Why Kids’ Puffy Coats and Car Seats Are a Dangerous Combo

As excerpted from December 14, 2020 article.

• The thing that makes puffer coats warm — that they trap air with lots of loose feathers and down — is the exact same thing that makes them dangerous in the car seat, according to pediatrician Kimberly Giuliano, MD.
• When a vehicle accident is extreme, the violent force that’s created by the impact compresses the bulky coat layers and can throw a child forward against the straps. Even if the child remains in the seat they risk injury to their chest, head and neck.
• “Those big bulky coats cause too much separation between the belt and the child,” Dr. Giuliano says. “In a crash, the child is at risk for slipping out from under the straps.”
• Even in less intense crashes, a bulky winter coat allows too much movement in that space, which can result in head and chest injuries, Dr. Giuliano says.
• Loose blankets are not recommended for young infants under 1 year of age who may not be able to get the blanket off their face.
• “The key is that the seatbelt needs to be tight against the baby and not be separated from the baby by layers of cloth or down,” she says.