Baby its cold outside

It was 1 freaking degree when we woke up this morning. A frosty Toronto morning indeed. Especially since mommy has a horrible cold. Thank god it’s Friday. 

So, the cold weather has been on my mind since a walk I took earlier this week with Rory. It was a sunny but colder than average day, I had him in a fleece sweat suit and in his bassinette with a blanket over him. He loves being outside and didn’t complain once while we were out. So, I went to change his diaper when we got home, and I will be honest to my shock… the poor baby was FROZEN. His little hands and legs and arms were so cold. This week, I totally deserve the bad mom award. Clearly the memo on weather appropriate gear got deleted from my inbox.

Never one to complain about needing to shop, I immediately began a search for appropriate seasonal clothing for a 4 month old. I have seen snowsuits practically everywhere, but I have had this warning my dad gave me about snowsuits being unsafe in car seats in the back of my head which has prevented me from really doing anything about it.

So what do you wear on a child if they can’t be in a snowsuit?  Another piece of honesty...ever since I was told to do keegals and didn’t (and now am suffering the consequences), I heed professional recommendations. And the ministry of transportation has a lot to say on the matter.

So basically Transport Canada describes the issue as;

“ bulky coats, snowsuits and bunting bags cause safety issues ranging from inducing slack in the shoulder harness system to adding compressible material behind the child, which during a crash will allow for slackness in the harness system. The resulting slack in the harness may cause the child to be either partially or fully ejected from the restraint system, in the event of a crash or sudden stop.”

So, how am I supposed to know if the gear I have bought my child is safe?   Here is a trick that has been shared with me to show you how thick your coat is and how much the coat will compress during a crash.

1. Take the car seat into the house.
2. Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
3. Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel. Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
4. Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
5. Take the coat off your child.
6. Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
7. If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat.

So… this super rad jacket from H&M – is a no go. Darn.

This, not so rad but warm bunting bag from MEC, is a go.

So we’re ready. Let the snow fly.