With colder weather here, every parent and caregiver needs to watch this. This was done over one continuous shot for full transparency – because the results are a little shocking!
No coats/bulky items in car seats
“Large jackets, jumpers, and other winter clothing can add a large amount of bulk to an infant, creating a ‘buffer’ between the child and the harness straps. In the event of an accident, the clothing materials can compress, creating slack in the harness straps.”
This increases the risk of injury, and can even lead to little ones being thrown from their car seat. Car seats are designed to be tightly attached to the vehicle and the child attached tightly to the car seat, anything that interferes with that increases injury.
When it’s cold, use the car heater, or blankets over the already secured car seat harness.
In this visual demonstration, we can see a child strapped into a carseat with a bulky coat on. The child was removed and placed back into the same carseat with the straps unchanged – to show how far from the body the straps can sit when bulky items are worn. ❤️
Straps should ALWAYS be tight enough so that they are unable to be pinched and gathered.
Unsure whether an item of clothing is safe? Pop your child in the seat with it on and secure the straps. Take them out, remove the item of clothing, and pop them back into the seat. If the straps don’t pass the pinch test (like in the reel) – it’s too bulky!
PS. Please enjoy the facials/fake sleeping/bursts of anger in this reel – 5-year-old tings 🙃
❄️🧥👶🏻🧒🏻🚗
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Reference
Kidspot article – Warning: The dangerous car seat mistake many parents make in winter
