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Your child's winter coat may be endangering their safety: What every parent needs to know
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Many parents do this without even realizing. - photo by Melinda Fox
Melinda Fox
FamilyShare
Published: Jan 20, 2018, 5:39 PM
Winter driving can bring plenty of hazards, from exposing a little one to harsh air to slippery roads. However, you might be unknowingly endangering your child without even realizing it.

Children should not wear puffy winter coats underneath car seat straps. Automotive safety engineer, Emily A. Thomas, Ph.D. said "A bulky coat and a car seat can be a dangerous combination ... As a general rule, winter coats should not be worn underneath a car seat harness because that can leave the harness too loose to be effective in a crash."

Apparently the padding that fills the coat to insulate for warmth prevents the straps from being sufficiently tight, preventing the seatbelt technology from working effectively.

A video of a child-size dummy wearing a coat in a simulated car accident really drives this point home.

How do you know if your child's coat is too big?

First, put the coat on your child and buckle him into the car seat. Tighten the straps so you can no longer pinch the strap between your thumb and forefinger.

Next, unbuckle your child without loosening the straps at all, remove his coat and buckle him back in the car seat again. Check to see how much slack remains on the seatbelt straps. If the straps are too tight to pinch, then it's safe to wear under the seatbelt. However, if there is now slack on the straps, you should not allow your child to wear their coat in the car seat.

So how do you keep your little one both safe and warm?

Just because your child shouldn't wear a coat underneath her seatbelt doesn't mean she needs to freeze. Here are five alternatives to keep your little one warm:

  • Placing the coat on the child backwards after buckling the seat.
  • Putting blankets over your child (these can be easily removed as the car heats up.)
  • Get one of these coats specially designed not to get between your baby's body. and the car seat straps, therefore not obstructing the efficiency of the seatbelt
  • Turn the car on and let it heat up before taking your child into it.
  • Buy a car seat cover that keeps your baby warm without sacrificing safety.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.