“This is a winter public service announcement to anyone who hasn’t had a baby in the last 5(ish) years:
If you’re out and about and see a parent with a baby or toddler who isn’t wearing a coat, please do not assume that parent is some kind of monster who doesn’t care if their kids freeze.
New car seat guidelines avidly warn against children wearing coats in car seats, and this makes it really challenging for caregivers (particularly those with multiple small children) to get kids out of the house, then in and out of the car, and to the destination.
I can’t count how many moms have told me their personal stories of being judged or harassed out in public because their kids weren’t wearing coats for this exact reason. It’s something we all are struggling with, but no one really seems to be addressing.
The no-coats-in-car-seats rule is still new enough that it isn’t widely known by everyone who isn’t actively dealing with it every day.
Seriously, it’s chaos. Since there’s not a great commercial product to solve this issue yet, everyone comes up with their own solutions.
Some use blankets. Some use lots of warm layers like hats andgloves. Some (God bless them) do the coat shuffle at every stop and decide their kid would survive the 12-second walk from the car into Best Buy without the bubble coat.
So, what I’m saying is, cut parents some slack. We’re trying. And we’re doing everything we can to make sure our kids are warm while maintaining what’s left of our sanity.
I hope this post spreads a bit of awareness and people can respond more compassionately when they see a mom trying to shuffle her coatless kids around this winter.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Nicky Campbell of Ohio. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.
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