The Safe Way To Bundle Your Baby In A Car Seat
If you believe that putting your baby into a thick coat is the best way to keep them warm in a car this winter, you are not alone. According to a recent poll, approximately 40% of Canadians dress their children in bulky jackets before putting them in their car seats.
The failure to properly tighten a car seat harness is one of the most common ways to misuse a car seat. However, what many parents may not realize is how much the padding inside a jacket can compress in the force of a crash. When the padding compresses, the harness straps suddenly loosen, placing a child at risk of injury or ejection. In other instances, a bulky jacket can cause a seatbelt to ride up on a child’s abdomen exposing them to the risk of serious internal injury.
While Transport Canada does not recommend mixing winter jackets and car seats, your baby does not need to be cold to stay safe. Parents can check to see if a winter jacket is too thick by putting their jacketed child into their seat and tightening the straps. Then, without adjusting the straps, remove the jacket. If the strap is loose enough to pinch any remaining slick between your thumb and forefinger, the jacket should be removed in favour of layered clothes that will not compress or blankets that go outside the harness.
The most important consideration for our children is to dress them appropriately for their car seat and not the weather outside. If you, or someone you know, has a child who has been injured due to a misused car seat, a civil litigation expert such as Oatley Vigmond may be able to help protect their legal rights.
