GREENSBORO, N.C. — Physically, getting your kid into their coat is work. With arctic air moving into the Triad, there's no going outside without a coat. However, if you're about to put your child into their car seat, don't put their coat on, it's actually dangerous.
"In a crash, if he was still wearing his coat, his coat would compress, and all that puffiness would compress leaving this extra room, which gives him additional room to move and potentially move outside the safety of his car seat which would increase his risk of injury," said Emily Thomas, Ph. D., a Consumer Reports Car Seat Expert.
HOW TO CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR CHILD'S COAT IS TOO PUFFY
First, put the coat on your child and secure your child so there is no slack in the harness straps.
Then remove take the coat off and put your child back in the seat. If the straps are loose, there's a problem.
"I also do the daycare drop-off every morning and I know that it can be really annoying and kind of inconvenient to have to remove their coats to put them into their car seats. But I will tell you it is really important to their safety and we do want them to be as safe as we can in their car seat," said Thomas.
So how SHOULD your child stay safe and warm in the car? Consumer Reports recommends securing your child into the seat and then putting a blanket or coat on top of the harness.
For older kids put their coat sleeves on backward after they are harnessed in.