Winter Cloths and Safely Bucking the little ones in?

S

Scott&Nadia

Guest
Winter Cloths and Safely Bucking the little ones in?

Our little one is seven months old, she exceeds the height limit for our Graco Snug ride by a ½” and is only about a half pound from the weight limit of 20 lbs. We are going to get a new “convertible” style seat this weekend (Probably the Britax Boulavard). My question is that with winter arriving, how does everyone keep their little ones warm, since it is recommended NOT to have bulky sweaters and coats between the baby and the seat’s harness straps? I understand that bulky clothing between the baby and the harness allows for compression of the clothing, leading to slack in the harness and shorter ride down times. With the infant carrier it was easier, since we could strap her in inside and use a blanket to keep her arm in transit to the car and back, but with the new seat we will have to take her to the car to be buckled in. So how does everyone deal with this in the winter months, since this will be the regime from now until god knows when? Thanks in advance for everyone’s comments.
 
ADS

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Lands End & L.L. Bean have reasonably priced, thin yet warm 1 piece suits for up to size 4T ... my kiddo always wore regular layers of clothing under these along with hat, scarf & mittens, plus I bought $10-15 fleece throw blankets at Target/Walmart/Kmart to keep in the car for cuddling up on top of her after buckling in. Something else I did last year when I knew she was mature enough: I got those little hand held heating packets that you crack & shake :)
  • 96170312.jpg
This year is a little tricker for us because she's in size 6 & thinks "blankies are for babies" :rolleyes: I've taken Ulrike's advice to continue the layers, hat/mittens/scarf & put her coat on backwards after she's buckled ... but Leila's not really liking that idea either - well, so I guess she'll just have to figure out which is the lesser evil: freeze, backwards coat or blankey, LOL!
 
Last edited:
2

2Angels

Guest
I know you're not supposed to use bulky clothing with car seats, but here in Canada it's really cold (below zero for most of the winter) and I don't care what the car seat people say, my little ones wear their thick winter coats. When it's 10 below and you have no garage, you have no choice.

Let's all remember that non of us ever rode in car seats and even wore seat belts and we're still alive to tell the tale...
 
S

Scott&Nadia

Guest
I refuse to take such an approach to my Daughter's safety..

2Angels said:
I know you're not supposed to use bulky clothing with car seats, but here in Canada it's really cold (below zero for most of the winter) and I don't care what the car seat people say, my little ones wear their thick winter coats. When it's 10 below and you have no garage, you have no choice.

Let's all remember that non of us ever rode in car seats and even wore seat belts and we're still alive to tell the tale...

I hear you about needing to keep the little ones warm, hence my concern. I don’t see temperatures as low as you guys do in Canada, thankfully, but I’m still concerned about keeping her warm. That being said though, I prefer to look for a solution that allows my daughter to be as safe as possible, and not just rely on the fact that I lived through my childhood even though I wasn’t in a car seat or seatbelt during that time. Thankfully I wasn’t in a serious accident either, and I’m sure that a lot of unfortunate children died in accidents that would have been survivable had they been in a modern car safety seat.
 

KeikiHula

New member
Wow, I can only think of non-helpful sarcastic things to say to that, so I'll let a tech grab that one....

Here in N. Idaho it is below freezing for most of the winter. Since we can't park inside the garage, and it's not very good for your car to drive without warming it up, I go out about 10 mins before we leave and start the car so it's not totally freezing inside. Then I go back inside and get the boy's coats, gloves and hats on. Usually they wear a long sleeved t-shirt over a shortsleeved t-shirt/undershirt/onesise and then a hooded fleece sweatshirt, so I put their gloves and hats on first, then the sweatshirt on over so their gloves are tucked in and the hood is over their hats. If it's a really cold day, or snowing, they get a coat over that. Once we get to the car, the coat comes off, but everything else stays on. Once buckled in, they get a fleece blanket to snuggle into. They stayed quite warm last year, even when the heater fan went out in my Jeep, of course at the coldest point during the winter when the lake was frozen 3-4 feet thick and it was 14 below! :rolleyes:
Last night was the coldest it has been this winter (I think around 20 at 9pm)and now the heater fan went out in my new Durango!!!!! GRRRRR!!!!! And the day before we leave on a road trip home to Seattle so I don't even have time to take it in to get fixed!!!! :mad:
 

j4m4d8

New member
This is a problem in the UP of Michigan also. They actually have school here during wind chill warnings and winter storm warnings. Last year I just didn't send my son on bad days, but we'll see how that goes over now that he's in kindergarten.

Papooses and Holly already gave you good suggestions. I would also bring the infant pad inside if you get the Boulevard and it goes in and out easily. Having that warm layer behind could really help.

I would really love to see some crash testing with winter clothes. It seems like someone should have done it, but I have never seen any specifics.

At least we have no snow yet! Maybe it will be a short winter.

Julie

Less than six months until spring!
 

KeikiHula

New member
One more reason to get a Blvd./Decathalon. What a great idea to have the infant pad all warmed up.
I'm kind of worried about Cody in our Wizard b/c we have the Midnight cover and it's not plush at all, so I would think it would be really cold. Although I don't think it'd be any worse than our leather seats. lol
So if it's ok to have a thin coat on in the harness, would it be ok to lay a thin fleece "blanket" (I'm talking like micro fleece) in the carseat? I was thinking about cutting slits for the harness and everything. It just seems like it would be so much warmer and comfier. Those bunting thing-ies for infant carseats are WAY too thick, I know, but I wonder if micro fleece would be ok?
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Wow, I guess it is 'winter' for some folks, I just have to keep reminding myself of that! It's 79 now here in Austin and will be up to 87 by Friday. This is the time of year that kids can actually play outside without risk of heat stroke or mosquito attacks. 80's seem soooo nice, tho 70's would be even better.
Seems to me that unless a coat is really bulky, like poly filled or down filled, you can tighten the straps such that you don't have enough 'room' for the child to slip out. That being said I don't know how much the straps stretch under the stress of an accident and don't let my kids wear winter coats in the car. It really is too difficult to try anyway!
If I had an infant in the far north I'd be concerned too about the chilling effects of getting strapped into a cold car seat. A layer of micro fleece under and a blanket over sounds like a good idea. Once the car and seat warm up layers can be removed so you don't end up with a sweaty kid when you get where you're going.
I like the idea of the coat on backwards too 'cause that can mean a warm coat to put back on :)
C.
 

Tara

New member
We only do the lighter fleece jackets here. Cover with a blanket, if you so choose, once buckled. And we start the vehicle and let it run a while, warm up before going anywhere.

Been doing this for how many years now?? And my MIL still doesn't 'get' it. Forever buying my kids these big bulky coats and gasping when they come in her house in the middle of January wearing 'only fleece jackets' Good gravy woman..it's not like I send them out to play in the snow dressed like that!! And yes, if anything should happen during our travels, we have blankets!

Sorry, got off track ;)

And I'll just leave the 'and we all survived' comment alone as well *ziiiiiiiiiiiiiip*
 

scatterbunny

New member
2Angels said:
Let's all remember that non of us ever rode in car seats and even wore seat belts and we're still alive to tell the tale...

Some of us are still alive to tell the tale. Obviously dead people can't tell tales, right?

Just a few reasons why the "when I was a kid..." rationale is flawed (quotes taken from various CPSTs):

1. 30 years ago - I only went out in the car at most 3 times a week
(church, out for a meal at a restaurant (this was our weekly treat),
go visit relatives). Today kids are put in vehicles on almost a
daily basis and they are in the vehicle multiple times in a day -
even short trips around the block are a vehicle trip for some.

2. 30 years ago - we only had one family car. Families today have
multiple vehicles - increasing the chances that the children are in
a vehicle multiple times in any given day.

3. 30 years ago - most the vehicles on the road were cars and few
pickups - collisions now are often between two vehicles of different
weight and height to each other which changes the dynamics.

4. 30 years ago: there weren't SUVs

5. 30 years ago: there weren't vehicles built like tanks on the road
Thinking of the Hummers here

6. 30 years ago: there weren't so many angry and agressive drivers
(I saw 3 on my way to work today)

7. 30 years ago: we didn't drive the distances we do now with our
families. Children are exposed to more mileage than we ever got as
kids.

8. 30 years ago: is like a "life time" in the safety arena. We have
so many advances that have been made to make the drivers and
passengers safer. Including advances in child passenger safety.
Since they look to their "grown ups" to guide them through their
childhood as safely as possible, this should ALWAYS include their
safety in the vehicle.

30 years ago 50,000/year were killed on our roads. The number of registered vehicles, licensed drivers and miles driven per year were far lower than now. Yet, the number killed per year now runs around 20% fewer than 30 years ago.

Back then, children survived by luck-and there were few safe car
seats. Today, children survive crashes by riding in car seats
designed for crash protection. There is more traffic now and
children spend much more time in cars than ever before. The risks
are very high.
 

Smiles365

Senior Community Member
Jenny, those are great quotes, thanks for posting them.
I understand about putting the kids in the car in the cold, I live in Alaska right now, and we get COLD here! Juneau isn't as cold as Anchorage is, but we are getting snow right now and will probably have snow/ice/cold from now until spring. We put Frank in warm clothes (layers, but not to thick) and keep his coat off until we get him all buckled up, then put blankets and his coat on him backwards. I try to get the car warmed up before we get him in. As soon as dh is done working on the pathfinder I'll be able to park the car in the garage (only a 1 car garage) and it will stay warmer overnight.
~Sarah~
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
2Angels said:
I know you're not supposed to use bulky clothing with car seats, but here in Canada it's really cold (below zero for most of the winter) and I don't care what the car seat people say, my little ones wear their thick winter coats. When it's 10 below and you have no garage, you have no choice.

Let's all remember that non of us ever rode in car seats and even wore seat belts and we're still alive to tell the tale...
Sure ... but some moms also drink alcohol while pregnant without their babies developing permanent damage yet we ALL know that ANY alcohol consumption during pregnancy IS a high risk behavior, the consequences of which being so traumatic for all family members - similar to puting kids at risk by not buckling properly :(

I live in way upstate NY where it is continually below 0 in the winter, often down to -45 at night with wind chills, & the method I described in my 1st post has kept my kiddo warm & safe her whole life so far ;) I personally believe that although it's so easy to perceive a lack of choices, there are always more options than is obvious upon first glance!
 
Last edited:

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Unregistered said:
Wow, I guess it is 'winter' for some folks, I just have to keep reminding myself of that! It's 79 now here in Austin and will be up to 87 by Friday.
LOL! :p Yep, C. - it was snowing here last week :rolleyes:
 

griffinmom

Moderator - CPST Instructor
2Angels said:
I know you're not supposed to use bulky clothing with car seats, but here in Canada it's really cold (below zero for most of the winter) and I don't care what the car seat people say, my little ones wear their thick winter coats. When it's 10 below and you have no garage, you have no choice.

Let's all remember that non of us ever rode in car seats and even wore seat belts and we're still alive to tell the tale...


Yes, we're all alive to tell the tale. The ones to be concerned with are the ones who didn't live to tell the tale. There are far too many of them.

I, for one, always wore a seatbelt. My parents insisted on it.

You do have choices. As another poster mentioned, warm up the car and take off heavy jackets when you get to the car. Pile up the blankets when the child is harnessed in. You have far more flexibility than you realize and there are safe choices you can make for your children.
 

KeikiHula

New member
papooses said:
LOL! :p Yep, C. - it was snowing here last week :rolleyes:


We had an ice storm here this weekend. Our cars and our front porch have 4 INCHES of ice on them. It took 20 mins of the car running with the heat/defrost on and 2 of us with ice scrapers to get the windshield cleared on my friend's CRV. Geezzz....welcome to Northern Idaho in the winter...LOL
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Oi! The last few days here have been great since that 1st snow ... sunny, clear & crisp - I wonder what's to follow? *raises an eyebrow*

Every winter my front porch becomes a serious law suit hazard, though, a pile of ice builds up over the step (about 6" high) no matter how much or how often I salt it & hack away at it @@ Eh, at least it keeps nosey neighbors away, LOL!
 

KeikiHula

New member
Our front walk is horrible in the winter. It's a wooden sidewalk (not my choice, but it's a rental, so I can't do anything about it) and it get so slick. Last winter, I was carrying Cody in his SnugRide out to the car and I slipped and was so afraid of dropping him I caught myself with one hand and ripped a couple ligaments and tore my rotator cuff or something (I can't rememeber what the dr told me). A year later it STILL hurts. I always warn people to be careful, but I'm afraid someone will fall and hurt themselves like I did.
Right now there are a few inches of ice on the deck and the sidewalk, but no snow. It keeps warming up during the day just enough to rain, and then it freezes on top of the ice and makes another layer. I think I'll have my dh pick up some salt on the way home, but I've heard it kills your plants, so I'm kind of scared to use it.
 

j4m4d8

New member
Sorry you're already into winter, Holly. We've had a few days with snowflakes but it hasn't stuck around. And it's been nice the past couple of days with sunshine and 40's so the kids are playing outside as much as they can. I hate the icy part of winter and spring because you can't do much outside. Oh, well, we've all been sick anyway so I guess it doesn't matter much.

Julie
 

Smiles365

Senior Community Member
We're already into winter here also! Last night and this morning we got about 6 inches of snow and we are supposed to get more tonight! It's the perfect snow for snowmen also, so I'm hoping it doesn't rain in the next few days so Frank and I can build a snowman tomorrow. I had to shovel the driveway this morning to get out, the city plows piled up a lot of snow right in front of my car! At least by the time I got home from the gym the landlord had the driveway plowed for us. Stay warm everyone!
~Sarah~
 

Kellyr2

New member
Stay warm? No choice here LOL Here in NC, we've got record highs. People are still wearing shorts. Though, 2 weeks ago, we were in long sleeves and jackets. I wish it would just pick a season!
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top