PSA: Children Should Not Wear Winter Coats in the Car Seat
The colder months are coming, so you’ll want to pack your kids in warm winter jackets. But when it’s time for them to get into the car seats, the jackets need to be removed. It can be pain, but it can save their lives.
Sue Auremma of Kids and Cars met with TODAY Show reporter Jeff Rossen to demonstrate the dangers of children wearing large winter jackets in car seats. As you can see in the video below, a child-sized dummy that appears to be securely fastened flies out of the car seat on impact. And that’s only at 30 mph.
Your child may feel like they are tightly fastened with the harness, but this extra padding is not good for them, especially if the material is smooth and slippery. Instead, take off their coats, strap them to the car seats, and then put a coat over them to keep warm. The blanket helps too. This is good advice for people of all ages too. Even adults, for the same reasons, are better off not wearing winter jackets with a seat belt fastened.
Car Seat Warning: A Winter Coat Mistake That Could Endanger Your Child | TODAY via Mental Floss