The subject of bundling kiddos up to go in the car....as far as I know, every one of my dcfs bundles their kids right up, jackets, sometimes snowpants, to go in the car, except the baby. Do you ever mention this to parents or include it in newsletters, or let it be? Maybe some parents aren't even aware of the safety issues or would rather not do it that way. When my own were little, I had no clue.
I don't transport them anywhere myself but see the dcks always bundled up.

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My parents layer my babes in onesies, sweat outfits, socks & cute booties & use blankets to cover in the car & for bringing in to the house... they carry coats in & hang them just case we go out later on in the day (providing weather is ok), but my littles aren't wearing them in the carseats. I actually go over this in my meet & greets

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A few of my families are like that too.

I have a daycare blog that I post random safety information on every once and awhile. But, that's as far as I dive into it.

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My parents are about half and half. Considering it's super cold here most the winter, heavy coats and outwear aren't an option but a necessity. I have no idea what parents know/don't know as far as coats in car seats etc.

I guess my take on it is if any of the rule of thumb things discussed as far as car seats and coats become part of my licensing reg/rules then I will say something but as of now, I don't pay any attention to each parents method. I do know all my families have and use proper car seats but I don't know "how"...kwim?

I guess until it becomes part of the mandated reportable stuff, I honestly don't know enough about it to "preach" or tell my parents about it. I don't transport kids so I haven't taken a car seat safety class or anything like that and I haven't seen any actual laws about it so ... I do hand out flyers etc when I come across them but not on a regular or yearly basis.

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Coming soon to your area.

"Childcare providers are child advocates. As a child advocate, educating families on childrens safety and health issues is a childcare providers responsibility."

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-a...Providers.aspx

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-a...olandChildCare

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Sitting over here waiting to be told that it is also part of our job to be sure parents are following car seat safety protocols

I have 5 families, one dresses the kids in lighter fall jackets and leaves the bulky ones here and always warms the car and just covers with blankets after they are buckled to follow the guidelines. One sometimes brings 1 year old in a car seat poncho but other times has on his winter coat, this is also the family that had zero idea that they could use their infant carrier without a base, dck is their 3rd child. He’s long out of the carrier now. The other 3 families put the coats on and head out to the car but I am unaware what they do once the child gets into the vehicle.

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I think most of my families do not use the bigger coats. Honestly I really don't pay that much attention. These laws I totally get are based on keeping kids safe and are changed due to increased information and education, but when my kids were little (they're 19 and 17 now), they were in the carseats with coats on. It's so hard to tell what's really safe or not. I've had some parents that put their child in a car seat with the coat on that I've noticed and the straps were pulled very tight. The child, even with a coat on woudl not be getting thrown out. Then I've had parents that had no coat on their child and the straps were so loose. The child literally could take it off without unbuckling it. I did say something that time. Then they have changed the safe baby sleep rules too. Sleep on the back, sleep on the belly, sleep on the back. I know I'm not fully educated on it, but if those straps are security tightened, it would take quite a bit to have a child come out with a coat on. The cases I've heard of where a child is thrown from a vehicle were not strapped in properly at all.

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I know that none of my families have ever dressed their kids appropriately for winter car seats. I don't care! If I don't see it, I don't report it. The only time I ever said anything was when I had to help grandma put DCG in her seat. I saw the misplaced buckles so I had to say something to her.

Personally both my kids have "car coats" that are rated to -30C. They are less puffy and compress easily to secure buckles. I paid $30 each for them.

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My families are half and half, and same. I post winter safety reminders (car seat safety, carbon monoxide safety, etc) and summer safety reminders (water safety, sunscreen safety, heat stroke)

It's not a requirement here....yet.

In the past I have hosted car seat safety installation technicians and parents LOVED that.

It also depends on the type of coat. Puffy coats are the most dangerous, as they DO compress (much more than you think, too). The thinner/3 style coats with fleece linings I worry less about.

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That's just awesome.

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I'm the mom that lets her kids freeze and they never wear coats in the car. I put them in a light jacket or sweatshirt to wear in their carseat and usually don't even bother to put it on them when taking them into the daycare. After all, it's only about 20 feet from the parking lot to the door.

I'm probably often judged when it's 20 degrees and my baby doesn't have a coat on, but I figure it's he's not going to freeze in a 6 minute car ride. It'll probably make them tougher, right?

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That is what all my clients do. I recommend they keep blankets in case of an accident and delayed emergency response due to road conditions. I also require they keep a coat here for outside time and emergency evacuations.

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