Winter brings lots of reasons to be cautious when traveling, especially with young children in car seats. Did you know that safety precautions should begin before even getting on the road? Though it may seem illogical- children who ride in car seats should not wear their heavy winter coats while doing so. Bulky coats make it hard for the seat’s harness straps to be tightened as they should be; the coat may create a gap between the child and the harness. In the event of an accident, the harness straps may not secure the child safely.

Here are some tips to make sure your child is riding safely this winter:

1. Do a coat check: If you insist on your child wearing a coat- put the coat on your child and put them in their car seat. Buckle the straps and tighten the harness as you normally would. Then, take your child out of the car seat without loosening the straps; take the coat off and then put your child back in the seat and rebuckle. If you can pinch the webbing between your forefinger and thumb, that means that coat is too bulky to be worn while riding in the car seat.

Just because a coat can’t be worn, doesn’t mean the child cannot still be warm!

You could:

Use a blanket

If you have a car seat cover you want to use- make sure that it has been approved by the manufacturer to ensure it won’t compromise the safety of the seat.

You could turn the coat around while the child rides, so the coat is more like a blanket and the child is both safe and warm.

Start your car a few minutes before leaving the house so it’s warm when the child gets in

If you can, leave the car seat in the house when not in use so it’s fabric is not cold when the child gets in.

Don’t forget mittens, hats and warm socks!

This message is brought to you by SafeKids PA Lycoming County Partner, the Lycoming County Health Improvement Coalition.