A very important reminder to all new parents and grandparents too. Don’t allow your kids to wear their coat in the car.
It has often been recommended over the years to wrap or swaddle an infant before putting them into a child restraint.
But Infasecure remind us that by doing this the shoulder straps can be rendered ineffective, as they no longer sit correctly on your childs shoulders. This can lead to the ejection of the infant, causing serious injury or death.
Tragically, in December of 2011, an infant girl in Queensland was thrown from her capsule after being wrapped in a blanket in her capsule and sadly passed away as a result of her injuries.
Infasecure plead with parents, friends, family, or celebrity ‘experts’ suggest swaddling in the car, we beg you – ignore the advice. They’re wrong, and you’ll be exposing your child to an immense (and unnecessary) risk.
No coat in the car rule!
Another important point to remember is that winter jackets, jumpers and other clothing can also add a large amount of bulk to a child, creating a ‘buffer’ between the child and the harness straps.
In the event of an accident, the clothing materials can compress, creating slack in the harness straps and in severe cases could potentially lead to ejection of the child from the restraint.
A correct, firm fit of the in-built harness is the absolute most critical part of keeping your child safe in the car, and anything that interferes with that fit should be eliminated where possible.
CPR Kids recently shared the below video to show how dangerous.
In this visual demonstration, we can see a child strapped into a carseat with a bulky coat on. The child was removed and placed back into the same carseat with the straps unchanged – to show how far from the body the straps can sit when bulky items are worn.
Read more: Concerns too many child car restraints unsafe – MamaMag
