carseats and jackets rule?

I felt so bad I left lo's jacket on this morning in the car, it was -1, outside and even with the heater it was freezing out...I didn't have to adjust any of the straps, is that ok?

if you dont adjust the straps then thats fine.. i saw this this morning on FB



Doesn't she look nice, safe, and warm with her winter jacket on? The straps are tightened so no slack can be pinched.

After I took her out and took off the jacket I found I could fit a large stuffed animal in the carseat with her.

I measured the harness and there were THREE extra inches when strapped in with her jacket on. Winter coats can compress during an accident and all that extra room ma...y cause your child to be ejected.

So what are some safer alternatives? Blankets, fleece jackets, and ponchos. The bottom two pictures show how you can safely strap your child in their seat during the winter. The first is a fleece poncho over her outfit, which does not interfere with the harness at all. The next is a thin fleece jacket by carters.

So how do you know if your jacket is safe?
First put your child in her carseat with normal clothes on and tighten the straps. The straps should be tightened so no excess slack can be pinches at the collar bone. Next remove child from the seat, and do not adjust the straps. Then put the jacket on your child and put her back into the carseat. If the straps are too tight or they need to be loosened, then the jacket is too thick.

A good general rule is that the jacket should be a single layer fleece with no stuffing or batting.

If it was a thick winter jacket and straps didn't need to be tightened I would assume they were too loose to begin with.

It wasn't a thick winter coat, but thicker than a fleece...

Quoting babycakes!:" It wasn't a thick winter coat, but thicker than a fleece..."

was it "stuffed"
i still put "thin"coat on my kids its fleece insie and the other side is like "wind pants" materail.. but i dont have to adjust the straps either...

No it wasn't stuffed.. it is kinda like what you described, but more like a goody and a wind breaker combined.