Winter Coats and Car Seat Safety: What Every Caregiver Should Know

I was a brand new mom of a nearly two-month-old when I first learned how winter coats could possibly have a devastating affect on car-seat performance. I had gone into my pediatrician's office so proud of the care I had taken to dress my winter-born baby warmly. It was one of the coldest winters on record in New England that year. My baby looked so incredibly dear in her warm, snuggly winter coat with the hooded pink bear ears. Imagine my disbelief when my pediatrician informed me of the potential danger winter coats can have on car seat safety.

Dangerous? You have got to be kidding me. Her coat is keeping her safe. She is warm, she is protected from the cold, viruses, and all those nasty winter bugs. That was my initial reaction. In my mind, I was doing the best thing for my baby. All good mothers do that, I thought. Who cannot forget little Randy in A Christmas Story so overdressed for winter in his snowsuit that he could not put his arms down? That is what good mothers do, right? It took me some time to detach myself from the situation and admit that something I was doing out of good intentions could be a source of potential danger. Let me share with you what I learned about winter coats and car seat safety since that day.

What is coat compression? How can winter coats affect car seat safety?