The Winter Coat Car Seat Hack This Mom Invented Could Save Lives

Car seats cause parents lots of grief in general, but the winter months add a twist to already paranoid minds. New Hampshire mom Dahlia Rizk can certainly relate. Tired of wrestling her kids’ coats off every time she had to buckle them up, she decided to create an invention to solve the problem. Meet: Buckle Me Baby Coats, winter jackets designed for car seats in order to enhance safety while kids are in tow.

Image: Buckle Me Coats

Of course you want to bundle baby up when the temperature drops, but puffy coats make it harder to properly buckle them into car seats. Straps may feel nice and tight, but they could actually be dangerously loose, which is why the AAP warns against buckling kids up while they still have their bulky outerwear on.

But Rizk’s design turns traditional winter coats upside down by moving the zipper to the shoulder, as opposed to down the middle. This allows parents to easily unzip the coat, buckle the seat belt under the jacket and then either zip the coat back up or fold it into the side of the seat. See it in action:

The coats are crash tested and evaluated by Child Passenger Safety Technicians, first responders and EMTs, according to bucklemecoats.com. There are currently four styles to choose from, and they range from $80 to $150.

Image: Buckle Me Coats

Car seats are an overwhelming topic for lots of parents. In fact, choosing the right car seat is the No. 1 cause for stress when it comes to child safety gear, according to a September 2018 Volvo Car USA study. To help lighten the load, take a look at all the car seat safety tips every parent should know about.

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