HOUGHTON — Every parent in the Upper Peninsula faces the same dilemma every winter: keeping kids bundled and warm and safe in the car. There are, however, dangers associated with children’s “puffy” coats while they are strapped into car seats that Aspirus Health would like parents to be aware of.

Puffy coats may be a well-insulated option for warmth, but they can also pose as a safety hazard for little ones in car seats, states Aspirus Health.

Aspirus Health stated in an email that according to Safe Kids Wisconsin, a puffy coat adds four inches of slack to car seat harness straps. The extra padding might feel snug to the child when they’re tightly buckled in, but the extra material will compress in a crash and loosen the harness, which greatly increases the risk of injury to the child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees, stating that in a car crash, fluffy padding immediately flattens out from the force, leaving extra space under the harness. A child can then slip through the straps and be thrown from the seat.

Amanda Tabin, Safe Kids & Injury Prevention Coordinator at Aspirus Health, says:

“The trick is to find the perfect balance between keeping little ones warm and safe in their car seats. Consider dressing them in thin layers, hats, mittens, socks or boots, and using the coat or a blanket over the straps of the car seat.”

Clevelandclinic.org goes on to explain, stating that what thing that makes puffy coats warm is that they trap air with lots of loose feathers and down, which is the exact same thing that makes them dangerous in the car seat, according to pediatrician Kimberly Giuliano, MD. at the Cleveland Clinic.

When a vehicle accident is extreme, the violent force that’s created by the impact compresses the bulky coat layers and can throw a child forward against the straps. Even if the child remains in the seat they risk injury to their chest, head and neck.

“Those big bulky coats cause too much separation between the belt and the child,” Guiliano is quoted saying. “In a crash, the child is at risk for slipping out from under the straps.”

Even in less intense crashes, a bulky winter coat allows too much movement in that space, which can result in head and chest injuries, Giuliano adds.

Dr. Sarah Denny, a pediatrician an expert in injury prevention, was quoted by aap.org as saying:

“Parents may not recognize the potential danger of buckling up a child who is wearing a puffy coat.”

“A car seat harness or belt needs to fit snugly enough so that you cannot pinch the straps of the car seat harness. A safer alternative is to drape a blanket or coat over the car straps.”

In its email, Aspirus Health offered Safe Kids Wisconsin’s coat check to ensure the car seat is secure and there is nothing bulky between the child and the straps:

≤ Put the coat on the child.

≤ Sit the child in the car seat. Buckle and tighten the harness.

≤ Without loosening the harness, unbuckle it, and remove him or her from the car seat.

• Take the coat off.

≤ Strap him or her back into the car seat without adjusting the straps. If the harness is too loose, the coat is too thick to wear under the harness.

The Cleveland Clinic website offers the same coat test.

“It’s very important that the harness is tight enough so you can’t pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger,”Giuliano, at the Cleveland Clinic is quoted saying. “Any extra slack in the harness can be very dangerous.”

For more information about keeping your child safe in the car, please visit www.aspirus.org/passenger-safety.