hockey gear in a booster

canadianmom2three

Active member
So it is hockey season up here, and DH takes our little guy to the games, I take DD. We would like to dress them at home to avoid the CHAOS of the dressing room, but this leaves us with big puffy kids...ready to hop in the car.

I know puffy coats are a no-no,but hockey gear is not really comptressable, it is solid plastic. I make them wait to put on the puffy pants till we are there, but even so DS doesn't fit in his harnessed seat with the gear, and DD doesn't fit in her booster.

DS does fit great into DD's confidence with the gear on, and he is of an appropriate size and weight to ride in it, and has no problem sitting for the 5min ride to the arena. DD is of legal weight and age to ride unboostered, and passes the 5step test in the mid row of the van.

So general consensus here...is this as much of a huge no-no as I think it might be? The gear that rests between them and the seat is only the chest protector - which is padding (well really plastic covered in fabric, not padded per say) on back and front. It is more the shouder pads that are preventing them from fitting the seats, but not really impacting how the seatbelt lies on them.....Thoughts??
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I'm assuming he's a skater? I know my goalie equipment wouldn't fit in a seatbelt, nevermind a harness. :)

I wouldn't. I know it's not puffy at all, but it is stiff and meant to prevent contact and injury with the body. I'd be worried that in a collision the forces that hold the pads onto your son would break. They're meant for pucks and maybe a little person on person or person to boards. They're not meant for 60+ mph collisions. So they would stay with the seatbelt and there would be a lot less holding your son in. I wouldn't do it. I know I get completely out of my gear before I get into my car, but as a goalie I wouldn't be able to bend my arms enough to drive. LOL

I just wouldn't. Chaos is much more acceptable than the alternative.

Well, actually, the shin guards wouldn't be an issue (though I wouldn't do the skates). Does he need to change out of his shorts or something at the gym? Could he wear his shin guards and socks there, have on a pair of shorts, and then just pull his hockey pants over his pads and socks and right over the shorts? Then just slide on his chest protector over his tee, put on his jersey and gloves and skates and helmet and then go? That way you could do it outside of a changing room, he wouldn't need to get undecent in order to get changed. I don't know how it is for a skater, but I wear sweat pants and a sports bra, and so while I do change in my own locker room, *I* wouldn't be bothered by changing with the guys, they're not going to see anything of me other than my sports bra. I put on a long sleeve shirt and put my pads on over my sweats and my chest protector on over my long sleeve tee. So when I get undressed I don't change out of anything (I'm just coming home, if I had to go somewhere else I would) I just take off the goalie stuff. Is there some way your son could do that so it'd be an easy transition at the ice rink?

Wendy
 

canadianmom2three

Active member
We never do the skates before, or the puffy shorts, it is just the rest of the gear - it is such a time consuming process and the kids can do it themselves at home given enough time, but at the rink it is like a nightmare even getting them to pay attention so that we can help them do it. I guess I really knew it wasn't the best idea, was just hopefull. PArt of the problem is that DH got DS one of those all in one suits that is supposed to make it easier, but in fact makes it 500times harder. So once he puts that on, he has the shin, elbow shoulder and chest pads already on, but that is the piece that gives us the most greif in the changeroom - it is NOT as easy as it was supposed to be, I think the individual pads are way easier. Which will work fine for DD, she can put on the underarmour at home and like you say the shin pads and socks, and then do the rest there really, without even going in the changeroom
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I've never even heard of all in one suit. He can move in that? As much as I think skaters are crazy for going out there without head to to covering, I'd much prefer it was in pieces. Not only for getting on and off, but for the built in hinges where there isn't any material or padding.

Wendy
 

canadianmom2three

Active member
LOL - its not total body padding, just like one piece long underwear where all the gear is attached to the underwear supposed to make it easier to get little ones dressed.

http://www.torspo.com/TORSPO ICE ARMOR PAGE.html

it is just like regular gear, only ALL attached to what is like a one piece underarmour type long underwear. Sounds great in theory, but in practice the velcro adjusters for the shin and elbow pads always end up causing the whole arm or leg of the long underwear to get hopelessly twisted up, all the while the little guy is trying to jam arm or leg through - it is just waaaay more work than simply putting on the gear piece by piece imo (just don't let DH hear me saying that - he is sooo pleased with his purchase;)).
 

cmm7

New member
Weird that you started this thread. I am doing a hockey program in February on Tuesday nights so I will be going right from baby-sitting. I don't think I will get to the rink until about 15 minutes before it starts, so I was trying to figure out what gear I coul put on at their house. So only shin pads would be ok in the car, you think?
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
Honestly, it sounds like *more* of a safety risk than a thick coat. The harness or seatbelt would NOT be contacting vital places in a crash and you would be relying on hockey gear to protect your kid. I realize it's inconvenient, but that's life with kids and you just need to leave a bit earlier to have time to get them into gear when you get there.
 

canadianmom2three

Active member
Well see that's the thing, the seatbelt is absolutely fine, it is right against their skin at the thighs (well they are wearing really thin poly blend long underwear, they're not naked in the seats lol), and only seperated from their skin by less than the amount that a fleece coat would take up at the shoulder. It is the bulk of the shoulder pads (which are nowhere near the shoulder belt at all) that extend past the width of their seats that stops them from fitting.
I realize that we could leave a few minutes earlier, but really that wouldn't solve the whole problem, no matter what time we arrive there is an 8x10 room crammed with 30 kids and their parents with skates and gear flying. If I thought it was unsafe for them to ride with the gear on I wouldn't be posting, it was because I am on the fence that I am posting. I don't feel like there is an excessive amount of compressable gear between them and the seat and belt, it is the sheer size of the shoulder and elbow pads that stop them from fitting into the seats. I certainly didn't mean to imply I was relying on the gear to keep them safe, I was trying to gauge how much of a saftey risk it would be, in terms of comparison to a coat or fleece.
I guess I was asking if the plastic of the chest pad (and I use the term pad loosely, it is not padded, just plastic covered in balistic nylon) would be less safe than a coat in terms of compresssion, or interference in a crash, and if it was such a bad thing to put 50lb 5yo in booster, and 82lb 8yo in backless or seatbelt for the 5min ride to the arena.

Anyway, tried it tonight with DD, she wore the underwear, shin guards and socks, and when we got there she wanted to go in the dressing room anyway, so in we went, battled for a space and got geared up. It was fine (well aside from the stench of sweat, the screaming of 30 little girls, and accidentally sitting a puddle of water (I hope!) when I tried to lace her up)...
 

canadianmom2three

Active member
Here is what I am talking about http://nhl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3414568dt.jpg
The rounded and bulky shoulder pad parts do not sit anywhere near the belt (but they stop her from fitting within the side wings of the booster, and DS from fitting in the Radian, but he can fit in the booster), the chest protector fits loosely at the neck, so that the seatbelt would actually be crossing right about where the white writing near the neckline is, if not even farther in towards where her neck would actually come out...
I will maybe take a pic of her in the gear in the seat...but really based on the feedback I have recieved, I am concluding it is not the best idea. She rode without the gear last night and it was fine getting dressed in the changeroom...it was just a thought to reduce the chaos
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
My worry would be that if the seatbelt broke parts of the plastic off, it would drive those pieces into her body.
 

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