Using  car seat during the winter time can be tricky.  As a general rule , bulky clothing should not be worn under the harness of a car seat. During a car crash, the fluffy padding flattens out immediately from the force, leaving extra space under the harness. The child can slip through the harness and be thrown from the car seat.

Tips recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to help keep children warm as well as safely buckled in their car seat.

• Keep the carrier portion of the car seat inside when not in use. This will keep it at room temperature and reduce the loss of the child’s body heat in the car
• Start early if you plan to head outdoors with your baby on winter mornings.  You also have to know that driving in wintry conditions  require you to be slow and be very cautious
• Dress your child in thin layers.  Dress your child by starting with lose fitting layers tights, leggings and long sleeves bodysuit. Then add pants and a warmer top like sweater or thermal knit shirt. You can also have your a fleece jacket over your top. As a general thumb of rule, children should wear one more layer  than adults. If you have a coat and hat, your child probably needs a hat, coat and blanket.
• Hats , mittens and socks or booties are essential. They keep your child warm without interfering with the car seat strap. If your child is a thumb sucker, get half gloves with open fingers or an extra couple of mittens handy. Once the mittens get wet, they will make the child cold rather than warm.
• Tighten the strap of the car seat harness . If you can pinch the strap of the car seat harness, then it needs to be tighten snugly to fit against your child’s chest
• You can add a coat or blanket over the top of the harness straps. You can also put your child’s winter coat on backwards, after he is buckled up
• Pack an emergency bag for your car. You need to carry an extra blanket, dry clothing , hat, gloves and non perishable snacks in your car in case of an on road emergency or child gets wet on a winter outing.