What’s new for 2022? A Fresh Look at the Buckle Me Baby Coat

I had to do the memory lane thing and ogle at how much my son has changed, and also laugh at my complaints of NC erratic fall weather. After almost 2 years, I wish weird weather was the biggest annoyance I have! Anyway, although life has made some crazy changes the last few years, one thing remains the same and that is that puffy winter coats and car seats do not mix. If you follow us, you hopefully have read up on Jennie’s posts regarding winter coat safety. So what to do? Well, you don’t have to let your kid freeze. There are several options but one of the coolest (and most convenient!) is the Buckle Me Baby Coat (BMBC for carpal tunnel purposes in this blog). It’s a comfortable, cute, and warm coat designed to be worn in the car and zips/velcros OVER the harness so that the child is still firmly buckled in but also is nice and warm. You can read up on how to use it here but basically you unzip it from the side, open the front, buckle your child in as you normally would and then close the flap over the harness to zip it shut. Alternatively, you can leave it open if the car is warm. The back is thinner than the front to prevent compression, but offers the same density so there is no loss in warmth.

A change from my last review is in the options available. There are 3 tiers of jackets- Toasty, Toastier, and Toastiest.

All coats are warm and designed for harsh winters but some offer more, such as a sherpa lining or magnetic removable hood. There is a new line up for 2021, but the colors from 2020 are also available, as shown. They range from $69.99 for the Toasty up to $149.99 for the Toastiest in some super cute limited edition prints (they have a cookies and milk print and my heart exploded). They range from 6/9 months up to big kid size 10/12.

The biggest change I was so excited to see was the addition of a snowsuit for babies! The Snugs+Kisses Car Seat Suit comes in a neutral gray and offers the same over-the-harness coverage with the addition of having the lower half covered to keep those little legs warm. It retails for $74.99 and comes in sizes 0/3, 3/6, and 6/9 months. The site also has cute hats and other accessories available for purchase.

We had the privilege of trying out the Toasty version in the Little Darling color, which was absolutely perfect! My daughter ADORES pink and I cringe at all the neon and bright pinks I see in the clothing departments so this dusty muted pink was absolutely perfect for both of us. Selah just turned 3 a couple weeks ago, and is about 37 inches and 26lbs. She normally wears a 2T or 3T so we received a 24 month size Toasty, which is the equivalent of a 2T. It fits her perfectly with room to spare. It’s lined with a super soft fleece and I noticed that the shoulder closures on this jacket are velcro as opposed to the snap closures of the BMBC we received for Declan 4 years ago. I actually prefer the velcro because while the snaps looked nice, Selah is a tornado and fiddling with snaps in the car just isn’t going to work with her. This version of BMBC does not have a hood, which is fine because she is a total hat connoisseur and wouldn’t use a hood anyway.

She spent about an hour or so playing in the yard before we took pictures, and it was more than adequate for the 42 degree temp with some pretty decent winds. I’d definitely want to layer something thicker than her thin shirt underneath if it was much colder but the jacket itself is more than sufficient for cold temps.

As you can see, it works absolutely great for us in the car (as shown by the thumbs up from the stubborn model) and I have zero issues or complaints. It saves me time by preventing me from having to stuff her in and out of coats as we run errands and it means no meltdowns when she doesn’t want to take her coat off to get in her seat. Of course, the most important feature of all and the entire point of using it is that it is safe, tested, and trustworthy.

The BMBC can be considered an investment if you’re used to just dropping $20 on a basic puffer coat from a big box store (that they can’t even wear in the car) but, as mentioned in my last review, there is a trade up program to assist with costs when needing to size up. The original trade up program offers $20 off a new coat and your used one goes to kids in the New England area who need warm coats. There is also now another program using the Swoondle Society where you can receive a $15 credit to Swoondle upon sending them your outgrown coat. Another thing to keep in mind is that I found these jackets to run very generously. Declan was able to wear his for 2 seasons and it still looked like new despite many visits to the lost and found at school and dives in the dirt on the playground. My opinion is that it pays for itself with the length of time you can use it and the time and sanity you are saving. Plus, you’re supporting a mama owned business and we all know how important it is to embrace our small businesses!

Thank you so much to Dahlia for keeping my kids warm and safe over the last 4 years. It’s been super cool to watch your business grow and see all the fun and exciting things that have evolved! I can’t wait to see what the next 4 years bring. You can purchase your Buckle Me Baby Coat at www.bucklemecoats.com.

No other compensation was provided and the views expressed in this review are entirely my own.