Could your childs winter coat be putting them in danger?

The problem with wearing winter jackets in car seats

Unfortunately, as Summer turns into Autumn it’s inevitable that your children will be chilly getting in and out of the car.

We know the safety and happiness of your children is your highest priority which is why we think it’s important to highlight the potentially life-saving advice car seat safety experts all agree on: you should NEVER put your child in their car seat with a winter jacket on.

Thick or puffy winter coats essentially counteract the work of a car seat, preventing your child’s harness from being fully tightened against their torso.

In the event of a crash, the forces generated by the impact release the air in the coat. This makes the harness too loose to hold them back securely in the car seat, launching their bodies forward out of the seat.

Every year safety experts and the press repeat these facts, but a 2019 study from Volvo revealed that 65% of parents still do not remove their child’s coat before putting them in their car seat.

SO, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Perhaps the reason so many parents still put their children in the car with a coat on is because the majority of proposed solutions are full of faff.

We know your mornings are already busy enough without worrying about:

• Wrapping a child in a blanket and hoping they don’t throw it off when you’re on the move
• Preparing a hot water bottle, placing it in the car 10 minutes before you set off, then removing it again before your child gets in the car
• Taking your child’s coat off, putting their harness on, then putting the coat back on them backwards, again hoping they don’t throw it off mid-journey

OUR SOLUTION: THE ROAD COAT

As the creators of one of the safest child seats in the World, we couldn’t just accept that either your precious time or your child’s safety is massively compromised during winter.

That’s where the road coat down jacket comes in.

The road coat has two layers.

The thin inner layer and split collar allows you to fully tighten the harness against your child as if they were in a t-shirt. You can then zip up the puffy outer layer over the harness so that your little one is safe AND warm in the car.

Not only is it the safest and most faff-free solution to this annual nightmare, it’s also:

• machine washable
• excellent quality (perfect for passing on as a hand-me-down)
• accompanied with a storage pouch to fit neatly in your bag!