TOLEDO, Ohio — It's very easy to think by bundling up your child before you head out that door, you are doing them good. However, if you're putting them in a car seat with a jacket on, you could unknowingly be causing them harm.
Safe Kids Greater Toledo, a coalition led by ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children's Hospital, says that buckling your child into a car seat when he or she is wearing a coat could have life or death consequences.
"It actually doesn't take too much loose harnessing for a child to get ejected out of their car seat," Hannah Eberliein said. Eberliein is the Program Coordinator at Safe Kids Great Toledo.
The coalition says the safest way to travel with your child in the winter months is by first giving yourself some extra time in the morning. By doing that, you give yourself extra time to warm up the car beforehand.
"If you have a warm vehicle, I feel parents are less likely to have their child wearing a winter coat because the vehicle is already warm," Eberliein said.
Warming up your car also gives time for your windows to defrost from any ice or snow on the windshield, which is also safety hazard.
The coalition says you should wrap a blanket around your child when walking back and forth from your home to the car, that way you don't have to hassle putting the coat on and off and won't be tempted to leave the coat on while in the car seat.
For babies, the coalitions advises purchasing a cover that goes over the infant carrier that way you have nothing that goes under the harness or baby. You can also use a blanket, but make sure it is tucked under their shoulders because the blanket could go over their face.
"Babies tend to put their hands in their face," Eberliein explained. "If the blanket isn't secured underneath them, that blanket could go over their face and cause suffocation."
For older kids, once they are properly harnessed, you can put on their coat backwards to keep them warm if needed.
If you have any questions or concerns, make sure to reach out to a certified child passenger safety technician.
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