Unusual car seat mistake that leaves your child in danger
<p dir="ltr">With winter just around the corner, parents have been warned to not strap their child into a baby seat if they’re wearing a puffy jacket. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Tiny Hearts Education founder, former paramedic and mum Nikki Jurcutz explained that the puffy jacket leaves space between the child and the seat belt which makes it dangerous. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“As the temperature outside drops, we start to rug up. One of the best things I've found to keep my little ones warm is puff jackets, and I see so many kids wearing the same thing,” she wrote in an informative post on Facebook. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“But if you're going to use a thick jacket like that, there's something that it doesn't go well with: A car seat.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">She went on to explain how despite thinking you have strapped your child in safely, the space is dangerous when in an accident. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“When your bub is wearing a thick jacket and put in the car seat, you'll tighten the strap to remove the slack,” she continued.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Thick jackets often trap air amongst the layers and feathers inside the jacket, so in an accident, the jacket compresses, creating excessive space between bub and their car seat straps. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“This excessive space means they may not be held securely in the car seat, which increases their risk of injury in a crash.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nikki went on to offer suggestions on how to ensure children are safely seated and strapped in the seat while wearing a jacket.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“To test if a jacket is too thick to wear in a car seat, put bub in while wearing the jacket and tighten the slack like you normally would [remember: to check your harness is tight enough, you shouldn't be able to pinch any of the strap between your thumb and pointer finger].</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Then take bub out of their car seat without loosening the harness, then put bub back in the car seat. If you need to tighten it, the jacket shouldn't be worn in the car seat.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Otherwise, some alternatives to a puffy jacket can be: pre-warming the car before putting bub in, dressing bub in long-sleeve, using socks and singlets for extra layers, add blankets on the outside of the car seat. </p>
<p dir="ltr">For older kids, try putting them in the car seat first, then put the jacket on backwards over their arms on the outside of the car seat straps.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>
