As a general rule, bulky clothing, including winter coats and snowsuits, should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat. In a car crash, fluffy padding immediately flattens out from the force, leaving extra space under the harness. A child can then slip through the straps and be thrown from the seat.
Can my baby wear a sweatshirt in car seat?
We want to avoid having a lot of bulky clothing inside the harnessing system in the child restraint. Because in a crash all the bulk will squish down and the harness straps will be loose. Car seat technicians say to put nothing thicker than a sweatshirt on your child under the harness straps of a car seat.
How should a newborn be in a car seat?
The following are some important child safety seat tips for your baby:
- Your infant or toddler should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. …
- Always put your infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in the back of your car.
Can babies wear snowsuits in car seats?
In the car seat
First thing’s first: Bulky clothes, including puffy snowsuits, are not safe for car seats. “If there’s too much bulk, you’re not getting the harness tight enough,” explains Kelly Drury Laffin, a recently retired car seat technician in Edmonton.
Why should babies not wear coats in car seats?
The reason it is so important to remove a child’s thick coat when strapping them into the car is because the coat creates too big a gap between the safety harness and the child’s body. In the instance of a collision, the harness isn’t close enough to the child to properly restrain them.