How To Dress A Baby For Winter Car Rides In India?
One cannot deny the fact that babies look absolutely adorable in those puffy clothes during winters to keep them warm.
However, they cannot always stay layered with a bundle of clothes, and this demands the right approach to dressing them during the winter, especially for car rides.
This also compels the parents to find the right balance between keeping their babies warm and secure while dressing the baby for winter travel in India.
Risks of improper clothing in car seats in winter
Baby winter car seat safety is very essential to having a joyful travel experience.
There is a difference between an adult and a baby, and therefore, even a little discomfort for them can make them highly fussy and cranky because:
- Bulky clothing can lead to improper fastening of the car seat harness.
- Some fabrics might make the kid slip from the car seat.
- Puffer jackets may lead to a disaster due to the presence of air in them.
- Heavy clothing might make the kid uncomfortable due to a lack of mobility.
Overlayering and underdressing might both lead to serious consequences.
Why Winter Car Seat Safety Matters
Many parents assume that just placing the kid in the car seat makes them secure, which is not true.
There are a lot of underlying factors regarding car seat safety for kids, especially during winters, because of the following reasons:
- Harnessing has to be firm and snugged to the baby without any space in between.
- The slippery roads during winters compel people to be extra cautious about their car seat safety.
- The chilling weather might push you to hurry things, thus risking an improper harness.
- Bulky clothing might prove fatal in case of an emergency because of the difficulty to remove the layers.
Common misconceptions about coats and car seat safety
There are lots of illusions about car seat safety among parents that need to be addressed. Below are a few important pointers among them:
- Illusion 1: “A bulky jacket would keep my baby warm.”
Fact: This might prevent a proper snug harnessing.
- Illusion 2: “Wrapping the baby with the coat in the car seat would secure them.”
Fact: Baby might easily slip out in case of a crash.
- Illusion 3: “Puffer jackets serve as extra protection.”
Fact: The air in the puffer jacket might result in a dangerous gap between the baby’s body and harness, thus causing accidents.
- Illusion 4: “All car seats are the same.”
Fact: No, car seat models differ, and hence, it is important to choose the right one, considering individual requirements.
Safety statistics on the use of puffy jackets in car seats
According to studies, puffer jackets might definitely keep your kid warm, but harnessing a child in them is definitely a bad idea because:
- The air present in between the puffer jacket is forced out during the crash, leading to extra space for the child to feel the jerk.
- The chance of chest, neck, head, and spinal injuries increases in the case of an improper harness, especially due to bulky winter clothing.
- According to a survey, almost 34% of child fatalities occurred as a reason for a frontal crash, and 12% of child fatalities were a result of a rear impact.
- A study by SAFE Kids claimed that almost 81% of children faced injuries and fatalities due to incorrect harnessing.
Although puffer jackets must be avoided for harnessing, they can be used to layer from the backside after restraining the kid in the car seat.
However, be mindful not to overlayer your child, as that might lead to an overheated kiddo!
Also, it is estimated that the incidences of car crash injuries and fatalities can be reduced to 71% by using the car seat properly.
The Risks of Bulky Clothing in Car Seats
The proper dressing of the baby for winter travel in India is more important than it is estimated to be. This is because a whopping 75% of parents are unaware about the right harnessing techniques in India.
A few risks that might prove detrimental to ignore for baby winter car seat safety include:
- Compression of thick coats during accidents [H3]
The car seat straps are harnessed at the chest and the shoulders. The presence of thick coats and jackets hinders the proper tightening of the straps. During a crash, these materials might compress due to the air in between the spaces, and this might lead to severe head, chest, neck, spinal injuries or even death.
- Bulky clothing loosens harness straps [H3]
Initially, the bulky clothing might appear thoroughly compressed and nicely snug due to the layering, and the harness would also seem tightened. Later, due to the constant movement of the car, fabric material, and number of layers on the child's body, the strap might loosen with time. This might also lead to the child slipping out or being thrown forward or sideways in case of a car crash.
However, below are a few tips for winter car seat safety in India for a safe ride with your loved ones.
Baby winter car seat guidelines
Some pointers to keep in mind are as follows:
- Dress your baby in light-weight, comfortable clothing like fleece or a woollen sweater rather than a jacket.
- Avoid using any accessories that are not a part of your car seat, as that might accelerate the probability of fatal injuries in babies.
- In case of chilly weather, try placing a soft blanket or jacket above the harnessed baby from behind to keep them warm and secure.
- Keep checking the harness regularly by doing a “finger test” or checking the gaps in between the body and straps and by adjusting the clothes of the child to prevent bulkiness.
- Rear-facing seats demand a tighter harness for minimising the body movement and for optimal protection and body support during a crash. Also, at the rear, the risk of a spinal injury is high due to the alignment of the child’s head, neck, and back.
Dressing Your Baby Safely for Winter
Let us now discuss some tips on how to keep a baby warm in a car seat during winters through some dressing strategies.
A. Layering Basics
The sequence of cloth layering from inside is Q-I-W, that is:
- Quick-drying: This is the innermost layer. During winters, the body temperature regulation is dependent upon this layer as it helps in the sweat absorption in case of long-distance travelling. The moisture-wicking fabric helps in keeping the body warm, thus maintaining the optimum body temperature.
Options: Thermal long-sleeve t-shirts and pants, cotton, polyester, or woollen onesies or jumpsuits.
Ensure it serves both the purpose of staying snug to the child’s body and promoting comfort.
Although cotton is a good option, it can also make the child appear wet due to its high sweat absorption. This is because the wet clothes reduce the warmth. So, customize it according to your needs.
- Insulating: This is the middle layer, which is essential for encouraging insulation so that the body heat stays intact inside. This should mostly be thin and light weight to prevent unnecessary bulkiness.
Options: Light fleece jumpsuit or onesie, thermal or woollen tops and pants pair, polyester, etc.
Ensure to choose the best option that does not hinder the firm harnessing of the child in the car seat.
- Water-proof: This is the outermost layer and is chosen according to the rising susceptibility of wind, rain, or snow in a few locations. This also serves as an insulation for the chilly winds from outside.
Options: Non-bulky insulated fleece jackets.
However, this layer can be added or removed according to the temperature inside the car. Also, remember that bulkiness can always be a setback in proper harnessing.
B. Accessories for Warmth
Winter accessories are equally important as how to keep a newborn warm in a car seat.
This is because babies’ tend to lose maximum heat through their heads, and hence, wearing a hat or a fleece or woollen cap can prevent that.
Therefore, mittens, socks, and booties must not be forgotten in the process, because:
- The circulatory system in babies is still developing, which makes it difficult for them to self-regulate their body temperature.
- Skin is usually thin and minimal at the tips in babies, and hence it is easier for them to lose heat from those locations quicker compared to adults.
- Their surface area is higher than their body weight, which makes them have less fat, and less fat means less insulation.
- Their tendency to self-regulate their body temperature by shivering is still under process.
Things to avoid:
- Decorative or extravagantly designed caps or hats.
- Big scarves.
- An insulating blanket inside the car seat.
Adding these would just add on to the trouble while harnessing the child, as it would always be improper, no matter how snug it feels.
Tip 1: Never add anything inside the car seat and ensure the baby is harnessed snugly. Later, depending upon the temperature, you can add an extra layer of fabric on top of your harnessed kid to keep them warm.
Tip 2: Always ensure to work with the provided car seat’s accessories only.
Alternatives to Bulky Clothing
There are a lot of proxy options available to prevent bulk clothing for your child. This includes:
- Opt for thin and light-weighted fleece options for dressing. Bulky fabrics make it difficult to dissociate within time, in case of an emergency.
- Fleece or woollen blankets are the best option to cover your child from the top.
- Poncho or insulated zipped car seat covers on top of the harnessed baby add to the extra warmth.
- Footmuffs or sleeping sacks to be placed inside the car seat, in case of an infant. This would help in promoting the required warmth.
However, ensure that whatever you choose does not interfere with the proper harnessing of the baby to the car seat.
4 Steps to Test Clothing Safety
There are various ways to test the child’s safety after harnessing them to the car seat, like:
- Begin by layering your child in thin, light-weight layered clothing before placing them inside the car seat.
- Do a “pinch test” at their shoulder straps. If you can grab even a small part of the child’s dress, then it is not snug and might loosen with time.
- Ensure the chest clip is neither too above nor too below but at the level of the armpits or nipples. This ensures that the entire harness would remain intact due to proper alignment.
- Keep doing a regular assessment of the harness to ensure their security.
Additional Tips For Winter Car Seat Safety In India
There are a few more tips to make your car travel with your baby during the winters worthwhile. This includes:
- Heating the car to an optimal temperature to make it comfortable for the baby.
- Using a booster seat. This is known to reduce injuries by 58% to 70% and mortality by 61% among kids aged between 4 and 8.
- Avoid placing anything in between the straps and the baby while harnessing to avoid loose straps.
- Keep monitoring the baby's temperature and harness from time to time.
- Avoid adjusting the straps while the car is moving, as that would still be improper because of the constant movement.
- Remember to have the harness at or below the child’s shoulders in case of a rear-facing seat and at or above the shoulder for front-facing seats.
- Ensure that only one finger is able to get through between the harness and the child.
Conclusion
Safety is a very important factor while travelling with a child by car and especially during winters. This is because not just the chilly weather but also fog, wind, snow, or rain might hinder your travel plans. This makes you duty-bound to keep your kids both safe and warm during the trip.
Thus, it demands the right technique to harness your child to prevent any unavoidable circumstances in times of an emergency.
Lastly, remember to follow the above-mentioned tips and techniques according to your requirements, and if you are willing to purchase car seats or booster seats, then do check out some amazing ones at R for Rabbit!
Worth to Read:
- Guidelines for Safe Travel with Baby Car Seats
- How to Choose the Best Baby Car Seat?
- 15 Common Mistakes Parents Make with Baby Car Seats
- How to Clean Baby Car Seat?: A Step-by-Step Guide
- 5 Best Baby Car Seats in India Tested by Experts
