is a simple way for parents to test whether their child\u2019s coat is too bulky to be safe. It is called the pinch test. Here\u2019s how to do it:Put the coat on your child and buckle him or her into the car seat or booster seat.Tighten the straps so you can no longer pinch any of the harness webbing between your thumb and forefinger.Without changing the harness, take your child out of the seat.Remove the coat and place your child back in the car seat.If you can now pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, the coat is too puffy to wear.For more information, check out this video on how to perform the pinch test on your child\u2019s car seat harness.Worried about keeping your child warm? Remember, he or she will only be without a thick coat during the time it takes you to reach your destination. Hoffman says there are still plenty of ways to keep kids toasty without a winter coat in the car, including:Dressing them in a thin polar fleece jacket or sweater \u2013 but only as thick as something that could be comfortably worn inside.After strapping them in the car seat, turn the jacket around and put it on backwards, pulling the child\u2019s arms through the sleeves.Bring an extra blanket in the car.Buy a cold-weather car seat cover.Don\u2019t leave a snowsuit on kids, either. They are just as bulky and can create the same problem.Car Seat Safety: Not Just a Cold Weather ConcernStudies have shown that 60 percent of caregivers fail to make car seat straps tight enough regardless of the weather. It is important to use the pinch test every time you fasten the harness in the car seat. The Mayo Clinic urges you to make sure you are not making other common child safety seat errors. The clinic suggests that you:Never purchase a used car seat without first researching its history. You can check for recalls on the Consumer Product Safety Commission or manufacturer\u2019s website. Do not buy a car seat that is more than six years old or expired, either. Verify that it has never been involved in a moderate or severe crash.Install the car seat in the back seat, and as far away from an active airbag as possible. Place the car seat in the center of the rear seat, if possible, to provide more protection in an accident.Read the car seat manufacturer\u2019s instructions on installation, along with your vehicle manual\u2019s section on car seats. This will help you to make sure that it is secured properly.When restraining your baby in an infant seat, make sure the harness is fitted properly. Use the harness slots recommended in the car seat\u2019s manual, which are usually at or below the child\u2019s shoulders. Place the harness clips across the chest \u2013 not at the baby\u2019s neck or stomach. Also, recline the seat to the proper angle recommended by the manufacturer so the child\u2019s head cannot flop forward.Don\u2019t move to a forward-facing seat too soon. Pediatricians recommend waiting until the child\u2019s second birthday or when he or she exceeds the height and weight limits for a rear-facing seat. You should only move to a booster seat when your child has exceeded the height and weight limits for a car seat. Once your child is in a booster seat, use both belts. The lap belt should fit on the child\u2019s upper thighs snugly. The shoulder belt should cross the middle of the child\u2019s shoulder and chest."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beware: Winter Coats Can Keep Children from Fitting Safely in Car Seats","item":"https:\/\/www.dsslaw.com\/blog\/beware-winter-coats-can-keep-children-fitting-safely-car-seats\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]