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Winter Car Seat Safety

Winter Car Seat Safety

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Winter Car Seat Safety is critical when living in Manitoba through severe winters.

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Winter Car Seat Safety Tips

Fortunately there is not a lot of snow on the ground….at this minute.

We have had a couple little flurries already but nothing that has stayed.

This only means that snow will be here soon to stay.

And with snow – there is also lower temperatures.

Currently we are hanging out around the freezing mark.

Come the middle of winter though it is not unheard of to get to -40c (or colder).

As the seasons start changing, our clothing starts to change.

It seems like we are already pulling out the sweaters, hats, mitts, and jackets.

With all this extra gear it’s also a good time to have a reminder about winter car seat safety.

It is VERY important to remember that bulky jackets are NOT made to go into child car seats.

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Get The Vehicle Warm

For some people you may have a insulated garage that you park in.

In that case it’s easy to keep your vehicle warm and transfer your child(ren) into their seat without needing the big jackets.

If this isn’t an option for you, as it sure isn’t an option for me, there are other things that can be done.

Once I have everything pretty much ready to go I start my vehicle.

It gives the van a chance to warm up a little before we go outside.

We wear our winter jackets out to the van and get inside.

Jackets are taken off and we buckle into the seats.

On the really cold days we then put the jackets on backwards over the straps.

Other times the van has warmed up enough to take the chill off and the children don’t complain.

There are car seat ponchos available for purchase also.

They are an over-sized piece of fleece with a hole in the top for the head but they don’t go between the body and the straps.

They are made to cover the chest (over the straps) and the arms.

You can also use a thin sweater.

My younger children both have fleece sweaters that they wear out to the vehicles and can wear within their seats.

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Make sure your Child is Safely strapped in

The best way to know if a sweater is too thick is place your child in the seat without the sweater and do up their straps properly.

Undo the straps (without loosening them) and put the sweater on.

You then put the straps back on and do them up.

If they still fit properly you are ok.

Otherwise, if you are having to fight with straps or loosen them at all the sweater is to bulky.

I am sure there are parents out there who feel that they have their straps tight enough with the jacket in so it will be ok.

Please keep in mind that in an accident the jacket compresses.

If the straps are not tight against the body like their are supposed to be, they will not work.

It is not unheard of for a child to not be held within the car seat in the case of an accident because their was compression in their jackets which meant the straps were not tight enough.

Please remember when preparing to enjoy this winter weather to stay safe while staying warm!!

Readers that liked this article also read Car Seat Tips for Your Vehicle, Seasonal Driving Tips and Make Sure your Tires are Ready to go.

We would love to hear your thoughts on car seat safety.

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About The Author

Susan Wetmore
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I am a Mother of two and active Aunt to six kids ranging in age from 3 years to 24 years. I am a seasoned enthusiastic Mom and Blogger that is highly active in school activities, crafting, and an award-winning volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank. I love to Cook and Bake and share my gift with Family and Friends. Owner of TOTS: Business and TOTS: Family.

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11 Comments

  1. Ariel/ Blogs from a Single Mom

    Safety first, definitely. I’m happy to be a little inconvenienced if it means knowing my baby is safer.

    Reply
  2. Suzi Satterfield

    I live in Prince George, and we do see -40 here, too. (For the Americans: -40C is the same as -40F.) I suspect we spend less time in -40 than you do out in the prairies, but either way you slice it, it’s miserable! We also have no garage. I start the car while I’m scraping the ice away so the car has a bit more time to warm up before I start loading the offspring. They go in last so that I can keep them good as long as possible.

    In the car seats, they wear warm sherpa lined hoodies. That’s something warm enough for all winter; I got by with just that for an entire winter without losing any digits to frost bite. We also keep blankets in the car to pile on top. No snow suits in the vehicles here! (And fortunately, we’re parked about 8 feet from door to door. Not much of a hike.)

    Reply
  3. Jenna @ A Mama Collective

    Such an important issue! Thank you so much for shedding light on this, as safety of children is obviously most important, and some parents don’t realize how tight the straps should be!

    Reply
  4. Heather Johnson

    No bulky coats! We made sure to get our daughter a warm but not bulk wool coat. We also used blankets on her instead of a coat that first and second winter.

    Reply
  5. Julie

    Thank you for spreading the word about this – I see so many kiddos get dropped of at daycare each morning in bulky puffer coats because so many parents just don’t know how dangerous it is!

    Reply
  6. robyn

    This is so important! I was just yesterday reminding someone who should have known better that children should not be wearing their coats in the car seat.

    Reply
  7. Karen Coutu

    This is a great reminder! Luckily, my children are no longer in harness car seats, but I remember how difficult it was in the winter back then.

    Reply
  8. Henrietta

    These are really great tips! Thank you for posting — so many don’t think about adjusting the seat for what the child is wearing!

    Reply
  9. Kimberly

    Thanks for these reminders. I wish more people were aware and make wise decisions.

    Reply
  10. Robin Gagnon

    This is something we struggle with here in New England as well. I usually try to dress my daughter in layers. It isn’t easy.

    Reply
  11. Jessica

    Wow! I had no idea about the bulky sweater test. We just moved to Northern Minnesota after more than a decade in Southwest Florida. I simply loosen the straps each time I put the girls into their seats. I won’t do that again. Thanks for the great advice!

    Reply

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