SafetyTalks

Happy new year, Baby! 🎉

Results of a loose harness strap installation.

During the cold weather season, children are more likely to be secured improperly in their car seats because of bulky winter coats. The result: loose harness straps.

child restraint system misuse; loose harness straps In this video the child restraints are both correctly installed but the near side has a snug occupant harness and the far side has a loose occupant harness.

Car seat alert: Could wearing a winter coat endanger your child? It's one mistake parents make in the winter: putting you child in a car seat wearing their winter coat. And it can be a deadly one.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

We wanted to send out a reminder on how to safely secure your precious cargo during this busy travel season. 💝

As a general rule, winter coats should NOT be worn underneath the harness of a car seat. A bulky coat under a child seat harness can result in the harness being too loose to be effective in a crash.

Here is a simple way to check if your child's coat is too big and bulky to wear under their harness:

Put the coat on your child, sit them in the child seat and fasten the harness. Tighten the harness until you can no longer pinch any of the harness webbing with your thumb and forefinger.

Without loosening the harness, remove your child from the child seat.

Take the coat off, and put your child back in the child seat and buckle the harness straps, which are still adjusted as they were when he was wearing the coat.

If you can now pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, then the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness. 🚫

BEST PRACTICE: Properly secure your child in the harness WITHOUT their coat, then place either their coat {backwards} or a thick warm blanket over them.

New law requires rear-facing car seats until age 2 Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the bill into law Thursday.

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