Successful Crash Testing

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Calspan successful crash testing
In designing SeatSnugz, infant safety was the most important goal.  To confirm its safety, SeatSnugz was tested at Calspan, the premier independent provider of testing, technology development services and systems in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries and an official test lab of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

At SeatSnugz we thought it important to test our product at the same lab the NHTSA uses to audit your car seat and prove it is safe for use.  Calspan’s state-of -the-art equipment and experienced engineering team put SeatSnugz through meticulous testing and SeatSnugz passed. Your infant is as safe in SeatSnugz as if he/she is wearing no coat at all! 

Pediatrician & Seat Technician-Approved

Jennifer Laflamme, CPSTJennifer Laflamme, RNC-OB, CPST

“As a Child Passenger Safety Technician for most of my 22-year Nursing Career I have seen first-hand the importance of ensuring infants are secured into their car seats safely. Not having bulky items between the infant and the car seat and harness straps is imperative to obtaining a secure fit. One of the biggest struggles that I have witnessed parents facing is attempting to safely secure their infants into their car seats while also trying to keep them comfortable, warm, and secure. SeatSnugz does not place any materials between the infant and car seat securements, allowing parents and caregivers the ability to safely and appropriately strap in the infants while providing comfort, warmth, and peace of mind.“

Dr. Brenda FoleyDr. Brenda Foley

“I absolutely love SeatSnugz! I wish it was available when my children were infants! As a mother and a pediatrician, products that provide both safety and comfort have always been a priority and often, when it comes to car safety, are difficult to find.  Ensuring children are safe in their car seat can be a challenge in the colder months as we want to bundle them up in snowsuits and or pile blankets and coverings once in their car seats.  SeatSnugz eliminates this need while allowing parents/caregivers to place the child properly and safely in the car seat and then “bundle them up” to keep them warm and comfortable but still able to see them and allow them to move freely. And it can be washed if soiled. It is an amazing product and makes a great gift to any new expecting parents.”

Winter Car Seat Safety Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

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  • Nothing bulky should ever go underneath your child's body or between her body and the harness straps. Be sure to leave your baby's face uncovered to avoid trapped air and suffocation. 

  • As a general rule, bulky clothing, including winter coats and snowsuits, should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat.

  • In a car crash, fluffy padding in a coat immediately flattens out from the force, leaving extra space under the harness. A child can then slip through the straps and be thrown from the seat. 

  • Remember, if the item did not come with the car seat, it has not been crash tested and may interfere with the protection provided in a crash. Never use sleeping bag inserts or other stroller accessories in the car seat.

Last Updated 1/3/2022
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (Copyright © 2015)

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

As excerpted from December 14, 2020 article.

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  • 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.