Michelin-man-style snowsuits are great for sledding but in the car they can be dangerous. If the jacket is stuffed with a lot of down or poly-fill, the harness won’t tighten properly on the child. In a crash, all that bulky down or poly-fill stuffing will compress as the child loads the harness straps. This can create a situation where the child is suddenly in a loose harness during a crash.
So, what can you do?
One option is to have your kids take their coats off in the car. After they’re buckled, they can slip their arms into the backward coat like a painting smock. Or you can leave blankets in the car that your kids can throw over themselves if necessary.
But what if your kids don’t want to take off their jackets? No problem–just look for something car-seat-friendly*.
What constitutes a good coat for the car seat?
Anything that doesn’t add a lot of extra compressible bulk to the child will do. That might be a sweater, hoodie, fleece jacket, or a packable down jacket.
To see if your child’s outerwear is ok for the car, take the Slack Challenge:
- Put the jacket/coat on your child, put him in his seat, and tighten the harness snugly.
- WITHOUT LOOSENING THE HARNESS, unbuckle your child and take him out.
- Take off the jacket, then put him back in the seat and re-buckle.
If there’s only a little bit of extra slack in the harness (or none at all), the jacket is good! If there’s a significant amount of slack, consider another option.
Those two jackets look pretty similar, but you can see how different they really are.
In the first photo, my daughter is wearing a Snozu jacket. Without the jacket, the harness had no slack. (In fact, before I took the picture my daughter had been in the seat with no jacket. I didn’t need to loosen the harness at all to buckle her with the jacket on.)
The second coat is another story. It’s your typical winter coat, and honestly, it didn’t seem that bulky to me…until I took it off and re-buckled. Wow! There was a lot of slack in that harness!
If you’re looking for a carseat-friendly winter coat that is safe for the car and also warm enough for the playground, here are some good options:
My daughter has worn a Snozu jacket, pictured above. This particular jacket squished down into almost nothing, so it was perfect for the car. Walmart.com currently sells this brand of jackets and they aren’t expensive either, which is a definite bonus!
Some of the Snozu jackets have a thin layer of fleece inside but still work well in the carseat. Just keep in mind that jacket styles can change from year to year so you should do the Slack Challenge with each new coat to ensure that it’s not introducing a dangerous amount of slack in your child’s car seat harness.
More carseat-friendly jacket recommendations:
Parents rave about the Patagonia Nano Puff and Down Sweater Jackets
We’ve heard lots of positive feedback over the years about the North Face Moondoggy
Columbia makes a Powder Lite Puffer jacket that is packable down
L.L. Bean has PrimaLoft Packaway jackets that are very squishable
Lands’ End makes lightweight ThermoPlume Jackets that can also work well for this purpose
Another great option is the Buckle Me Baby Coat, which we have reviewed. It’s a great alternative to a traditional jacket and allows you to close and zip the jacket over the secured harness. Not only is it warm, but it’s also an extra obstacle for those little Houdinis who like to play with their chest clip!
A Poncho is an affordable, non-traditional option that can work well for some families. We’ve reviewed the Birdy Boutique poncho and found it to be cuddly, warm, and easy to use!
Besides working well in car seats, most of these options will also pack easily in a backpack or diaper bag when you don’t need them. Safe AND convenient!
*Disclaimer – Obviously we can only give general guidance and can’t verify every style of every product mentioned here. Checking harness snugness with and then without the jacket to see how much, if any, slack is introduced by the jacket is the best way to be sure that it is “carseat friendly”!
Has anyone used the north face infant nuptse? It’s down filled and similar to the moondoggie but in smaller sizes (infant). I put my son in the jacket and then in the car seat and tightened, and then tried him without the jacket. There was a little bit slack, but certainly not a lot. Trying to determine if this is safe.
@Holly – Fleece buntings (the kind with legs – not the sack kind) are great for babies. Especially if they come with fold-over flaps for hands and feet. Good quality fleece is warm but doesn’t have any polyfill or down fill bulk. You can find these in many different places. Columbia makes good ones that won’t break the bank: http://www.columbia.com/foxy-baby-ii-bunting—infant-WN0016.html?dwvar_WN0016_variationColor=010&cgid=kids-baby#start=7
HTH!
I got his last winter before Christmas for 50% off which made it a pricey but acceptably so jacket. http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/boys–39–microtherm-reg–hoodie/68700405/_/A-ebSku_0870405265000020__68700405_catalog10002_en__US?showProducts=&backToCat=Boys&previousPage=LNAV&tab=kids&dcolor=907
The Columbia omni heat line of jackets are fabulous car seat jackets.
I like the cozzywoggle. Even though you can’t use it under the harness, it unzips on the sides so that you can lift it over the harness and still keep your child warm. My daughter got one last year, and I’m thinking it might still fit this year!
Any suggestions for little babies? My daughter is currently 7 months old, but still wearing 3 month clothes. A lot of the options I’m seeing listed above seem to be for older children (and also a bit more money than we can afford to spend). When I see winter coats, most everything is started at 6 months, and I just don’t think she’ll be big enough for 6 month sized clothes (especially jackets, which seem to run bigger) by the time the weather starts to get really cold.
Columbia Fleece Bunting suits are wonderful and safe with car seats. They are thin enough not to add bulk with the straps yet keep baby really warm. We live in Michigan so winters can be brutal and sometimes my child is even sweaty in them. $29-$34 on Amazon Prime!
This is a few months late, but if she’s in an infant only seat that can be removed from the car, you actually will have an easier time. When it’s cold, even if your normally leave the seat in the car, bring the seat in the house, and buckle your child in inside. Then you can add plenty of blankets over top of the harness to keep them warm. Last year in NC (like many places) we had a really cold winter, and I found it much easier to get my baby (born July 2013) into the car without getting cold than my daughter who turned 3 in February and was in a convertible.
Try the tivoli couture carseat cover, or a similar one made by 7 am enfant. Skip the coat altogether. 🙂
This is a good article. I like the suggestion of trying the child with then without the coat. I, however, am a semi-paranoid parent that likes to err to the side of caution, so I keep a blanket in the car to cover her with after she is buckled in the carseat.
Thank you for this super helpful roundup of car-seat friendly coats:) I linked to it from my site today , including car-seat friendly coats as one of three tricks for mixing car seats and coats:
http://hintmama.com/2014/09/19/todays-hint-3-ways-to-mix-car-seats-jackets/
I’ve seen people say they squeeze the kid in with the coat without loosening the straps. It seems like that would put too much pressure on the chest clip and cause it to open in a crash. Is that a realistic scenario or is squeezing them in truly just as safe as no jacket/thin jacket.
The chest clip is actually designed to break in a crash. It’s just a pre-crash positioner.
I live in Canada and I can tell you that sometimes taking their coat off is NOT an option. When it is -32 in the morning BEFORE the windchill, exposed skin freezes in 30 seconds. Taking their jacket off for even the short time to put the kids in the car can put them in jeopardy. Having a proper jacket and adjusting the straps tighter to compensate for the bulky jacket is the only option if you absultely must take your kids in the car
My son cannot fit properly in the car seat with his winter coat. We are eventually going to get a new seat, but in the meantime dressing him properly is difficult. When making several errands its a pain to take him out, put his coat on, then take it off and put him back in the car…over, and over and over. He is too big now to use the car seat covers (worked wonders when he was an infant but he’s too big to carry around in the seat now). What is a good solution?
I dress my toddler in layers, (ie long sleeve t shirt, flannel, hoodie, a hat) keep the winter jacket in the car in case there is a break down/ accident. This way he isn’t in too much bulk in the car seat and he is plenty warm, and we have the jacket just in case we need it. I also keep a blanket in the car for him just in case he is cold for dome reason. My hubby thinks i am nuts but, there is no point in being sorry you didn’t have it.
Does anyone know if those hoodies that are kind of like fleece but more of a fake fur look are just as warm as regular fleece?
Another option is the Cozywoggle. I doubt have a link handy, but google it 🙂 It’s a new concept, by a friend of my cousin.
My philosophy for my own kids has been to tighten the harness without a coat and then let the kid decide whether to wear the coat. If we can cram them in with the coat on without loosening the harness – we usually can – fine with me. ;)Usually they choose to use a fleece or go without a coat because it gets warm in the car pretty fast.
The North Face Perrito is also great for older babies and toddlers. It is similar to the Moondoggy but lighter weight synthetic insulation versus the down in the Moondoggy. The Perrito goes up to size 5T.
What are your thoughts on fleece? My daughter wears the Hanna Andersson fleece snowsuit when we go out in the mornings. I do have to adjust the straps very slightly.
For kids needing bigger coats than those down ones from Costco, any brand of “system jacket” usually works great for the car seat when they wear either the outside jacket alone or the inside jacket alone. That is what I’ve done for the last several years. I’ve had some from Walmart, Target, JC Penney, etc.
It looks like Costco has them in boys and girls sizes up to 16 in the Snozu brand. There are more colors than these as well.
http://www.costco.com/Snozu-Boys%27-Soft-Shell-3-in-1-Systems-Jacket-%E2%80%93-RoyalNavy.product.100032904.html
http://www.costco.com/Snozu-Girls%27-Soft-Shell-3-in-1-Systems-Jacket-%E2%80%93-Fuchsia-PinkPurple.product.100032891.html
Those are cheaper than anywhere I’ve seen system Jackets before too.
Then there are the squishable down jackets for girls in the Free Country brand up to size 16 also at Costco.
I looked at these jackets online and they only go up to 5 or 6t. I need bigger ones to fit my almost-7 year old, almost-9 year old, and 10 year old kids in their 5 point harnesses. I also would prefer my 12 year old who reluctantly sits in a backless booster, to have a jacket that wouldn’t compress should the seat belt have to protect him.
Primaloft coats at Gap go up to size 16.
Why is your 10 year old in a 5 point harness? My 10 year old wouldn’t even fit in the bottom part of a booster. At some point it isn’t safe for them to ride in a car seat or booster and it’s better for them without.
That’s exactly what i was saying lol my 9 yr old is too big for a car seat let alone a 12 yr old being in a booster those are for older toddlers.
Your 9 and 10 yr olds fit in a 5 point harness ? My son is only 9 and he outgrew his along time ago. He actually doesnt even use a car seat at all anymore cause hes just too chuncky and the seat belt fits well. I wish he could be in a 5 pt harness !
I love those down coats at Costco! I saw them last year but we already had coats at the time.
I didn’t remember them being so cheap! I went to Costco today after seeing this and I got one for my son, it was a little cheaper in the store (the online price includes shipping) and he loves it! He got red, which isn’t online.
I returned another coat that we had just got for him (his other one was a Target brand systems jacket which also worked well in the car seat if he wore either the inside jacket or the outside jacket alone. I think the Down jacket will be a little warmer for him.
He wears 5T shirts right now and we got a size 5 coat. It seems to fit pretty good. I may exchange it for a 4T if it’s not too small just so it would be a little shorter on his lap, but if not, the length is not a problem.
My Costco also had these jackets for girls that are very similar to the Snozu down jackets. These are light and squishable and filled with down too. I will get them for my daughters next year.
http://www.costco.com/Free-Country-Girls%27-Fleece-Lined-Jacket—BlueMagenta.product.100030085.html
Carolinadaisy, the one my daughter is wearing in that photo is a 5/6. When I bought it last year she was wearing 4/4T shirts, and now she’s wearing 5/5T. It was a bit big last year and fits perfectly this year. I’m not sure shell get another year out of it, though. My son just moved into 2T tops, and the 2T is slightly large on him, but not much.
How is the sizing on the Snozu jackets? I want to get one for my 2.5 yr old, but not sure if I should get a 3t or 4t for him. He’s about the size of a 3 yr old and wearing 3T and some 4T tops.
Thanks!
The Columbia Double Trouble toddler jacket works great in the car seat also!
I’ve also had good luck with Lands’ End Squalls. They have great, thin insulation & aren’t bulky.
Yup, Lands End squalls have been my go-to jackets for the past 15 years! The squall jackets, not the parkas.