Updated on April 6, 2017
A Winter Coat That’s Car Seat Safe? Meet the Cozywoggle!
I received these items at no cost in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.
Winter weather is officially here. It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s miserable fantastic! With the cold weather comes the dreaded season of layering and un-layering every time you take your kids to and from the car. They get cold, you get cold, and then nobody’s happy. It’s a necessary inconvenience in order to keep your little ones buckled up safely throughout the winter. But what if there was an easier way? What if there was a way to seamlessly go from the car to the playground/school/outdoor winter fun-filled activity and back to the car without ever having to remove a coat or risk your kids complaining about being cold? That would be a dream come true, right? Well, you can pinch yourself because you’re not dreaming and this is possible! I want you to meet the Cozywoggle. The Cozywoggle is a true winter coat that can be worn safely in a rear or forward facing car seat without interfering with the car seat’s harness. You read that right, a true winter coat. Forget the extra layers, forget packing a blanket forget taking a coat off and turning it backwards. The Cozywoggle is all you need this winter.
The Details:
The Cozywoggle is a winter coat designed by mom of two littles, Cherlyn. When her children were little, she learned that it wasn’t safe to buckle them into their car seats wearing heavy coats or snowsuits. There simply weren’t any solutions on the market that looked and functioned as a proper coat while still being safe for use in the car seat. So, she invented one!
The Cozywoggle is constructed with a heavy duty 100% wind and water resistant polyester outer layer. The inner layer of the coat is lined with fleece, and in between it’s filled with a polyester fill for warmth. The front of the coat zips closed with a full length zipper, and has two pockets. The coat is equipped with a detachable hood that is also lined with fleece. For all intents and purposes, the Cozywoggle appears to be just a regular winter coat. Under each arm you’ll find a zipper that runs from the bottom of the coat right up to the cuff. This zipper can be unzipped completely so that the back of the coat can be flipped up behind the child in their car seat. In this way, the coat is out of the way of the car seat harness so there’s nothing extra sitting between your child and the back of the car seat, or between your child and the car seat’s harness.
How can you be sure that the Cozywoggle is truly safe to use in a rear or forward facing car seat? Cherlyn wanted to be sure that the coat she’d created was safe for children to use in their car seat. For this reason, the Cozywoggle was crash tested in a lab in both rear and forward facing car seats. The Cozywoggle passed the crash testing! It’s absolutely safe for use with your littles in their car seats.
The Cozywoggle is warm enough to be worn as a proper winter coat when out and about. Whether you’re making the mad dash from the car to preschool or daycare, or you’re heading out for some fun in the snow, the Cozywoggle has your child covered. With its 100% wind and water resistant exterior, you can be confident that your child is going to stay warm, cozy, and (perhaps most importantly) DRY even when they’re out rolling around in the snow.
The Cozywoggle is available in sizes 12 months, 18 months, 2T, 3T, 4, 5, and 6. It is available in four great colours: purple, green, blue with yellow lining, and grey with orange lining.
How It Works:
Now that you know what the Cozywoggle promises and how it’s supposed to work, the real question is, how does it perform? I have two Cozywoggle coats, one in size 18 month for Petit Prince and one in size 4 for The Heir. Let’s start out with the fit. When you first look at the coats, you might think they look pretty big. I was a little skeptical that the 18 month size would actually fit Petit Prince (he’s 16 months old now, but we have a long winter ahead of us). Let me just say that when I put these coats on my boys, I was blown away with the fit. Not only did they fit beautifully, but they actually looked really nice and not ridiculously bulky. The fit on Petit Prince is great! His hands actually make it all the way through the cuffs without me needing to bunch the sleeves up. Plus, his hands don’t really slip into the sleeves because the cuff is snug enough that his hands stay out of the coat sleeve. This is important because at 16 months old, he really likes to have access to his hands, so if they slip into a coat sleeve it’s a surefire way to start a meltdown. The length is great for him and covers his bum without being so long that it restricts his movement (being a relatively new walker and all). There’s still some room for him to grow into the size 18 month Cozywoggle which is key since it’s just the beginning of what promises to be a LONG winter (winter tends to last a good 6 months in this part of the world). How about the fit on The Heir? He’s four years old, and by all accounts is perfectly average sized for his age. The size 4 fits him really well. Again, there’s still some room to grow through the season, but it’s not baggy or too long on him. The Cozywoggle covers his bum, and is a nice narrow cut through the body. It looks pretty sharp, if you ask me!
Let’s talk about how the Cozywoggle works. At first, I was unzipping the sides completely when putting the kids in the car. That meant that when we reached our destination, I had the tedious task of putting the zipper back together at the cuff before I could zip the coat closed again. I quickly figured out that it wasn’t necessarily to completely undo the zipper at the side! What I do is unzip it to about an inch from the cuff. Then the boys just pull their hands out of the coat cuff and I can flip the back of the Cozywoggle up over the car seat. Then when we’ve arrived at our destination, I simply have the unbuckle the kids, they slide their hands through the cuffs and I can zip the coat closed in a jiffy.
The whole idea behind the Cozywoggle is that you can simply unzip the sides, flip the coat up over the back of the car seat, and then buckle your child into the harness securely. It absolutely does all that. The Heir is downright obsessed with his Cozywoggle. He calls it his transformer coat, and the first time I “transformed” it for him he was completely blown away. I’ve never seen him so excited about an article of clothing before (except maybe his SpiderMan costume). I love that the Cozywoggle is completely out of the way of the harness so I can really see what I’m doing when I buckle the kids into their seats. I can access the harness to make sure it passes the pinch test, and I can easily lift the front of the coat to see that the chest clip is in the correct position at armpit level. Because the Cozywoggle is cut narrow through the body (this contributes to its stylish appearance as a coat), it doesn’t provide as much coverage over The Heir’s body as a blanket or poncho might. However, because the coat is so warm and functions as a winter coat, I don’t find this to be a problem. The Heir can tuck his arms under the front of the coat if he’s cold in the car, and when he warms up, the coat isn’t covering so much of him that he’s going to overheat.
For Petit Prince, I prefer to keep the detachable hood off when we’re going to be using it in the car. Unlike his older brother, he’s a little more, shall we say particular about some things. One of those things is a hood or hat in the car. He dislikes his toque at the best of times (if you’re American I believe you’d call that a winter hat), and hoods up over his head are a complete no go for him at this stage. I love that the hood of the Cozywoggle is detachable! I simply remove it so it’s a non issue for him in the car. I think in general, you’d want to remove the hood of the Cozywoggle for younger babies and toddlers anyway just because it is thick and might push your child’s head forward a bit more than you’d like.
What about the warmth factor? It gets pretty cold here in the winter, so I’m looking for a winter coat that will keep the kids warm for thirty minutes to an hour in temperatures as low as -10 C (that’s 14 F). It gets much colder than that here, but when it’s nearing -20 C (-4 F), we aren’t spending more than five to ten minutes outside at a time. The Cozywoggle is absolutely warm enough for playing outside in -10 to -15 C temperatures. It was -2 C the other day and both boys wore their Cozywoggle coats with just a regular shirt and sweater underneath. They were both warm enough even after playing outside for over an hour. It was great! When it gets to the -15 range, I’d probably layer a light fleece under the coat if the kids were going to be playing outside for a while, but I think that’s perfectly acceptable and expected with any winter coat.
The Cozywoggle is water resistant, but is that enough for playing in the snow? It sure is! After over an hour in the snow (and by that I mean Petit Prince spent most of the time rolling and laying in the snow), both kids were still dry under their coats. They performed beautifully as winter coats!
Pros:
- 100% wind and water resistant exterior
- Fleece lined interior
- Functions as a proper winter coat
- Safe to use in both rear and forward facing car seats
- Does not interfere with the car seat harness
- Detachable hood
- Fits like a regular coat
- Stylish cut
- No need for blankets to stay warm in the car
- Does not need to be removed before getting in the car seat
- Great price!
Cons:
- Still need to do something at the car (unzip the sides)
Final Thoughts:
I’m actually really liking the Cozywoggle! I was a little skeptical at first that it wouldn’t look like a nice coat, or that it would be too much of a hassle to bother with at the car. Not only does it look pretty stylish and like an actual coat, but it’s surprisingly convenient and quick to make the necessary adjustments before buckling up. Unzipping the sides just most of the way to the cuff saves me from having to struggle to get the zipper started at the end of the cuff each time (I don’t know what it is about becoming a parent, but all of a sudden starting a zipper seems incredibly difficult). The Cozywoggle flips up and over the back of the car seat easily and doesn’t slide down and in the way when I’m adjusting the harness. It’s easy to check and see that the harness is positioned correctly, and the kids can stay cozy and warm even on the coldest of days under the front of the Cozywoggle. I really appreciate that the coat functions well as a winter coat. These are the winter coats for the kids this year, without a doubt. They’re warm enough and water resistant enough for the snowy winter ahead. When The Heir dashes out of his preschool class, I don’t have to insist he put on a bunch of layers before he can play outside only to need to remove those layers before he gets in the car to go home. Now, he just tosses on his Cozywoggle (or his transformer coat as he calls it) and off he goes.
The Cozywoggle is available to purchase directly through the Cozywoggle website and retails for $59.99 USD. Cozywoggle ships to both Canada and the USA.
How would you like the chance to WIN a Cozywoggle for your little one this winter? One lucky reader has the chance to WIN a Cozywoggle in their choice and size and colour from CJ’s Kids! Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents, 18+, and closes on December 7th, 2016. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Don’t forget to follow the Happy Holidays giveaway “hop” and enter the other awesome giveaways linked up below!
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This is so smart! I had no idea something like this existed. I love how it functions as an actual coat as well.
I love that’s its so user friendly!! I love that it’s warm and keeps my child warm and safe in his seat!! Plus I love the colors and that adorable penguin 😉
This is genius! The zipper to transform it is exactly what I’ve been looking for!
love that it is a warm coat when out of the car, but safe when in the seat.
What I like best about it is that it’s heavy duty and keeps your child safe and warm while buckled safely into the car seat.
What a great idea! I love that it becomes a jacket with a couple of quick zips! Much more practical for toddlers than the car seat poncho that I have seen. Thank you
I like that a mom made this,it’s genius.
Having seen this coat in person (at your house), I must echo your sentiments! It’s a legit functional coat, but also car seat safe, plus it’s adorable!
I love that it’s car seat friendly and so easy to convert.
That is CLEVER! I like it can be worn in a car seat and all around town.
Just the product I was looking for! Love how it transforms into a jacket as well!
I LOVE that it is a functional coat outside of the car too. I’ve seen the ponchos around but what good is yet another additional thing to pack around???
I LOVE this! I just made a car seat poncho to serve this same purpose, but this coat is genius!!! One step outerwear, so great! Even now with the car seat poncho, I have to dress many layers underneath and I find it hard to do up the car seat straps. The cozywoggle looks so simple and effortless. Not too late to be added to a Christmas wish list!
How to keep a child warm and safe in their car seat has been on my mind lately. I love that this saves having to change coats in a parking lot because it functions as both a coat and car seat cover! Perfectly timed post!
I Love this idea, i have a 2 yr old Grandson this would work Perfect for..Thank you
I really like this idea. We use to always just take their coats off turn them around on them.
Apart from it being unique in an obvious way, I love that it’s made of heavy-duty material. And I focused on it right away when opened this post for the first time.
Thanks for user-testing the Cozywoggle in Canadian winter. I was worried it wouldn’t be warm enough to serve as a coat coat (we walk to daycare most days).
The Cozywoggle: an innovative new coat that keeps young children safe in car seats. Love to have one for my nephew safe to use for him in his seat.
I like that the coats are safe to wear in car seats.
wow were these guys thinking when they came up with this!!!!! absolutely brilliant. the fact that you dont have to worry about taking off your childs coat when they get to the car and putting a blanket on them. that they can keep their same coat on but be car seat safe. love it
it is just such a relief to no longer have to chose between safety and comfort for your child.
When visiting the website I learned and really liked that they have been crash tested!
I like that it can be worn in a car seat.
i like that it’s functional yet still look cool
I like that it was invented by a mother. I also like that it doesn’t interfere with the car seat harness 🙂
What I like best is that it transforms into a jacket.
I like that this was created by a mom with small kids.
I would love to have this coat for my daughter, it looks like it would be so much faster to get her in and out of the car without having to take her coat on and off and have a blanket for her carseat that she will just toss off.
I love that it’s stylish and safe!
I like that the coats are safe to wear in car seats.
i now a family who just got custody of 3 little one who use this with there 5 kids
I like it because it is safe to wear in a car seat.
What a cool (warm) idea! This is perfect for our cold winters in Wisconsin!!
This is great!! I know my little niece and nephew could use one of these.
Great idea!! What a great option for safety and keeping your child warm!
I like that it is multi-functional. It can be used when the child is in a carseat or as a standard coat.
I love that this is car seat safe, and comes in so many great colours
I really like the Cozy Woggle because it can fit over the harness and my baby will be warm.
I like how it doesn’t interfere with the harness of a car seat and easily converts to a winter coat. Brilliant!
Besos Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
These look awesome. It’s been so hard trying to find a safe outfit for my petite 2 year old!
I love that I finally found an option for my daughter for a winter coat in a car seat that will keep her safe!
So cool! I love that it fits like a regular coat and becomes carseat safe, that’s awesome. I’ve been looking for something and most of the stuff I’ve seen have been similar to Poncho’s and that’s just really not my jam.
I really like this idea. Here it doesn’t get as cold as in Canada (and I remember cold, I used to live in Edmonton..), but it has been getting colder and colder, even with snow storms, this winter. This is the first winter of my LO and I having trying to figure out a way to get her out of the house and into the car without having to waste so much time putting a coat on and off for just 3 minutes outside. I so would get a Cozywoggle, but their sizes are too big yet – we need a 3-6 month size. Still, I’ll consider it for next winter.
I’d find an actual coat to be too much of a hassle at 3-6 months, but a car seat poncho would work really well at that age! Mouse & Hatter Design makes great ones: https://themonarchmommy.com/2016/11/06/mouse-hatter-designs-car-seat-poncho/
This coat looks fantastic. I am one winter ahead of myself in researching coats for a toddler but will definitely keep this in mind for next winter. I like that it works for the car seat and play.
Thoughtful safe design, nice features.