Question Coat for DD in car seat

Hi, I'm new and have (another) question about kids wearing coats in their car seats (sorry).

Last fall my DD (now 19 months) had a light tweed jacket that she wore in the car, and I continued to have her wear it in winter, since it wasn't super thick. I did not have to adjust her harness to put her in it. Is that all that matters in allowing her to wear a coat in the car? Or are there other considerations? I'm learning more about car seat safety, and want her to be safe.

The only winter coats I have heard people recommend for car use are Polar fleece. For this coming winter she has multiple hand-me-down heavy/warm winter coats/snowsuits for playing or walking outside, but for normal 'to/from' wear, I'd like a thinner and nicer one that she can wear to church, etc. Would tweed be all right? Is wool acceptable if you don't have to adjust the harness?

I'll get her a fleece jacket if I have to, but I have a North Face Denali and the liner of my Columbia coat, and they aren't warm like a coat AND aren't nice-looking like a quilted jacket or wool, so if others are acceptable I'd much prefer them! Thanks.

Also, although in winter I keep a heavy coat/hat/mittens/blankets in the car in case we'd have car trouble, I do want her to have at least a light coat on. We're in Wisconsin so it does get cold, and she immediately kicks off blankets/coats on top of her, both in the car and in her crib.

Hi and welcome.

I never purchased special coats for my kids and they never wear/wore their winter coats (or any coat for that matter) in their seats. I live in Ontario Canada and it gets pretty cold here as well. I always have their regular winter coats stored in the car and they wear light sweaters/hoodies or whatever I have available in their size and then we keep heavy blankets for each child to place over top of them once they are buckled. The blankets are nice because they can easily remove once the car is warmed up. They get a bit chilly between the buckling/unbuckling and the putting on of the coat but it is a short timeframe and they won't suffer for it. For infants in buckets I always used a shower cap style cover.

I believe the "test" is put your child in the restraint w/ the sweater/jacket on and tighten the straps. Then unbuckle and remove the outerwear and re-buckle. If the straps are still the proper tightness then the outerwear is not too thick.

I don't think the material matters as long as it passes the "test" mentioned above

Sent from my iPod touch, sorry for any auto-correct typos!

My kids wear sweatshirts under a down vest and hat. When they get in the car they take the vest off and the are good. They can put the vest back on over the front but I always have lap blankets in my car for them too.