Why you should never let your child wear a winter coat in the car

25 November 2021, 14:55

By Alice Dear

Winter coats and jackets with padding can stop car seats from working correctly.

With the days getting colder and colder, we're all reaching for our warmest and thickest coats to keep the chill at bay.

This includes our little ones, who we often wrap up in hats, scarfs and thick coats

And while it is important to keep your children warm throughout the winter, it is also very important to know the dangers of putting them in a car seat with a jacket on.

In the event of an accident or even a harsh break, the layers of a coat can stop the car seat from working correctly, and in turn put your little one at risk.

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Car seat retailer Be Safe explain that most winter coats are filled up with materials such a feathers, which stops the seat from being tightened properly to a child's upper body.

As a result, the car seat cannot keep your child as firmly in place as it is designed to.

On their website, they write: "In the event of an impact where your child is pushed out of the seat and into the harness, the forces are so strong that the air in the coat is released.

"This results in your child having too much space for movement, as the harness is not tight enough to hold them back securely.

"Thus, when travelling with children in winter, we strongly encourage you to avoid having them wear thick winter jackets."

Instead of keeping their coat on, you can keep your kids warm in other ways which do not risk their safety.

For example, you can put your child's coat on back-to-front once the car seat belt is firmly secured.

You can also pop blankets over them after they are buckled up, or even use a hot water bottle to heat the car seat up before they get in.

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