Car Seat Safety in Winter: Ditch the Puffy Coats
October 14, 2024
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When it is cold outside, and you hop into a cold car with your child, it is easy to forget how dangerous it is for your child to wear bulky winter clothes in their car seat. As a general rule, bulky clothing, including winter coats and snowsuits, should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat. In a car crash, the fluffy padding in a coat can immediately flatten out from the powerful force, leaving extra space under the harness. A child can then slip through the strap and be thrown out of the seat or have more injuries from not being snugly secured in their car seat.
You can still keep your child warm in the car while being safe by following these tips:
- You can store the carrier portion of infant seats inside your warm house when not in use to avoid having to put your child in a freezing seat.
- Dress your child in thin layers with close-fitting layers on the bottoms, then pants and a sweater. Infants should wear one more layer than adults, so you can also drape a blanket or coat over the car straps or put their coat on backward over the properly fitted harness. Once you reach your destination, putting your child’s coat on is easy after getting out of the car seat.
- They can wear hats, mittens, and extra socks to help keep them warm without interfering with their car seat straps. Never use sleeping bag inserts or other stroller accessories in the car seat.
- Always keep an emergency bag in your vehicle with items like blankets, extra clothing, a cell phone charger, food, and water.
Contact us with any other questions or concerns about car seat safety in the winter.
--Blog post written by Maggie Rietze, Centennial Pediatrics of Spokane Summer Intern Extraordinaire
As everyone has probably heard at this point, there are confirmed cases of measles in and around Spokane and all over the country. Our job as your family's pediatric provider is to provide accurate, scientific information about illnesses such as measles and ways in which you can keep your family and others protected. Measles is HIGHLY contagious . It will linger in a space for 2 hours after the infected person leaves. Often, we tell patients that you can do your best to avoid a sick-appearing person (maybe someone with a rash), but if you happen to step into a space in which a person with measles was within 2 hours of that person leaving, you are at-risk of contracting the virus. The MMR vaccines is highly effective. After the 1st dose, a person is 93% protected and with 2 doses on-board, the protection is 97%. We typically give the MMR at 1 year old and 4 years old; however, doses can be done as early as 6 months old* (especially if there is upcoming travel or concern for exposure during an outbreak). We can also give them closer together than 1 year and 4 years. We know there can be questions surrounding vaccines, especially the MMR. We are always happy to answer these questions, but in brief, there has been NO link between the MMR vaccine (or any vaccine for that matter) and autism. Someone who is immunocompromised is at great risk of serious complications of the measles virus, and since the MMR vaccine is a live-virus vaccine someone who has a suppressed immune system cannot get the vaccine themselves. 92-94% of the population needs to be immune to measles (by vaccination or history of infection) in order to limit/prevent spread of the illness. Some retro things are fun and cool... like My Little Pony, Lincoln Logs and Strawberry Shortcake, but one thing is for sure, and that is that measles is absolutely not. As a pediatric practice, we know how a successful vaccine can save the lives of so many, and we will continue to do our part to protect children. *A dose given at less than 1 year old does not qualify for the 2-dose series needed for school entry and confirmed immunity; however, it counts that you may protect your child against measles.
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Much like you get excited to announce your new baby's arrival, we have been keeping a little secret that we can't wait to share! We will soon be offering lactation services at our clinic with a certified IBCLC and RN -- Chelsea Wilhelm! She brings with her years of knowledge as a lactation specialist and postpartum nurse and an excitement for educating new families that is contagious. More details to come soon, but we couldn't hold the news in any longer!
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