Winter coats

[papooses]

I know it's advized that children be buckled into their seats without bulky clothing ... I'm just curious how people manage this during the coldest winter months? Any tips for a mom who takes her toddler on many daily errands about town in an area that reaches negative 45 degrees some days???
THANKS

[UlrikeDG]

We're in Germany now in a valley that has much milder winters than Iowa, where I grew up. What I've done for the few really cold days we've encountered here, and what I plan to do again when we get back to the US, is to dress my kids in layers. I have them wear a (relatively) thin polar fleece jacket under their down coats. When we get in the car, they take off the coat and the fleece jacket keeps them warm until the car heats up. If it's SUPER cold, they'll put their coats on backward after their buckled in.

Sometimes, I can get a good fit by unzipping their coat, buckling them in, then rezipping the coat over the top of the straps.

[papooses]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking & that's more or less what we did when she was younger ... however, now she's getting into picking out her own clothes & starting to dressing herself -- we go on so many errands [I work full time & she is with me so we automatically get to take advantage of any excuse to get out of the building: post office, banking, lunch run, etc.], I just know there will be days she will decide on some non-winter-friendly outfits & we have so many ice cold days here in a row. I wonder why it is so important to take her coat off, but I can keep mine on? Now that I have heated seats I take mine off anyway, but she's rear-facing & doesn't get all the heat from up front. Hmmm, I seem to remember someone had a baby-sized down blanket when my daughter was tiny ... maybe that would be good, assuming I can find one & afford it, too. Knowing our time constraints & my daughter's temperament for the car to begin with, I forsee there being days when the only I'll be able to get her to sit in the seat at all is if she can wear her coat -- she's a coat fanatic! *SIGH* I mean, what exactly is the risk & should I let myself worry so much if there are days that she just ends up wearing her coat in the seat???
THANKS