Winter carseat use

bnsnyde

New member
Help me prepare for winter (I know, I know) by suggesting the best way for me to transport my kids w/o bulky coats in Chicago winters. The baby will have a Nuzzler so he's covered, and the other 3 will all be in a 5 pt. harness RF (Advocate or Radian) or FF (Radian).

We make many quick trips (drop off to activities, etc.) and I can't imagine dealing with peeling layers off kids each trip. It takes forever to load/unload the van as it is. :) But I'll do what I need to do.

Is there any specific brand/kind of coat that's safe to wear in their carseats (like fleece or something)? Would Nuzzler II work with my big kids with LEGS?

And, should I not have a coat on, too, when driving?

(It does seem the 3-year-old will just have to wear her bulky coat on the bus to preschool. She'll be in a harness and I can't imagine the aids will deal with her not having the coat, etc.)
 
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leighi123

Active member
Carseat poncho. It will work on the bus too. Levi loves the one I made for him and refuses to wear coats except when he skiis, he says its like wearing a blanket!
 

momtotwogirls

New member
We use the ponchos and we also keep a large heavy fleece blanket in the cars for each kid and they wear a hoodie that doesn't interfere with the harness and put them in with their hoodie then put their respective blankets on top of them. We make alot of quick trips as well so unless we are going to be outside for an extended time i don't even both bringing their heavy jackets.
 

christineka

New member
Thin layers and a poncho on top. The big issue is puffy stuff. The kid can wear a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater or fleece jacket, and a poncho on top. Puffy coats are not good with seatbelts either. I rarely wear my coat in the car, but when I do, I unzip so that the seatbelt lays against me. My coat is double-layer fleece, so it isn't particularly thick anyway.
 

krissybear25

New member
I Keep there jackets on and then undo them in the car, do the harness up, and then zipper the coat up over top of the harness.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
We do a high- quality fleece jacket for the car, and warm coats in the car. The older kids can take off and put on their own coats. When the baby was little I would just put him in a fleece one piece and throw a blanket over him. Last winter he had a fleece lined wind proof Columbia suit he could wear in the car.

Posted by a robot and susceptible to unrelated and potentially inappropriate AutoCorrects.
 

Katy

New member
I live in northern Mn. We do fleece hoodies and homesewn double layer poncho's. One layer is a wind/rain resistant material and the other a thick fleece. They also have lap blankets. We keep big coats in car for if we get stranded or the kids want to play outside for a bit. The baby has a showercap style sherpa lined bucket cover and a thin fleece Columbia suit. This year she'll have a poncho since the seat will usually be left in car.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
BRU is clearancing their 'snuggies' for toddlers in the carseat section now, they are by summer infant, but I can't find it online. Anyway, it's big enough looking for a regular sized kid, and probably a nice thing to just have in the car for extra bundling up, especially for the price (under 10 bucks).
 

acoro

New member
I live in northern Mn. We do fleece hoodies and homesewn double layer poncho's. One layer is a wind/rain resistant material and the other a thick fleece. They also have lap blankets. We keep big coats in car for if we get stranded or the kids want to play outside for a bit. The baby has a showercap style sherpa lined bucket cover and a thin fleece Columbia suit. This year she'll have a poncho since the seat will usually be left in car.


Thank you for indicating you keep heavy coats in the car in the winter in case of getting stranded! I was going to post the same thing as it is something people often forget but is sooooo important!!
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
And, should I not have a coat on, too, when driving?

It depends on the style of coat, but yes, you should be aware of how your coat affects your seat belt fit. With one of my jackets I just pull it up so that it's not between me and the lap-belt; with my winter coat I unzip it, buckle, and then zip it back up over my seat belt. I can't get it zipped all the way up or it moves the shoulder-belt, but it's enough to keep me warm until the heater kicks in. :)
 

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