Winter coats / car seats

[Geordiebabe85]

I've two kids (1 and 3). I know the advice about not wearing winter coats in cat seats but I'm just wondering how people do it?
If I go out and put the heating on for 5 mins first then I have to leave the engine running and risk the car getting stolen unless DH is around (and most mornings he isn't).
If I take the coats off when we get to the car and then get them back on then that's fine if it's not raining. But also if I put 1yo coat on first, the 3 yo is sat waiting with the door open and she's no coat on.
I genuinely don't see how it works.

How far away are you parked from the house? I don't bother with coats between house and car, they're not going to freeze in the brief time between house-car-car warming up.

They'll be fine for a few mins whilst you get to the car, assuming not miles away from the house, and get in, then putting heating on. Wouldn't even cross my mind otherwise.

keep a blanket for their laps in the car but as above, they wont freeze to death in the time in takes for a car to warm up.

I sometimes put a fleece on mine when it was cold. How far are you from the car?? If it's raining, move quickly or put hoodof coat on to be thrown off when in car? 3yo walks to car with you surely, not too separate journeys. I never heated car etc. Neither have ever had anything more than a sniffly nose etc. I'd better not have jinxed it!

Just put warm fleece on them and a blanket on their laps.

Don't put coats on from house/play group/etc to car. They'll be fine for a few mins.
I put blanket on the baby over car seat, toddler is fine without. I certainly don't preheat car

Presumably they're wearing suitable layers for colder weather under their coats so they'll be fine. It's being a bit chilly for a couple of minutes, it's not a problem.

Put the hood of their coat on their head and shoulders whilst you get to the car like a cape - use the top popper to keep it on, then put the coat on their laps, over the straps, as a blanket when you're driving. All mine wear hats so they're not too chilly.

Unless you live in Alaska, the three year old will be fine with the car door open, while you are helping the younger child into their coat. Wearing a puffy coat in a car seat is really dangerous, so a couple minutes of slight cold draught is preferable to the alternative...

My friend used to take the coat off when she got to the car. Strap the kids in and then put the coat back on backwards like a blanket with arms! Kept the kids warm whilst the car heated up. Easy for the kids to then pull off when they get too hot too.
Not so easy if the coats have hoods mind!

If it's raining coat hood gets popped on head like a cape.

Then both kids have special super warm blankets for their car seats.

No child is going to freeze to death in 5 minutes of UK weather

I just put a blanket over them. They can take it off then when the car is warm enough.

When it's extremely cold, I put a hot water bottle in their car seat with the blanket over it 10 minutes before we're leaving.

Generally, we're only going to nursery so it's a blanket over them in the car, take them out, wrap in blanket for the 10 second walk to nursery door, then blanket off.

I thought this was a good idea, but then I read on a car seat page it's not advised because it's an extra obstacle if you/the child needs to get out of the car in an emergency x

@PassMeTheCookies it's hardly an obstruction the coat will pull off as quickly as a blanket would 🤷🏻‍♀️ sometimes people can make issues where there isn't one and ignore common sense!

Never bother with coat between house and car, it’s not that far. Blankets live in the car, stick them in the car seat and then blanket over the top

I think you're overthinking this unless the walk to the car is far? If it's on the street outside or a drive then no need to preheat the car, just put them in without their coat on and tuck a blanket on over their legs and the car will warm up in 5 mins once you're driving.

My two have fluffy blankets in the car which go on over the tops of seat belts. They’re 9 and 3. When they were tiny, I would do the same. Put them in their car seat in the house (when infants), blanket over and quick to the car. The other side, I would get them out and quickly wrap them in a blanket and carry them inside if I wasn’t taking the car seat too.

Toddlers are robust enough to last a few minutes in the cold.

They just get a little chilly for a little while. It isn't a big deal.

Thanks everyone. Seems I'm overthinking it.

I don’t ever put coat on walking to car, and it’s snowing here all winter. It’s parked a few mins away also. Just add knitted cardigan or fleece top, buff scarf and hat if it’s freezing. We have blanket in car also.
That’s mainly for nursery trip as it’s only 10 min drive and doesn’t always warm car up fully in that time.
For longer journey I take hat and buff off, carry fleece also to put on at arrival and just put blanket over him 5 mins. Then can remove blanket when car is warm, otherwise he gets too hot with layers

Coats get put in the boot. Kids have always gone to cold car without coats but have a jumper on and can have hats and mittens if it's freezing. If it's very cold they can have their coats over the staps like a blanket.

When we get to destination before oldest could get herself out I would grab her coat get her out one side whilst leaving the baby's door shut so she's dry. Then get baby out and put her in the boot to get coat on. The biggest issue has always been the pushchair getting wet!

@Geordiebabe85

if you put hats, gloves & warm boots on them, it's even less of an issue.

little Mc Whinge A Lot had a cape otherwise she was going to freeze to death on the long hike (to the car on the driveway) it was a cheap solution to save my sanity!!

(taken off for the car & put over her after strapping in. In reality for the 40 seconds it made NO difference but it stopped the whinging!!)

Oh & there were the winters of leg warmers!!