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Jan 2, 2008 4:55 pm US/Central
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Puffy Coats May Prevent Car Seat Safety
Parents Told To Take Other Measures To Keep Kids Safe And Warm
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
You may be bundling up the kids in their heavy winter coats to keep them warm during this bitter winter blast.
But CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports, those thick snowsuits might cause a hazard in the car.
Safety experts say puffy winter jackets make it tough to tighten seat belts on children's car seats.
"If you don't have the harness on tight because of the coat, you definitely could risk the child coming out of the seat," Kathleen Widmer of the Secretary of State's office said.
Safety experts say kids are safer riding without a coat, but on bitterly coat days, that's a hard sell.
"If you're going a short distance, and you don't have time to warm up the car, how do you keep your kids warm?" Jennifer Straub, a mother of two, asked.
Experts say parents should take the time to warm up the car and take the coat off the child inside the car.
"Put the child in the seat with the harness system snug, put the coat on backward or cover with a blanket," Widmer suggested.
Seat belt experts say the harness should be so snug that only two fingers can slide between the seat belt and the child's body.
At Navy Pier's parking garage, CBS 2 spotted a mom using all her muscle to make the seat belt effective.
Other children put blankets on their laps to keep cozy.
Four-month-old MJ was snug in his car seat carrier, which pops into a base already in the car.
"I'm very particular. I don't play with my kids safety," Nikki Stephenson, MJ's mother, said.
Safety experts say this applies to adults too. If your coat is too puffy or doesn't compress enough to make the seatbelt snug, perhaps you should take your coat off for the ride, too.
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