Recently, Bellani held a Car Seat Safety Inspection, seeing several dozen child safety seats and helping to make sure that installation was safe and appropriate for a child’s health a well being. Some parents where A-OK with the installation and wanted the peace of mind that comes with having a certified safety check, others were shocked to find out that things were not altogether correct with their installation. Shannon and Kelly and the gang from SafeKids USA were able to help correct issues and send families safely on their way.

However, just because your seat is installed correctly doesn’t mean your child is safe. As the temperatures turn colder and we begin to wrap our children up like Ralphie in the Christmas Story we are also placing them in danger of a car seat mishap. I think everyone knows about the covers for infant seats (I really loved the pink JJ Cole one I had when Zoe was an infant…it was one of my first pink purchases when I found out I was having a girl!) but I also realized now that she is out of the infant seat that I place her in a winter coat before she gets in a car. Using a heavy coat poses a serious safety risk for your child as it creates too much space between the straps and the child.

Don’t believe me?

Check out the following on my wonderful and adorable test model below….

Exhibit A….winter coat, straps secure

Now I removed Zoe from the seat without loosing the straps, removed the coat and place her back in

Look at the amount of space between her shoulders and the harness!!! We you say no biggie, I always tighten loosen the straps dependent on what the child is wearing. However, that is exactly what creates the issue….a winter coats creates the illusion that the child is secure when really the coat is secure and in a serious crash the child is at increased risk for being ejected from the car seat.

Of course this poses a dilemma…I mean we live in the land of “No school Foster/Gloucester” so how do we keep our children safe and warm??

For infants:

Consider purchasing a car seat cover. I like these because they are easy to use because of the zipper and ok a little fashionable too. Car seat covers are a got to shower gift item for me, even if they parents don’t register for it because well they will love me later for it (Aden and Anais receiving blankets and Robeez are my other two favorites!)

Another idea is to dress a child as you normally would, add a hat. Place the infant in the infant seat and cover with a blanket (tucked in on the sides only). After the seat is in the car place another blanket over the infant seat for an added layer of warmth.

For older children:

Ok really I never would have thought of this without reading the idea on the web…dress your toddler as normal, than strap him or her in their car seat and then put their coat on backwards. Really brilliant! Yeah you might to fool with their collar a tad (although think of it as a scarf) and they might get crafty and toss it on the floor but by then the car should be heated up.

A few other things to remember, not all winter coats are unsafe to be used in conjunction with a seat. Keep in mind the thickness of the coat and the gap it may create. Fleece is warm and thin, and is a great option. Save the backwards coat for the really cold days.

Finally Shannon and Kelly are more than willing to do a car seat check for you. Please call the store ahead of time to make arrangements. I was out of town last weekend so plan on having them do mine soon.

Stacey