No coats in the carseat.

[Adaline'sMama]

Help me get my information correct please. It seems like bulky coats are the problem because they dont properly restrain the child. But, I am really concerned about overheating. I run pretty cold, so I tend to run the heat on high and keep the car pretty warm when Im driving. Personally, Im afraid of keeping myself warm, and then arriving at our destination (which is often 1 hour away) and finding my sleeping kiddo covered in sweat because I put too many clothes on her. So, I typically warm up the car before I get in and put her in in her regular clothing, sometimes with her coat draped over her.

I have explained to grandparents the "no coats in the carseat" rule that we go by, and they were both pretty shocked. They had never heard of such a thing and were worried that DD would get too cold. I told them that I always heat the car up first, that they make carseat panchos if its really bothering them, and that you can wear the coat backwards. But really, we live in Kentucky, not Alaska, so its really not ever dangerously cold. We keep a blanket in the car, and hand heating warm packs in case the car breaks down.

Anyway, for Christmas MIL got DD a coat that is made of fleece. Its not too bulky, just like a big sweater, and she got it with the intent of her being able to wear it in her carseat. Ive looked online, and it seems like the problems most people have are the bulkiness that doesnt allow the child to remain properly restrained. This coat will keep her restrained correctly, Im just worried about her overheating with regular clothes on (say, a shirt, sweater, and jeans) and this on top of it snuggled into a carseat.

I've also wondered this because with a newbie coming in late jan/ early feb I have thought about getting one of those carseat cover things that keeps them warm. Are those safe?

What do you think? Is overheating ever really the issue or is it just the bulk that I should be concerned about?

[ChitownTracy]

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Edited by ChitownTracy - 7/19/12 at 7:54pm

[Maedze]

The reason you do not wear a coat in the car seat is because the car seat will not correctly restrain the child in a crash, leading to head and neck injuries in case of ejection.

No, you don't want your child to be overheated, but that pales in comparison to the danger of spinal injury or death.   

A single layer of fleece is generally an acceptable item to wear under a harness.

Bundle Mes and Kiddopotamuses are not safe in infant seats, but the 'shower cap' style car seat covers are perfectly safe.

[rparker]

The carrier covers are safe as long as they go over the outside of the car seat and don't add an additional layer between the baby and the harness. I didn't use one with my first when we lived in CA, but I did with my second in MI. I usually kept it unzipped in the car and only zipped it up when taking her from the car to a building. I had her wear a fleece snowsuit in the car, but our weather IS similar to Alaska and can get down to 20 below. (I live in the far north part of MI that everyone thinks is Canada on the map.) In Kentucky I doubt I'd bother with the snowsuit.

This is the one I bought: http://www.target.com/p/Baby-s-Cozy-World-Embroidered-Nylon-Carrier-Cover-Slate-Grey/-/A-10682464

Yes, the issue with coats is if they're bulky. I've tested this with my daughter's waterproof snow jacket and her thinner (but equally warm) coat... there is a ton of slack in the harness when going from the puffier coat to the thinner one. I could give you recommendations for ultra warm THIN coats, but they're pretty pricy to use in a climate that doesn't spend 6 months out of the year around 0F :) Regular fleece should work just fine.

Can't you just ask your DD to tell you if she's too hot in the car? DH complains about how warm I keep the car, but DD1 and DD2 never seem to mind and they have way more of a tolerance for cold than I do... I think maybe the backseat doesn't get as warm since it's farther from the heat source? 

[justKate]

Are there vents in the rear of the vehicle?  For example, my rear vents only blow when I have the heat/air on the middle direction (the one that blows in the front seat's face/torso).  So if your vehicle is that way, you could primarily use the floor heat to keep yourself toasty and rely on the babies being bundled to keep them warm. 

And re. the grandparents, I hear ya.  My mom freaks out when I put DD's coat on backwards.  Seriously, we're in VA.  Not Canada.  And most of our loading/unloading occurs in the closed garage anyway. 

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by justKate 

And re. the grandparents, I hear ya.  My mom freaks out when I put DD's coat on backwards.  Seriously, we're in VA.  Not Canada.  And most of our loading/unloading occurs in the closed garage anyway. 

I put my kids' coats on backwards and I'm in Canada. Your mom would hate me!

[MacKinnon]

We use fleece in the car sometimes, when the wind chill is dipping very low, single digits or below zero. Otherwise, they just shed their coats, buckle up, and we put their coat on backwards or a blanket over.

My in-laws worry about it too, so they often use a fleece (and I've OKed a single layer of fleece on top of their clohtes), but my kids don't like to buckled up with the coat on, they find it uncomfortable and hot, and they know to tell Grandma it's not safe!

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by rparker 

The carrier covers are safe as long as they go over the outside of the car seat and don't add an additional layer between the baby and the harness. I didn't use one with my first when we lived in CA, but I did with my second in MI. I usually kept it unzipped in the car and only zipped it up when taking her from the car to a building. I had her wear a fleece snowsuit in the car, but our weather IS similar to Alaska and can get down to 20 below. (I live in the far north part of MI that everyone thinks is Canada on the map.) In Kentucky I doubt I'd bother with the snowsuit.

This is the one I bought: http://www.target.com/p/Baby-s-Cozy-World-Embroidered-Nylon-Carrier-Cover-Slate-Grey/-/A-10682464

Yes, the issue with coats is if they're bulky. I've tested this with my daughter's waterproof snow jacket and her thinner (but equally warm) coat... there is a ton of slack in the harness when going from the puffier coat to the thinner one. I could give you recommendations for ultra warm THIN coats, but they're pretty pricy to use in a climate that doesn't spend 6 months out of the year around 0F :) Regular fleece should work just fine.

Can't you just ask your DD to tell you if she's too hot in the car? DH complains about how warm I keep the car, but DD1 and DD2 never seem to mind and they have way more of a tolerance for cold than I do... I think maybe the backseat doesn't get as warm since it's farther from the heat source? 

I could, but communication with her isnt really realiable. She is just 21 months old, and if she falls asleep she will get really hot and she doesnt wake up if I ask her a question. It requires me pulling over and checking.

Originally Posted by justKate 

Are there vents in the rear of the vehicle?  For example, my rear vents only blow when I have the heat/air on the middle direction (the one that blows in the front seat's face/torso).  So if your vehicle is that way, you could primarily use the floor heat to keep yourself toasty and rely on the babies being bundled to keep them warm. 

And re. the grandparents, I hear ya.  My mom freaks out when I put DD's coat on backwards.  Seriously, we're in VA.  Not Canada.  And most of our loading/unloading occurs in the closed garage anyway. 

No, Im currently driving a, 02 Honda Civic. Small car, so the heat is pretty evenly distributed.


Thanks everyone! I've used the fleece coat a couple of times now when DH has been in the car and I peeked back there and looked at her when we stopped. She wasnt sweating and I was hot in the front seat, so I think its okay. Its thin so her harness is still snug against her body.

[an_aurora]

Fleece is great; I live in AK and my kids live in fleece!  More info about the coats in carseats thing:

http://carseatsmadeeasy.blogspot.com/2010/12/keeping-warm-and-safe-in-winter.html