Are Buckle Me Baby Coats compatible with car seats?
Buckle Me Baby Coats have been crash tested at an independent University crash test facility where they not only outperformed traditional puffy coats but also tested similarly to no coat at all! The coats have been evaluated by CPSTs who give them two thumbs up! Interested in seeing our crash test footage in action? Click here: Crash Test Video

Have Buckle Me Baby Coats been evaluated by Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs)?

We collaborated with local New Hampshire Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs), firemen, and first responders who physically examined the coat and found it to be a safer option to the puffy winter coat and similar to no coat. Since our start our coats have been evaluated in person by many Child Passenger Safety Techs across the country you can read many of the CPST reviews here: Child Passenger Safety Reviews

What's the difference between Toasty, Toastier, and Toastiest?

Toasty is our original car seat coat design with a lower neckline than the other coats for little ones who don't like how things feel on their neck.

Toastier and Toastiest provide more coverage for the neck and head against harsh, whipping winds. Toastier and Toastiest also have extendable sleeves for longer wear across seasons.
Toastiest has a fully removable magnetic hood and a thicker warmer sherpa liner as well as Made in US designer flannel in the back. 

Any choice would work wonderfully at keeping your little love toasty warm and safely dressed for the car seat all at the same time! 

How warm is the coat - are there temperature ratings?

This question has become very popular since sleeping bags started promoting their temperature ratings. Sleeping bag companies can rate bags because a sleeping person is inactive and (most often) in a sheltered environment, eliminating many of the variables which make ratings for coats so difficult and inaccurate.

Temperature ratings in winter coats are a bit of a marketing gimmick – most reputable companies like Patagonia don’t provide temperature ratings either. As a one Mama startup I make a promise that is true – this coat is crash tested and designed to be safer than traditional coats and can be used with the same harness setting as no coat at all without adjustments. I don’t want to mix promises that are true with marketing terms that are debatable.

With all that just because I don’t give exact ratings doesn’t mean we don’t make super warm jackets. There is one simple rule that determines how warm a jacket is: thickness equals warmth. Which is why our coats are stuffed with 1.5 inches of thick warm coziness. You may notice that other coats LOOK puffier but what you don’t know is that most coats are sewn with baffles (like pockets) then the insulation is blown in giving it a puffy look but the actual coat itself isn’t very thick (that's why when you throw it in the washer it totally flattens out). Buckle Me Baby Coats are designed with a sheet of insulation that is hand quilted in giving the coat even warm cozy coverage all over.

We tested our coats against a sleeping bag rated for -15 degree weather. Using dry ice and a handheld heat loss device our coats retained heat BETTER than the sleeping bag at the 1 minute, 5 minute, 10 minute and 20 minute mark) Fun fact: At the 20 minute mark the sleeping bag had lost a whopping 17 degrees of heat!)

Want even more proof check out this Canadian CPST Mama’s review in sub zero weather! Cold Weather Review

Can't I Just Do The Same Thing With a Traditional Coat?

Test it out at home! Buckle your child in the car seat with no coat on and adjust the harness properly then take them out – put your traditional coat on – and try to buckle them back in without readjusting.

It can’t be done.

The puffiness of the coat makes it impossible to tighten the harness to the “no coat” setting. Buckle Me Baby Coats split along the side and shoulder seams and is thinner in the back than in the front so you can set the harness with no coat on then use your Buckle Me Baby Coat without any adjustments!

What about the back of the coat - is that puffy too?

The back of the fabric is thinner than the front leaving no excess fabric to create slack in the harness. In fact, you can adjust the harness with no coat on – put the coat back on and use the car seat with the coat without readjusting the harness again.

Take a look: How The Coat Works