Story Behind Why Kids Are Being Seen Without Coats This Winter Goes Viral

Reddit mom by the username u/MindyS1719 is making a plea to the mom shamers of the world to please refrain from commenting on a child who is seen outside without a winter coat on this season. In a now-viral thread, the mother makes one very interesting point about how new car seat regulations prohibit children from wearing their bulky winter jacket while being buckled in, making every parent's job of dressing and undressing their child while out and about harder than ever.

According to consumerreports.org, "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." The site suggests covering young babies with fitted aftermarket covers approved by your car-seat manufacturer so as not to compromise safety. For older children, consumerreports.org suggests turning coats around so the coat covers the front of the child and not the back. This way kids can put their arms straight into the armholes so the coat functions as a blanket resting on top of them after they've already been buckled in.

Now, doesn't it makes a lot more sense for a child to be outside without a coat for 3 minutes than not buckled safely? The Reddit post drew several comments from other parents who are thrilled to hear this subject getting much-deserved attention:

"OMG thank you for this," one commented wrote. "I had this moment with my MIL this weekend and I thought she was going to short circuit when we told her."

And one commenter had the absolute mic drop: "How about a winter PSA for everyone to just mind their own business! My kid is not an open invitation for old busybodies to insert themselves into our day."

This thread is a great reminder that most of the time, parents are just doing the best they can. Parenting is a hard job, so before impulsively sharing your opinions on different management styles, remember you never really know the full story and it's probably not your place to criticize.