Canadians know that life doesn’t stop just because it gets cold outside. While some days it’s tempting to want to hibernate inside, the reality is, we still need to get out and about in those chilling temps. It’s easy to bundle ourselves up and head for the driver’s seat, but what about our most precious cargo? An Allstate Canada national poll found that 95 per cent of Canadian parents feel they are confident they know how to properly buckle a child in a car seat. Despite feeling confident when it comes to child car seat safety, the same poll showed that 23% of Canadians with children under 12 believe that using a snowsuit is the best way to keep them warm in the winter months and only about one-in-10 (11%) parents of children under 12 say the best way to dress a child is in thin, warm layers.
Here’s a few tips on how you can keep baby warm and safe in their car seats throughout those cold winter months.
5 Tips for Protecting Your Most Precious Cargo this Winter
- Leave Off The Winter Coats
Instinctively, we want to reach for a big thick winter coat to warm our children, but it’s probably the most important thing not to do. Jackets create padding between your child and the car seat, which doesn’t allow for the straps to tighten as much as they should to keep your child as safe as possible. Even though the straps may look tight with a jacket on, there will still be some slack, especially if the jacket decompresses in an accident. Besides, have you ever tried to wrestle a baby into a coat? It’s like eating Jell-O with a fork.
Older kids can buckle the seatbelt and then zip up the front of the coat or even place the jacket on backwards after buckling. If you are on a long drive, this is actually beneficial for when it gets too warm in the car and they want to unzip or cool off.
- Layers Layers Layers
Layers are your best friend in winter months. Instead of adding the bulky coats on top, try adding some warm layers underneath. Tights work well under jeans (even on boys) and long sleeve shirts or onesies are best for under sweaters. Fleece is a great top layer for warmth. You can still use warm toques and hats with no problem at all.
- Bring a Blanket
Once the child is properly strapped in the car seat, you can go ahead and add a blanket on top. Just make sure there is no barrier between the harness and your child. I would bring a nice warm one from the house to start instead of one that’s been sitting in the cold vehicle for maximum warmth.
- Warm Up the Car
This is something I do for my family even now with my kids a little older. Coming out of your warm house and getting into a freezing car feels awful, by giving it just a few minutes to take the chill off makes all the difference.
- Use a Car Seat Cover
For young ones still in infant car seats there are a number of car seat covers on the market to choose from. Be sure to choose one that goes over the top of the car seat and doesn’t have material that goes under the straps or under the baby.
Visit the Allstate Canada GOOD HANDS® blog for more good tips on car seat safety such as When to Move Your Child to the Next Car Seat Stage.
Together Allstate Canada and Safety 1st are offering one lucky reader a chance to win a Safety 1st® Grow and Go™ Sport 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat.
The Safety 1st® Grow and Go™ Sport 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is the car seat built to grow with your child. It features an adaptable design that transforms from a rear-facing car seat (5-40lbs) to a forward-facing car seat (22-65lbs) and finally to a belt-positioning booster seat (40-100lbs). Grow with baby body pillows give a snug fit and remove easily as your child outgrows them. The Quick-Fit™ Harness System allows you to change both the headrest and harness height in one simple step for a proper fit. Integrated harness holders make getting your child in and out of the seat a breeze. No more fishing for the harness and clips from behind your child. For all ages, the car seat pad makes cleanup simple. Machine washable and dryer safe, it is also designed to come off the seat easily, with no need to remove the harness.
Giveaway has ended.
Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Allstate Canada Influencer Program and is sponsored by Allstate Canada. All opinions are my own.
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My BIL and his wife who are expecting their first little ! <3
Thank you for sharing these tips! Definitely bookmarking for future reference!
These are such important tips! We didn’t know all of this when my daughter was little and I shudder to think of what could have happened. I am passing this along to all my friends and relatives with babies in their lives.
These are some good tips – living in Maniotba it can get frigidly cold and our girls hate taking their jackets off in the car. I know it is important though, so I like the idea of having blankets.
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My kids! Both of mine are still in car seats and their current seats are going to expire before they’re out of them.Love Safety first products.
Besos Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
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My new Grandson
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My kids!
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Our new grandson born in May
My friends little one. )
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The womens shelter and teen mom home . Thanks
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