Last Updated on 1 year by Namrata
Car seat safety for babies especially, in the winter season, is a fundamental thing. However, car seat safety in chilly weather sometimes gets a little daunting, depending on where you live. But wherever you exist and whatever the weather, chances are you will need to contemplate replacing the car seat routine for your little toddler.
As you might know, heavy kids’ clothing like coats and snowsuits causes trouble, and they should not wear it underneath the car seat harness. But why so? If the car crashes, the fluffy padding of these winter wear instantly flattens out and leaves added space under the harness. As a result of this, your child might slip through the straps and fall from the seat.
So, now you might be wondering what your baby should wear in a car seat in winter, right? Well, fair enough. But do not worry as you are in the exact place. In this writing, you will learn how to keep your infant warm and safe in the car seat in the chilly season. Not only this, but you will get multiple valuable tips as well. So, without further delay, let us begin going through the article.
- Use blankets
To keep your child warm while traveling in a car, you can use blankets. Instead of wearing a puffy coat, you can buckle your kid up in a blanket. A fascinating fact is many children prefer to use their coveted blanket. As a result, you can offer them warmth without giving them a chance to create a fuss.
- Dress them in thin layers
In the winter season, layering your kid in long sleeve onesies can be beneficial. This winter wear offers extra warmth without bulk. Besides, if you want to give more warmth, you can add a long sleeve t-shirt over the top. It is helpful if you dress your infant in thin layers, they will not only get warmth, but they can take off the dress with ease.
- Use fleece
Fleece can be your kid’s ideal friend for winter car seat safety. These are a fantastic substitute for heavy coats as fleece are water and snow-proof, thin, affordable, and do not include padding below the harness straps. Not only this, but if you leave them unfastened, they will fit without any hindrance than the contemporary winter coats. In addition, it offers enough space so that you can add a onesie and light cotton coats underneath to give your child a little extra warmth.
- Try out hoodies
You will get hoodies in different sizes. The thin ones are helpful for winter seasons as they never add bulk that can affect car seat safety. Instead of this, these versatile winter wear provide added warmth and protect your baby from cold. Besides, many stubborn kids remove their hats. But you can very well solve this problem if you try out hoodies as they have hats attached.
- Dress them in a sweater or light jacket
Sometimes you can keep your baby warm by using a sweater or thin jacket when in the car. These clothes are beneficial for several reasons. Firstly, your baby gets warmth with no trouble putting on and taking off the coat. Secondly, sweaters are not bulky like winter coats, and as a result, they are safer options for the winter season when your baby travels in the car.
- Use ponchos backward coats
If you want to dress your kid in a coat, you can try out ponchos or backward coats. While traveling in a car in a chilly climate, strap your infant in and put the coat on over the straps. Your toddler will get warm, and it is safer winter wear than other traditional coats. Besides, if your baby sits in a convertible seat, you can still put the coat on backward. Unzip it when your kid hops into the seat.
- Try out bundle me type products.
Many parents do not want to add anything extra to the car seat. But if you want to keep your child warm and secure, you can try out this exceptionally versatile product. You will find many bundle me-type products, and these are nothing but safe car seat covers. These goods never go between your kid and the car seat straps. That is why many parents find them a safer option. These are helpful for babies who kick off blankets. They are beneficial when you are out and about with your kid in a car in the winter season. These are simpler to use than jackets and coats.
- Use car seat-friendly coats.
Instead of using a fleece over a shirt, you can try out car seat-friendly coats for your baby. You will get many such winter clothes online or in the market. These coats are highly compressible, and it suggests that you can keep the harness without a jacket or other dress. You can find this item in various colors and sizes that perfectly suit your child’s needs.
- Use footwear
When you do everything to keep your kid warm in the car seat, never overlook their feet. However, the problem is kids do not love to wear socks and other footwear. But do not worry, as you will get products like booties to solve that issue. This footwear has a snap closure around the ankle, and as a result, your toddler cannot remove it. If you live in moderately cool weather, use them without socks. However, you need to utilize them over socks if the climate is colder.
Valuable tips on keeping babies warm in the car seat
Apart from trying out the above winter wear, you should follow some safety guidelines to keep your child warm and safe in the car seat. As many accidents happen all over the globe due to parents’ negligence, you should remember the below tips to avoid such hindrances. The tricks are as follows.
- Keep the straps tight.
If you want to put on several layers of winter wear with coats, you might face difficulty tightening the harness. However, you should keep the straps tight for added safety while going out in a car. For this, you can pinch the straps so that the dress layers do not hinder you and your baby.
- Use a car seat cover.
You can use a car seat cover to keep your baby warm during the winter season during traveling. However, you need to ensure that nothing goes between and below your kid’s body. Also, leave their face open to block trapped air and re-breathing. Therefore, utilize a seat cover only if it does not include a layer. In addition, bear in mind that many car manufacturing companies build car seat products that are not safe for your infants. So, never use them for your child’s safety.
- Turn up the car heater.
Sometimes you need to keep the car interior warm. So, rather than concentrating on dresses only, you should turn on the car heater and ensure that the temperature is suitable for your kid. However, bear in mind, you should never increase the heat as it might overheat your infant and cause many problems.
- Be strategic with snowsuits and car seats.
Many people warn parents not to use snowsuits in a car. It is due to the bulky nature of this winter wear. Snowsuits compress a lot in an accident, and it also goes underneath your kid’s bottom and behind the back. As a result, the harness geometry transforms and compromises safety. But to avoid such a problem, you need to be strategic. As soon as your child gets into the car, you can pull the snowsuit down so it is just underneath the harness.
- Hoods verses hats
As you might notice, kids’ heads are more enormous than their bodies. As a result, if you do not cover their head, it might be a source of heat loss. That is why you need to put on something to cover their head to give them warmth. However, you should contemplate car safety. As a result, you get overwhelmed on what to select between a hat and a hood. The answer is simple. You can try out a hood as your baby cannot remove it with no difficulty. Besides, it also offers added warmth and comfort to your infant.
- Keep a sleeping bag or car blanket.
If you live in a chilly place, it is wise to keep a sleeping bag or a car blanket with you. It is probably the best way to keep your child warm in the car seat. Besides, you do not need to compromise safety with this as well. But why so? Well, a blanket goes on top of your baby, and as a result, it never interferes with the harness. However, if you have stubborn kids, they might throw the blanket away. But if you use sherpa or fleece, they are like synthetics. So, it would not feel icy if they threw them in the snow.
FAQs on baby car seats in winter
Go through the below FAQs on what babies should wear in a car seat in winter and how to keep them warm in the car seat.
It is one of the most common and frequently asked questions. The answer to this query is yes. You can use sweaters as winter wear for your infant in car seats. Sweaters are an outstanding dress choice. All you need to do is tighten the harness, and you are done. If you do this efficiently, you do not have to bother about additional squeezing in an accident.
Yes, they can. Children can wear thin and well-fitted coats in the car seat. Therefore, you need to avoid purchasing hard-to-fit and bulky coats.
Yes, you can if the blanket is thin. After all, thin blankets work perfectly as an air barrier.
Though you will get the answer to this question from the above segment, babies can wear thin layers of fleece, jumpsuits, hoodies, onesies, thin pants, and bundle me-type dresses in a car seat in the chilly season. Besides, you can use caps, socks, and hand-gloves to offer added warmth and comfort.
It is dangerous as all substances of a bulky winter coat begin making the harness straps lose during a crash. As a result, the straps cannot protect the child during an accident. Apart from this, heavy coats might overheat your child, and your baby cannot remove them with ease as well. Child and your baby cannot remove them with ease as well.
Though many people do not recommend this, you can use snowsuits comfortably. To wear this, you need to set your baby into the car seat and buckle up the harness smoothly.
You can touch your kid’s neck to check the temperature. If you feel it is sweaty, you should immediately remove a layer of winter wear to prevent overheating.
Wrapping it up
To wrap up, we can claim that the above discussion is crucial and helpful for you and your baby. If you have an idea on how to dress your kid in the winter weather while you are out in a car, you can protect your infant from catching a cold. You can also safeguard your toddler from many unwanted situations while traveling. After all, you have to give your toddler a secure life. Therefore, try out the above-listed winter wear and bear in mind the tips to keep your child warm and safe while going out in your beautiful car.
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