Hi moms! As winter turns its brutal cold self upon us, I have already dug out those bulky winter jackets for myself and my 2yr old son. He is currently in a forward facing 5pt car seat but with his winter jacket I can barely get it to close at the bottom(I have to put all my weight into it to close). I already have the belt pulled to the max (no slack left). Winter is only going to get colder so that means more layers and bulk. By PA law he must be 40lbs and 40in to use the booster (currently he is 33lbs and 37 in). I don't want to jeopardize his safety for warmth but I don't want him to be cold either.
Thank you all for your time and advice. Going to find a less bulky but still warm jacket for my 2yr old, throw a blanket in the car for him, and look into a big kid 5pt harness seat. *hugs*
Hi
I know it impossible to fit a child in the car sit with this bulky jackets. My car stays in the garage so i usually warm it up before i get my daughter in without jacket and when i get somewhere i just put jacket on before she gets out of the car. And i keep blanket in the car so she can cover herself if it cold.
I would warm up the car before you get in. I know it is a pain with the jacket and the car seat. put his jacket on,layer him up. once you get in the car take the jacket off before you put him in the booster seat. Once you get to wear you are going put his jacket back on. I know it is a pain but the only thing I can think of.
I highly recommend the Britax Marathon seat to solve your dilemma. It is rated for a very high height and weight limit (I am not sure what they are anymore because I've had mine a while) so it will last you a very long time. Plus it is sooo easy to adjust the straps so if it is cold one day and then warm the next you can easily adjust the straps to fit properly according to the coat they are wearing that particular day. It might be on the pricey side but it is rated very high for safety and is very user friendly.
Good luck!
To combat this problem, we put a lighter, hooded jacket on under the heavy coat, took off the heavy coat in the car, and put a blanket over the child. We leave the blanket in our car during the winter months. Between the blanket, a hood or hat on their head, and the heat in the car, our kids have stayed warm. The blanket is nice because if the child gets hot, they can just take it off. The light jacket is helpful because they can still keep it on indoors if they are a bit chilly.
We have car seats that go up to 100 lbs. (they convert to high backed booster~our son stayed in 5 pt. harness until he was 56 lbs. then went to high backed booster), but we still use the blanket due to safety. And, quite frankly, it is a pain in the butt to have to constantly adjust straps! Good luck!
Here's a link to some info on bulky clothes in car seats- http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carseats/a/0107_wintercoat...
Although your 2 year old is over 30 pounds, it's safest to keep him in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. Both my 4 year old son and 6 year old daughter still sit in 5 point harness car seats for safety. You're right not to jeopardize safety for warmth!
Have you tried a bunting? You can put a fleece O. (with feet) over his clothes and put him into a warmed up car.
Children should be in a 5 point harness carseat until they're 8 years old. Skip the boosters! They're useless and not safe. The states require a minimum of a "booster" because to order people to spend the money on larger 5pt carseats isn't something the governments are prepared to do yet. Boosters are no different than strapping your child into a regular seatbelt, they're just raised up higher. Not safe! Do a YouTube search and you'll see the many kids who were killed while using boosters, and their siblings who were not when they were in 5pt carseat, both in the same vehicle in the same accident. Please consider buying a larger 5pt car seat. I have triplets who are 5 and all are in larger 5pt carseats, for their safety. Peole can give any excuse in the book of why it's not important, but what's more important than your child's safety and well being? We are not made of money but skrimped and saved for 3 larger car seats and it's worth it! As your child is only two he is not going to have the maturity to keep that seatbelt over his chest and in the proper position. You'll hear many say that their child stays put. It only takes one time for them to move it and whammo! And even for those children who did not touch their seat belt, the force of their body and the booster will still force them out of the booster and get thrown, possibly killing them or damaging them for life. I mean, we put our children into 2,000 lb vehicles racing at 65+ mph and hitting something and expect that nothing but a seatbelt will protect their small frames. Not so! I am a strong believer in safety in the vehicles so please avoid the boosters at all cost.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
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You shouldn't put your kid in his carseat wearing a bulky jacket. It's isn't safe at all. You can try turning his coat around and putting his arms though, blankets and hats, or a poncho. I dress my son normally, take him outside in his coat or poncho, and then take it off to put him in the seat.
For more info:
http://www.carseatponcho.com/ (Lots of places see ponchos like this.)
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/FAQs.htm#coats
http://www.canadianparents.com/article/winter-car-seat-sa...
Hi P., Warm does not always have to be bulky anymore! Look into the coats and jackets that are thinner and made with fleece linnings. You can also use a blanket over the car seat seatbelts for additional warmth on those cold mornings. You might also want to check out the larger car seats that accomodate kids to the weight of 80 or 60 lbs. Best wishes.
I took the coat off and laid it over the child until we got there. Yes, it does make for several more minutes of wrangling to get into and out of the car. But, not only did my kids hate the confined feeling of belts over jackets, but they ended up too warm in the car and too cold when they got out again.
I also kept a small blanket or two in the car.
buy bigger car seat and take off bulky coat overheat
When the police installed our seat, they said that bulky coats were not allowed under the straos, that the straps need to be as close as possible to their body to be effective, to either put the coat on after they are strapped in, or use something else.
We have hooded fleece ponchos that are great - strap him in to his seat/stroller and pop it over his head. They are warm, soft and he loves them. If he needs the coat for afterwards, I just pull off the poncho and put on the coat as I'm removing him from the seat.
Good luck!
Forgive me if this sounds harsh, but from one mother to another, PLEASE do not put him in a booster! His body is not physically/structurally strong enough. In almost every other developed country, 2 year olds are still rear-facing. In fact, the APA recently revised their recommendations for carseat safety & now reccomend keeping children rear-facing until at least 2 yrs & 30 lbs. Children under the age of 4 (at the VERY minimum!!!) should never, ever be in a booster. The longer you can keep them in a 5 pt, the better. Especially when they make ones that harness to 80 lbs now.
If you get him a fleece jacket to wear in the car, he'll still be warm & be about 100 times safer in the event of a crash. (If the straps are not snug & the chest clip is not at armpit level, a child can actually be internally decapitated from the force of a crash because their body "flies" so far from the seat before the restraints stop them & their spinal cord can stretch to the point of breaking). You can save his thick jacket for snow play, etc... A fleece jacket & car blanket would be so much safer.
I know it's a huge pain in the butt (I'm going through a similar thing w/ my 2 year old son). Last year, we had his winter jacket & then a "fur" lined hoodie from LLBean for him to wear in the car that kept him nice & toastie! I think we'll likely do the same thing again this year.
Good luck!
we bought our 2 yr old son the britax booster seat. its a highback booster seat but looks like a convertible one. we needed his other seat for his little brother. the weight requirement for the britax was 30lbs. (I 4get the height). he loves it. it fits jsut like a 5pt car seat too and it has the side that come up for impact protection. we got it at babies r us you should go there and try a few out. let him sit in it. see what you are comfortable with. they will help you there. very knowledgable staff. good luck
You've already gotten suggestions of a lighter jacket and a blanket. I highly recommend that. Lighter-weight fleece jackets (with a hood) can be quite warm for the children. A smaller fleece or double-layer cotton blanket works well on top.
you should NOT put a bulky coat on him when he's in the car seat.that's not safe at all.in an impact there might be enough slack for him to fall out.you can try it by putting him in the carseat with the coat then take him out and put him in the seat without readjusting the straps.you'll see that it has way to much slack.i usally heat up the car before i put my younger daughter in the car seat.she is still rear facing.if you think it is still to cold,just strap him in and put the coat over him/his legs.and definatly don't put him in a booster to soon.my oldest didn't go in a booster till almost 4.
hope that helps.
good luck
M. Mom to Kaitlyn 6 and Lauren 2 years old
Have you tried a Bundle Me? They line the car seat around the harness and then zip up around the edge of the seat. They are so warm and cozy there is no need for a really heavy jacket. My son was born in January and we used one until spring. They have them in toddler sizes as well. Here is the website but you can get them as Babies R Us also.
I always bought my children thin coats due to this problem (thinner doesn't really mean colder) Save the bulky one for playing in the snow. I also brought a small blanket to cover them up with in the car if needed - layering helps warmth also. Hope that helps!
I don't leave jackets on the kids in the car. The straps are supposed to lay snuggly against the child, and if the "bulky jacket" lay between child and straps it creates a void space and could cause the child to come of of the restraining harness.
It's not recommended to put a bulky coat on a child in a car seat. According to our dr and the local police who helped to install our car seat the kids aren't secure enough and in accidents can slip right out. Yikes! We live in a cold climate too so I just warm up car before hand, put my child (2) in a warm layer, and cover him with a blanket for the trip to the car. My girlfriend has a blanket poncho that the child can keep on and the straps of the car seat go right under it!
