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Do you always remove babies coats etc before putting in car seat?? Even when it's freezing?

189 replies

Chopsicle · 01/11/2019 18:40

I don't have time to heat the car up before putting my 9 month old in and it's started to get a frost so it's really cold at the minute.
Too cold for me to put him in without warm clothing.
What do people do? Obviously I want him to be safe but also don't want him to get cold..

OP posts:
Chopsicle · 02/11/2019 18:46

Cor this thread got a little heated- unusual for Mumsnet!!

Well looks like we are ok then as my little one hasn't actually worn a coat yet, we tend to layer so I'll carry on doing that and pop some blankets in the car for when it gets colder.

OP posts:
gemma19846 · 02/11/2019 19:18

Take off thick coats but i leave thick cardigan/hoody on then use thick fleece blankets

BertieBotts · 02/11/2019 20:26

What stats do you want? For stats to exist somebody has to monitor and count what actually happens, they don't just exist out of thin air.

There are stats about car seat misuse (based on random spot checks) which are shockingly high. That includes clothing rendering the straps too loose, but it's almost never given as a breakdown of ways car seats are being misused. However, loose straps is one of the most common ways car seats are misused. That can be because of clothing or because the straps are not adjusted to the correct shoulder position, escape artist child or simply people not realising that it is important to pull the harness snug to the child's body.

You can look at stats of number of children killed in cars, but that won't tell you whether they were in a car seat, what type of car seat or whether or not it was being misused at the time. Although we know that the numbers increase slightly in winter, which could also of course be related to there being more crashes in general in winter due to poor weather conditions on the road.

There are some more detailed studies which look at crashes where at least one person was injured and there was at least one child under a certain age in the car at the time of impact, and record the injury status and seat belt/car seat use of all occupants, and these are very valuable in terms of learning how car seats perform in the real world as opposed to in a crash testing lab. But it's very difficult to get detailed information about how the car seat was being used as the information is often taken from police and medical reports and it's not usually recorded whether the child was wearing a coat or how tight the straps were. People who attend crashes and immediately attend to children in seats are not usually the same people who are experts in how a car seat is intended to be used and may not be aware of such details to record them anyway.

You can find crash tests on youtube where seats are tested with dummies with the straps deliberately too loose, and you will see what happens in this case is too much movement of the dummy. In a forward facing seat that means much more stress is placed on the dummy's neck, which can cause injuries in itself, and the dummy will move too far forwards and strike obstacles in the car such as the seat in front which is almost certain death even in a 30mph crash. (It's equivalent to that seat crashing into their head at 30mph). In a rear facing seat the child will move up the seat itself and if their head is near the top they may also make contact with the seat in front. Or if the straps are loose enough to allow the shoulders to slip between, the child may be ejected from the seat.

Something I would recommend would be carefully reading the safety information and warnings included in your car seat manual. If you don't have it any more you can usually download it from the manufacturer's website. But this will usually have some warning about bulky winter clothing and/or placing any items (such as padded covers or blankets) between the child and the harness, which means that the manufacturer is aware of a risk from doing so, potentially from their own in-house testing.

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BertieBotts · 02/11/2019 20:37

There are several versions of this crash test on youtube but most of them are cut stupidly dramatically and you can't see the tightness of the straps at the beginning, which makes it pointless to me - but here's the full one. Now to me it's of limited use because I think the straps look too loose in the first place anyway and you could pull them tighter than this, but the reporter seems to think they are about as tight as he would do them, so it might be useful.

It's an American seat but doesn't make any difference at all. If anything you'd expect their seats to be better at holding the child in due to the chest clip.

BlackAudi · 02/11/2019 21:04

@TabbyMumz www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/the-dangers-of-winter-coats-and-car-seats/

Just because "Kids have been wearing coats in car seats in car seats since they were invented" doesn't mean it's safe!!!!!"

Blankiefan · 02/11/2019 22:24

I haven't RTFT but I second PP who said to look at Tuppence and Crumble star wraps. Totally safe for a 5 point harness and cosy we used ours for other things including wrapping up dd after swimming.

MrTumblesSpottyHag · 03/11/2019 04:35

Fleecy onesie and a blanket always worked fine for my kids. They didn't have coats until they were old enough to walk rather than go in the sling so maybe around 2?

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 09:29

"What stats do you want? For stats to exist somebody has to monitor and count what actually happens, they don't just exist out of thin air."
What stats do you think would be useful? I would have thought stats that tell us whether any children have actually slid out of car seats due to wearing a coat? It seems there aren't any.

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 09:30

"Just because "Kids have been wearing coats in car seats in car seats since they were invented" doesn't mean it's safe!!!!!""
Well...it seems there aren't any stats to say they aren't?

Banana770 · 03/11/2019 09:35

I put the kids in a fleecy wool hoody (thin and not padded), and I’m going to get a blanket for this winter too. It is a pain, but I think anything with padding could potentially be dangerous. I do agree that I’d like to see better crash test research done about this, but it’s one of those things that seems to make sense to me, so we err on the side of caution.

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 09:36

To be honest I’d rather carry out the simple act of taking a coat off (hardly onerous is it?), as per the manufacturers guidelines (usually based on extensive testing), despite the lack of stats saying explicitly ‘12 children have flown out of the car seat due to wearing a coat’, than risk it.
If you wouldn’t, that’s fine. Doesn’t mean everyone else is wrong for following guidelines.

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 09:45

We've already said that video is rubbish as you can clearly see the straps arent on properly in the first place as they are halfway down the dummy shoulders. Plus its forward facing. I always made sure my kids were well strapped in.

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 09:49

TabbyMumz just out of interest, why do you think the guidance exists? Why do you think the manufacturers of the car seats advise not wearing coats? Do you think they’ve just got together and said ‘let’s have some fun with everyone. Wearing coats in car seats is absolutely not an issue but let’s fuck with everyone’s minds and bit and tell them it is a problem so we can get people frothing on social media’?

Or do you think that probably they’ve identified a potential risk, and advised steps for people to take to mitigate the risk. I.e taking a coat off. A simple act.

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 09:51

And why are you so annoyed at other people saying that they prefer to follow the guidance? I believe you said you don’t have children in car seats anymore? Great. All is well. No longer an issue for you. Doesn’t make current parents of children in car seats are wrong for following current guidelines.

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 09:51

Argh I need to proof read!

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 10:03

Soydora.....I'm not the slightest bit annoyed with anyone, and people can take coats off if they like, I just think it's silly. It like they think parents cant use their common sense and tighten the seat belt sufficiently.
I dont know about anyone else, but I always made allowances for the coat and tightened it to suit. A lot of the videos I've seen show people putting the belt on fairly loose over the coat then whoa being surprised there is a massive gap when they put the baby in without a coat. It's just a bit too ridiculous for me.

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 10:14

It's just a bit too ridiculous for me

That’s fine. It’s something you don’t even have to think about, as you’re not strapping children into car seats.
I am, and it’s really, really easy to take coats on and off. I personally think it’s ridiculous to ignore current research based guidance, we’re all different 🤷🏻‍♀️.

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 10:20

Soydora....yes we are all different...different strokes for different folks and all that...I think I just question stuff more and make my own judgement on things. I hate it that parents are put under so much pressure...it seems every little thing these days is hyped up and if you dont do this or that in a certain way you are told your child might die.

gemma19846 · 03/11/2019 10:23

Tabbymumz why not just do it! Lazy parenting! Why risk your childs life 🙄

SoyDora · 03/11/2019 10:27

TabbyMumz I question plenty of things. I make my own judgements all the time. Having had a very close family member die in a low speed car accident, car safety is not one of the things worth risking in my opinion. Certainly not for the sake of a simple act like taking a coat off.

ChanklyBore · 03/11/2019 10:33

Even if you don’t believe in the car seat safety advice, which I suppose is your prerogative, what about the additional dangers of coats in cars? Especially for large, puffy coats or snowsuits and young babies. A hood bunched up behind the head can force a baby’s chin onto their chest and obstruct airways. Even if you make sure it is spread out, they can easily move it out of position again with a wiggle or two. Babies can have obstructed breathing even when their faces are fully visible. A bulky suit can create a similar position to the baby not being strapped in at all, in terms of space for them to slump into, and the curve of the car seat is already considered non optimal for young babies. Big bulky coats plus warming of the car can lead to overheating. Basically, especially for tiny or vulnerable babies (under about four months, especially, or if they have a snuffle/cold already) the car seat shape plus large bulky coat plus overheating plus sleeping plus distracted parents is just a combinations of risks that leads to best practice advice to minimise those risks. Which includes losing the coat.

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 11:25

Gemma, "Tabbymumz why not just do it! Lazy parenting! Why risk your childs life".....if you'd read the thread you'd see that my kids are too old for car seats. I made a sensible decision and tightened the seat belt sufficiently, making allowances for any extra padding and ensuring it was tight enough, just as tight as if they had no coat on. It's not lazy parenting at all, it's making an informed choice.

TabbyMumz · 03/11/2019 11:29

"TabbyMumzI question plenty of things. I make my own judgements all the time. Having had a very close family member die in a low speed car accident, car safety is not one of the things worth risking in my opinion. Certainly not for the sake of a simple act like taking a coat off."

Soydora...and thats your choice entirely. Lots of people die in car accidents unfortunately. When kids get older, they arent in car seats at all and just have a car seat strap like adults, there is still the risk that they might be in a car accident unfortunately. I just think mine were as safe as they could be with the strap tightened.

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