With winter in high gear, you know that your baby should be warm and as safe as any other time of the year.
And probably most of the clothes you are dressing him/her are puffy.
By now you must be aware that those puffy clothes and coats are a no-no when your baby is traveling in a baby car seat because they compromise the position and tension of the harness system.
So how do you keep your child warm and safe when traveling in a car on a chilly day?
Luckily, there are tons of lightweight garments that can keep your baby warm in the car seat while not interfering with the seat belt positioning.
In this post, we present to you footmuffs and car seat bunting bags, tapered and often quilted garments that fit over the car seat or stroller protecting your baby against cold, snow or rain.
With that out of the way, let’s go over the best baby car seat footmuffs for 2021.
But which are the best three of all?
Lightweight and universally adaptable | |||
Globally respected brand | |||
All season and reversible |
Bébéar is a top rated lightweight but warm cover that you can use with all types of baby carriers and in all seasons.
Features
Baby bunting arguably the best winter infant car seat cover, is an all-season reversible bunting bag designed to keep your baby cozy and safe while on the go throughout the year.
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Enjoy a toasty car travel with Skip Hop’s universal-fit and plush baby bunting suit. A globally recognized brand, this footmuff will wow you with its smart design and high functionality.
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The sleek and contemporary 7AM Enfant Baby Bunting Bag is the ideal outwear to keep your baby full body warm and dry, no matter the baby car seat you have or the age and size of your baby.
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Eric Carle is a colorful and adorable yet functional baby bunting bag snowsuit that gives your little one a warm, soft and comfortable feel in his/her car seat.
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Fairy Baby is a weather resistant nylon footmuff optimized to provide your baby with all-weather protection.
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Quinny is a cute baby car seat footmuff unique to and crash tested with the Mico Infant baby bunting car seats.
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If you are one of those parents who love their infants to have a warm and cozy sleep as they ride, then Aurelius is the best baby snowsuit for you. It hugs your baby as you would in your laps giving him/her a sweet sleep and you the peace of mind.
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Coaballa is a highly functional footmuff guaranteed to keep your baby cozy in any type of carrier.
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Britax footmuff is a premium quality cozy toe optimized to keep your baby warm and snug in his/her carrier.
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Here’s the naked truth:
A baby car seat footmuff only provides warmth and comfort and therefore, you may want to add a baby car head and neck support pillow to reinforce your baby’s undeveloped neck muscles that are unable to keep the head from flopping while on the move. There will thus be an extra step when this type of pillow is to be used with the footmuff.
Remove the Velcro pads covering the seat belts and slip out the head and neck support pillow from the baby car seat and the harness system.
Spread out the pillow on the baby car seat with the top part coming to the car seat head section and bring the harness straps through the provided slits.
Replace the head and neck support pillow on top of the footmuff and bring the harness through its slits as well.
Replace the Velcro pads on the harness straps.
Place your baby in the car seat and buckle the seat belt straps making sure that they are tight enough.
Zip and/or button up the footmuff depending on its design
Remove the car seat belt Velcro pads and spread the footmuff on the baby car seat with its head part coinciding with the car seat head section.
Bring the seat belt straps through the provided slits on the footmuff and replace the Velcro pads.
Place your child in the car seat and buckle the harness straps again ensuring that they are taut enough
Zip and/or button up the footmuff to cover the baby.
Please have a look at this short baby bunting car seat installation video from Maxi-Cosi.
Footmuffs come in different designs and have several uses, and you may want to consider the following factors before purchasing your footmuff or bunting bag.
Here’s a fact:
Footmuffs or cozytoes are needed in all kinds of outdoor baby carriers to protect your baby from the elements. They are needed in a pushchair, stroller, pram, jogger, swing, car seat and so on.
There are tons of footmuffs or bunting bags that can universally fit in all these types of carriers.
If you have other types of baby carriers besides the baby car seat, you may want to consider a universal footmuff so that you only make a single purchase.
Different footmuffs provide different levels of heat control depending on the fabric used.
Wool stuffing and interior cotton lining provide more warmth and this is recommended if you are in a colder climate. The exterior may be waterproof synthetic fabric, such as polyester or nylon.
If you are in a warmer climate, you should go for a lighter, breathable fabric such as cotton only lining.
Finally, there are those footmuffs optimized for all season use, such as by having more breathable cotton instead of polyester and a detachable hood and foot pouch. This allows you to purchase only one footmuff for all year and all region use. A potential disadvantage is that it may not be warm enough when it’s too cold.
The sole purpose of having your baby in a baby car seat is safety and therefore, any additional item should not create any safety hazard.
Going by this, any footmuff or bunging bag that you intend to purchase should accommodate your baby carrier harness system. This means that if your carrier harness has two, three, four or five straps, then the footmuff should have the corresponding number of slits on it back part.
It would also be important to confirm with the manufacturer whether the footmuff is compatible with your type of baby carrier.
Finally, research to find out whether the product has had a safety recall.
The reassuring comfort of knowing that your child is safe and sound as you drive is worth this effort.
It goes without saying that your best winter car seat cover should be easy to install, but more noteworthy is that it should allow easy access to your child once you have covered him/her in it.
The features to allow this include a detachable hood and foot pouch, as well as full-length zipper design.
Cost is an unavoidable constraint and it is always worthwhile to find a good footmuff within your budget. Luckily, by clicking on our reviewed footmuffs you will realize that there are good footmuffs and bunting bags ranging from as low as $20 to as high as $200.
Depending on your taste and interests, you may want to go for a stylish footmuff or one that attracts your child. Additionally, most footmuffs come in a variety of colors and you may want to choose one that matches your car interior.
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