Car Seat Poncho

The creative urge struck today and collided with the need to keep the kids warm yet safe in the car. We all know that winter jackets, snowsuits, and most car seat cover devices ( the bundle me covers and the like) are a big no-no in car seats. If you are in a collision, the fabric can compress leaving a huge gap between your child and the straps on the seat resulting in a child falling out of a car seat. The low tech solution is to simply cover your child with a blanket once you have them safely buckled in. The high tech solution is a car seat poncho. With a poncho, there is nothing between your child and the buckles, nothing between your child and the back of the car seat. You simply place the back of the poncho over the top of the car seat as you place the child in and put the straps on under the top of the poncho. Once the child is buckled in, you can cover them back up with the front of the poncho and keep them warm. No taking coats on and off every time you get in and out of the car.I made ponchos today for Gabe and Abby. A big plus is I found most of the material in the remnant bin at the fabric store and they were an additional 70% off so under $2 per yard of fleece is a very good deal. I made these ponchos double layer because things get a tad cold around here in the winter. And this way they can stay warm from the car to the buildings and we can simply leave their coats at home for playing in the snow. I'd hoped to make them a tad longer but was working off directions for an infant poncho and forgot to get a bit of extra fleece to compensate for the taller child.
By the time I'd finished Abby's up, I'd figured out how to do the hood properly so her poncho looks much better than Gabe's. That's the price you pay for Mom made, working on the fly handiwork. But they are cute and the kids are happy.

On a side note, if you are one of those parents who are buckling your kid into the car seat with a heavy coat on or a snowsuit or a bundle-me because you want them to stay warm, please do a bit more reading on the safety of such usage. Keeping them safe is much more important than the time saved by not taking the coats on and off all the time.