How bad is it to leave coats on in car seats? - Page 8

[chickabiddy]

I wasn't there, and neither were you. It's pointless to speculate: I can come up with a dozen possible ways to get a carseat, and you can come up with a dozen and one reasons why they wouldn't have worked. My point is that a child being in a car without a carseat is never safe. We can argue about risk assessment and choices, but that you perceive the other choices as worse does not make not using a carseat a safe choice. I have no interest in rehashing something that's over and done and everyone's fine and I'm glad, but I will argue that a child travelling without a carseat is never a "valid" choice.

And you are wrong about my being militant (trust me, there are carseat people WAY more militant than me), and even more wrong that I've never had to make hard choices.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

I wasn't there, and neither were you. It's pointless to speculate: I can come up with a dozen possible ways to get a carseat, and you can come up with a dozen and one reasons why they wouldn't have worked. My point is that a child being in a car without a carseat is never safe. We can argue about risk assessment and choices, but that you perceive the other choices as worse does not make not using a carseat a safe choice. I have no interest in rehashing something that's over and done and everyone's fine and I'm glad, but I will argue that a child travelling without a carseat is never a "valid" choice.

And you are wrong about my being militant (trust me, there are carseat people WAY more militant than me), and even more wrong that I've never had to make hard choices.

Bottom line, though, it WAS safe.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by Hazelnut

And while we're on the topic, the difficulty of adjusting our radian straps and making them tight makes me wonder why they're so great. And maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I was under the impression that you could fit two fingers under straps. The no coat statements make it sound like they should be skin tight. With my ff kids shoulders under the straps, they almost don't seem tight. : They're tight at the chest. How loose do they have to be to be ejected?

The test for tightness is not two fingers under the straps: it is not being able to pinch any strap horizontally at shoulder level.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

Bottom line, though, it WAS safe.

No, it was lucky.

[TiredX2]

If there is additional information to share about carseat safety with or without coats, that is great.

Otherwise, this thread seems about ready to be done.

Happy New Year!!!

[aprilsnow]

Wow, I had no idea that coats in car seats were dangerous. I am the type to do tons of research on everything related to parenting, but this never even crossed my mind. I will stop putting DD in the carseat with her coat on! Thanks!

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

No, it was lucky.

No. It wasn't unlucky. There's a difference. When someone beats the odds in a positive way, they're lucky. When someone beats the odds in a negative way, they're unlucky. The simple fact is that the vast majority of car rides end safely.

That's all I'm going to say, because this topic makes my head hurt.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

No. It wasn't unlucky. There's a difference. When someone beats the odds in a positive way, they're lucky. When someone beats the odds in a negative way, they're unlucky. The simple fact is that the vast majority of car rides end safely.
That's all I'm going to say, because this topic makes my head hurt.

THis is so so true. Thank you stormbride.

[Maedze]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

Momily - your choice was valid. I think this proves that there IS more than one good choice in many circumstances. I've found that people who are extremely militant tend to not ever had to make difficult choices.

I'm glad you guys made it home safe

It was not a valid choice.

It was not a good choice.

I am not militant, I'm educated.

And you know nothing about what choices I have and have not had to make.

She got lucky.

[Maedze]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

Bottom line, though, it WAS safe.

No, it was lucky. HUGE difference, and fairly basic one.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by Maedze

It was not a valid choice.

It was not a good choice.

I am not militant, I'm educated.

And you know nothing about what choices I have and have not had to make.

She got lucky.

How can you say it was not a valid choice for HER??? It WAS a valid choice for HER and it WAS A GOOD choice at that time. You can argue about it all you like, it doesn't change the outcome.

You are right, I know nothing about the choices you haev made or any other posters on this thread, that is why I left my earlier statement general. I did not refer to any particular person. If you don't consider yourself militant, than I'm not referring to you.

[DevaMajka]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

If there is additional information to share about carseat safety with or without coats, that is great.

Otherwise, this thread seems about ready to be done.

Happy New Year!!!

Just wanted to point this out!

Please, keep on topic to the OP. Any more off topic discussion could result in this thread being closed.

[paxye]

Originally Posted by natashaccat

This is a tough issue for those of us that drive in sub zero temps. Choosing between the obvious immediate danger/discomfort from cold and the hypothetical risk posed by loose straps isn't black and white.

I drive in subzero temps many months in the winter and the boys don't have their coats on... There is no "obvious" danger/discomfort from the cold... even at -30... and again, I don't have a garage nor do we we preheat the car...

They either do the coat trick or take their coats off completely, get strapped in and then put their coats on backwards and in the last weeks I have put some blankets in the car that they can put on also... I have never heard a complaint...

[hibiscus mum]

This is a timely thread for me. I don't put my kids in coats when they go in their carseats. I live in Ontario, Canada, and like others have mentioned, it can get pretty darn cold. We make it work with blankets, so far. But anyone who's noticed this, either family, other parents at DD's daycare, fellow moms in my moms group - well, they look at me like I'm nuts! Seriously, I'm almost positive that EVERYONE I know with kids puts their coats on in the carseat. I guess it's because sometimes I'll just let DD run from the car into daycare in her polar fleece and stuff her coat in her bag. I've gotten looks and been asked, "Where's her coat!?" I just reply, "I don't put my kids in coats in their carseats." and leave it at that. But I'm sure people think I'm the local crazy lady.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

I'd like to interject into this thread, if I may, a thought about "militant" car-seat people and their apparent "inability" to make risk-assesments.

I think that it's probable that many of the people who have the mindset that car-seat usage is a fluid thing and isn't a fact-based black-and-white issue have likely never worked in a profession where they saw pictures and video of real accidents involving real children. I'd also wager a guess that they've never worked in a profession where they go on-site to accidents involving seriously injured or dead children. It is such a horrible thing to see that I believe that this thing called "risk assesment" would be thrown out the window in an effort to make sure that one would never have to witness that kind of scene involving her own child.

I am not being judgemental and I don't mean to be rude, I'm just stating that maybe there are reasons that certain people have the views that they do about car safety and those reasons likely have NOTHING to do with making anyone feel like a bad parent on the internet for kicks and giggles. The CPSTs here do us a real service- why do people seem so bent on pushing them out?

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by tinyactsofcharity

I'd like to interject into this thread, if I may, a thought about "militant" car-seat people and their apparent "inability" to make risk-assesments.

I think that it's probable that many of the people who have the mindset that car-seat usage is a fluid thing and isn't a fact-based black-and-white issue have likely never worked in a profession where they saw pictures and video of real accidents involving real children. I'd also wager a guess that they've never worked in a profession where they go on-site to accidents involving seriously injured or dead children. It is such a horrible thing to see that I believe that this thing called "risk assesment" would be thrown out the window in an effort to make sure that one would never have to witness that kind of scene involving her own child.

I am not being judgemental and I don't mean to be rude, I'm just stating that maybe there are reasons that certain people have the views that they do about car safety and those reasons likely have NOTHING to do with making anyone feel like a bad parent on the internet for kicks and giggles. The CPSTs here do us a real service- why do people seem so bent on pushing them out?

Life is not black and white. So people's choices aren't always going to be black and white. Is it usually safer to follow best practice regarding car seat usage? Absolutely! But there has to be room for the FACT that there are tiems when best practice would not be safest overall in a given situation. It would be nice if people here could acknowledge that they don't have the intimate detaiils of every situation, and so they cannot say, without a doubt, what is best for every person in every setting.

[TiredX2]

The thread is now closed.