Let's talk cold weather carseat safety!

It's cold outside! Yes, winter, or at least fall, seems to have even arrived in West Texas, which means it's been in a lot of other places for a long time now, and if it hasn't hit you yet, it probably will within the next month. Winter weather brings on a whole host of issues for carseat safety that are simply not present during other times of the year. A lot of these things never occur to a lot of people, so let's do a quick rundown of them so that everyone remembers.

All kids love wearing their big fluffy winter coats. They should never wear them in the carseat, though. Coats can compress in a car accident and cause a child to be ejected from their carseat straps, and probably from the car itself. Death is the most common outcome of ejections, so literally, putting a thick coat on your child, and strapping them into the car like that, can kill them. So what do you do instead? Put them in something thin, like a sweatshirt, or a fleece pullover from Old Navy, and strap them in, then put the coat on them BACKWARD over the carseat straps. They are warm, and they are safe. You can't beat that. I know what you're thinking.... "But, Anna, it's really damned cold where I live! You don't understand!" Well, I'll just tell you, if I can do it on roof of the Mall of America (in Minneapolis) parking garage, in -30 degree weather with a gale force wind, you can do it wherever you are. Your kid's safety is worth anything.

Now we've all seen the displays at our local baby retailers with the soft and cuddly looking accessories to keep baby warm... From the ever popular Snuzzler to the JJ Cole Bundle Me, there seems to be something for every taste and style. How convenient! Some of these buntings even have a slot for the carseat buckle to pass through! Don't do it!! These things are the same as a big fluffy coat, and can absolutely risk your child's life in a car accident. Not to mention they void the warranty of you carseat should anything go wrong with it. You really don't want to go there. For a small infant, whom these things are designed for anyhow, you can get just as much good out of a set of warm jammies, and then a blanket tucked in around them. There are also "shower cap" style infant seat covers which are great. They go over the top of the carseat and have a hole where you can see the baby's face. They do not interfere with the straps, so they are safe. My carseat, the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio actually came with a winter boot, which we've never used since it's always been too warm for that when we were using the seat, but it a great option for those who live in cold climates. This boot also does not interfere with the straps, and since it came with the carseat, will absolutely not void the warranty.

Also, it's important to remember that while the car is cold when you first get in, forward-facing your toddler before you have to just so they can feel the heater a couple seconds sooner is still not a cool thing to do. With winter driving hazards, it's more important than ever to keep them rear-facing as long as you can. They're 5x safer that way no matter what time of year it is, so keep up the good fight. Bundle them up with blankets (OVER the carseat straps), put their coat on them backward, and tilt those vents toward the ceiling so the air bounces down at the rear-facing passenger. Plus, the car warms up so fast anyhow... Another alternative is to start the car before you put the kids in it so it's already less cold when you go. Forward-facing is not the answer.

Have a safe holiday season, everyone! Keep them rear-facing, keep them safe, and no big bulky stuff between them and the straps! Avoid that ice on the roads, and arrive safely wherever you go. :-)