THICK CLOTHING IN CAR SEAT DANGER

[TeamSouthfields]

Sorry put here for traffic...

I read a terrible article today, but can't copy the link here (rubbish phone)
It's basically about the danger of babies/ young children wearing thick clothing in there car seat..

A baby was ejected from his car seat in an accident, by some miracle he survived,
His winter coat, his snowsuit, was too bulky. Even a coat that seems thin can add too much bulk under the safety belts. In an accident, that bulk compresses, leaving too much room between your baby's body and the straps. This could cause baby to be ejected from the car seat.

please share this

[PostmanPatAlwaysRingsTwice]

Yes bonzo.

[5madthings]

Yanbu I have shared this info in fb in the past, I am amazed by the amount of people who dotn k so this. If you read theinstructions that come with your car seat it does say this in there but many many parents dotn seem to know.

[Weasleyismyking]

Thanks for this, I didn't understand the issue properly before and have just been pulling the straps extra tight.
I'll be using more thin fleeces and blankets in future!

[mortuusUrsus]

Not sure why Sea was jumped on for asking to a link to the article mentioned in the OP - that's a standard question on here when an OP brings up a "something I read" thread and fails to link it. Just because it's true doesn't mean Sea and others shouldn't be allowed to read it.

[Its0kToBeMe]

I'm not sure why sea was jumped on either.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I see this all the time when I'm parking and I'm always a bit surprised at the looks I get when I get the kids out of the car and they have no coat on ( obviously I use blankets over the harness and coat when actually walking about.)

GP's and older relatives are the worse for the looks and comments.

[Flatasawitchestit]

I am seeing lots of babies being carried around in thick snow suits at the moment due to cold weather, its a shame big stores like mothercare kiddicare etc don't advise. Which they don't - I just bought a car seat and whilst they fitted it nothing was mentioned about coats.

When little one was born last winter I used to bring car seat into house, strap her in then pop blankets over her until the car warmed up and then use her snowsuit when we arrived at our destination, not just for safety reasons but because I am a stickler for babies not getting too hot.

In the hospital where I'm a midwife one of our AN education classes is about car seat safety. I'll have to see if this is brought up.

[FruitbatAuntie]

Blimey, I didn't know this. It isn't mentioned in my car seat booklet. I will make sure DS2 is correctly attired from now on!

This definitely wasn't covered in the antenatal class I had which covered car seat safety. I thought I was fairly knowledgeable - but hadn't realised this (it's obvious if you think it through).

[CrohnicallyTired]

I do put DD in the car in her coat- but I don't loosen the straps, I leave them the same length as when she didn't have her coat on and squish the coat in.

[notanyanymore]

Glad to know, I certainly hadn't heard it before!

[MisguidedHamwidge]

postman - it certainly isn't as obvious as you seem to have decided it is.

I am on my 4th DC & have put them all in car seats in snowsuits at some point. I always pull this straps as tight as possible and do the "two fingers" tear but I have never thought about thick material compressing. I always read instructions as well & I'm sure I've never seen thick clothing mentioned [off to look for car seat booklet now]

Thank you OP for posting.

[TooTabooToBOOOOO]

Another one, 2 DCs, didn't know.

Thanks OP.

[adagio]

thanks OP, one DC didn't know/hadn't thought of this

[PatoBanton]

a thin polar fleece?

Sorry what is that - and can you get them for babies?

Also Skully what is the 'back to front' thing you mentioned? I don't think I've heard of that.

[TallGiraffe]

Genuine question for those of you who never but coats on your children in the car - when do you put them on?

I normally don't (because of the above safety reasons) but yesterday it was hail stoning when we left the house and when we arrived at our destination it was a torrential downpour. As we were about to spend 2 hours in a freezing cold church I decided that the chances we'd crash were lower than the chances of toddler getting soaked and then a chill. So he travelled in his all in one suit.

I live in the rural north so this is not an uncommon problem!

[sashh]

it certainly isn't as obvious as you seem to have decided it is.

I disagree, to me it is just common sense. Seat belts and straps on car seats have one purpose, to stop you/your child from being flung around in a crash so should be snug.

Maybe we should change the name to 'safety harness' or something similar.

[ToysRLuv]

I come from a country where outside temperatures can reach over -20 degrees celsius (easily), so the no snowsuit/coat rule is a pain to do on short trips in town. This means in the middle of the winter, most will not adhere to it - unless baby is in a portable car seat which will be removed from the car at the destination, so can be padded out with blankets/cosy toes. All you can do is make sure the harness is really tight.

[Mumof3xx]

I only found this out recently and I have 3 dc, I am surprised and shocked it's not more widely known given the danget

[waikikamookau]

why does the clothing compress?

[pregnantpause]

Yanbu- I didn't know this, and I don't think it's common sense- I always just altered the straps to fit snugly. I also contest that people who don't know this are the kind of people who ignore safety advice- I am not that type and I'm sure many others aren't either, what a horrible way to judge people who are unaware or have less 'common sense' than you do.

Thanks op- I'm glad that you have highlighted this.

[onedogandababy]

postman, tbf, when I had dd, in a cold snap at the end of Jan, we left the hospital with her strapped into the car seat with her snowsuit on. The midwives cooed at her, but not one told us that it was unsafe and that we should've used blankets instead.

I have since read about this and she no longer wears a coat in her car seat, but no, it's not that widely publicised.

[maybe3x]

2 children 1 which was a winter baby and in snowsuit a lot and I never knew this. Thanks for the info op I shall pass it on.

[lagoonhaze]

Have a look at Rearfacing toddlers or Rearfacing the way forward on the Facebook. All is explained on there.