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Babycapes – Innovative and Adorable Outerwear!

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Bundling up babies, toddlers and preschoolers is definitely not some of the easiest – nor the fastest – parts of parenting.

Then add the complication of buckling these wrapped up kids into car seats and things really get tricky!

The wind is howling, the air is frozen, the car seat is cold, and somehow we are supposed to strip down our kids to fasten them in their car seats! HELP! That makes me cold just thinking about it.

“always remove bulky clothing or blankets before you place your child in the seat” – National Highway Transportation Authority

So ingenious moms, Elizabeth Hostler and Suzi Crowder, created Babycapes — an outerwear solution for the daily struggle of trying to get little ones into car seats with bulky winter coats.

With Babycapes, you don’t have to take off your child’s coat to strap them in their car seat. The back simply opens up, so there is no bulky fabric between your child, the back of the car seat and the car seat straps. As well, you can easily access the straps to quickly fasten in your child. It is cold — and you want to move fast!

The Babycape also works great in a stroller, a front carrier — and as a poncho. I use Olivia’s Minky Sherpa Suede Babycape as a beautiful, warm winter poncho. It doesn’t get much cuter that that!

The Babycape’s convenient front opening provides easy access to harness straps keeping baby safe and snug while the innovative back opening allows you to easliy slip your child into a stroller, car seat, etc. — without unbundling!

Assembled in the USA, Babycapes are wonderful, custom-made garments available in a variety of luxurious, machine washable fabrics. One size fits newborn to preschooler, so one Babycape will last several seasons!

The Babycapes come in three different fabrics.

The luxurious Minky Sherpa Suede that Olivia is wearing here is just gorgeous. It is the heaviest weight of the Babycapes and provides the most protection against the wind and cold. Although the outer layer looks and feels like suede, it’s completely washable!

Their softest Babycape is made of yummy Minky Marshmallow. It is heavyweight, but more pliable than the sherpa suede and will also keep your child warm and cozy.

Finally, Babycapes come in a Minky Cuddle. This super-soft, lighter weight fabric is perfect for warmer climates, or for spring, fall and cool summer mornings and evenings.

This winter, adding a Babycape to your little one’s winter wardrobe will be a gift for both of you! Or if you are looking for a beautiful and thoughtful gift for someone else with a baby or toddler, a Babycape would be perfect for a baby shower or a Christmas present.

Through to the end of November, 5 Minutes for Mom readers can enter the code “5 Minutes for Mom” in the comments section at checkout for a free hat valued at $18!

And for a chance to win a Babycape of your choice, leave a comment at this post. (If you are a blogger, feel free to mention this contest on your site if you want!)

This giveaway is open to both US and Canadian shipping addresses. We will draw a winner November 8th.

Reader Interactions


271 Comments

  14. i didnt realize how dangerous a coat could be. i was wondering how to keep my son safe and warm this winter… now i know!

  20. So sweet! Minky Marshmallow! These are fabulous for those fast walkers who won’t let you put their arms in a jacket! And the hood is perfect since so many that age hate hats!

  26. I looked all through their site and couldn’t find out if these would fit a 4 yr. old. If so, I really like the pink suede cape. Thank you!

  41. This is wonderful! Something to keep my two granddaughters warm in chilly North Dakota. Almost looks like a portable igloo! I love them !

  44. what beautiful capes. the thought of cuddly soft minky on a chilly day sounds awesome. my girls w ould love this. they hate putting on coats, buttoning up. these are perfect.

  45. I LOVE Babycapes!!! I have one for my one yr. old and NOW would LOVE to win one for my niece! They are adorable and so easy to use!!!!!! GREAT INVENTION!!!!!!

  60. Wow, what a neat concept for winter!
    I have taught our daughter to wear her coat on backwards while in the car, so that it is over her carseat buckles, and still keeps her semi-warm…. but BabyCapes sound like they work even better than that, especially for infants!
    Now Im going to go check out their website! Thanks for promoting this! 🙂

  61. brilliant idea! I am always paranoid about getting the straps tight enough with bulky clothes on the babe…this would solve the problem for the next 3-4 years!

  67. Too cute! My little one loves to be wrapped in her blankies, so this would be great! Thanks for the giveaway!

  74. please please please enter me ive got 2 girls here that would so loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee these

  77. My daughter would look adorable in this, and it would be so much easier to get her in and out of the carseat! We don’t have a garage, and park on the street, so it’s a little bit of a walk to get inside from the car! With an infant carseat in one hand it’s hard to get my daughter in her seat properly and quickly!

  78. I would love to win this for my soon to be granddaughter – I love the pink suede one – oh so cute

  81. I would love to win one in a larger or smaller size for either of my girls…especially with winter coming soon. Thanks!

  94. oh these are adorable!! Please sign us up. My little sister is pregnant and I would love to win one of these for her.

  101. I have two little ones under the age of 2 (Who finally just went to sleep) That would look amazing in this!!!

  105. oh, my niece would look so cute in one of these! My kids are too big for them~~Would love to win one for Christmas1 Thanks!

  113. OMG! Those are adorable! I have a little girl soon to arrive and I would love to put one of these on her!

  118. These are adorable, such a wonderful idea. I’m sure it would make a great gift that can be used for years and years. I would love to have one for my little girl.

  120. These are beautiful and so practical for this weather. My daughter would love this and would look cute as a button.

  122. I love the Minky Marshmallow in Marshmallow green w/ skulls. This would be great for my son as he is a new walker and I think this is easier to walk in than a stiff winter coat.

  128. I always that the cape looked so cute on little girls and I wanted to get one…but I had a son. Now that I have my dd…I would love to win this for her! Thank you for this great giveaway!

  130. This is wonderful! I need a new coat for my daughter…what fun it would be to have a new “cape” for her. Thanks for this great new product.

  136. I have been coveting one of these caps since I first saw them last fall. I would love one for my daughter.

  138. I would just love the Minky Marshmallow in the pink with daisies. How gorgeous! Thank you so much for this wonderful chance!

  144. Oh my goodness that is beautiful, My princess would love this and if the next is a girl she will enjoy it too!

  145. These would be perfect. I hated having to take jackets on and off with the car seats when my kids were smaller.

  146. What an adorable idea!! I would love to win a soft little babycape…either to pass on to one of two little babies currently on the way (nieces and/or nephews) or to selfishly keep for the little one we are trying for!!

  152. Hmmm I would have to pick between the brown sherpa suede for the toddler and the pink minky marshmallow for the baby girl. I think the baby needs it more right now. Thanks for the chance to win one of these; they are wonderful!

  162. I love the Blue Sherpa Suede, but I think the Cuddle Green with Skulls would work better for our climate! They are all adorable! Thanks!

  169. I would love one of these for my little one . . . I have been eyeing them for a while now! So excited that this contest is open to Canadians, too!

  170. wow i love to try and win this its so cute and i know my little one would realy like it as well

  171. We live in Arizona, but it gets cold in the winters still. The minky cuddle would be great for our little beauty. Thanks for the chance to win!

  172. Those capes are sooooo adorable, and definietly look like less of a fight than his jacket!! I would love to be entered!

  182. I know a certain Li’l Empress who would look really royally cute in one of those capes!

  183. These are perfect for those days you can’t keep all the layers on your kid when driving around!!!!

  199. I LOVE these baby capes! I secretly wish they had one in my size… 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!

    Lindsey
    ladyufshalott at yahoo.com

  202. I am awaiting the birth of our first great grandchild and I think this would be adorable. Thank you for the contest and good luck to all.

  210. I would love to have one of these for my daughter. The midwest winters can be brutal! m_huston(at)hotmail(dot)com

  214. These absolutely work on a three-year-old! My youngest daughter, one of the original Babycapes Girls, loves her cape–she will be three in a couple of months, and is now wearing her cape daily. Also, my four-year-old son has a camouflage cape and my almost seven-year-old daughter wear hers as a stylish poncho. For the older ones, they can use the foot pocket to tuck their hands in!

  219. Hey Janice, these are way cute! Either of my twins would look great in the Minky cuddle! We’re in VA Beach area, so it DOES get cold, but we have a much longer fall season and spring comes a lot quicker – we’d definitely get more use from the cuddle!!! Thanks for considering me!! 🙂

  221. I really need to win this! My daughter is in a car seat, i hate having to adjust the straps to make her bulky coat fit too!

  230. So neat, I would love this, That would save me from running to the car to start it and allow it to warm up before bringing the kids out.

  231. What a fantastic idea…I always worry about the bulky stuff–they’re either not buckled in safely because they have their coats on, or they’re freezing cold for 15 minutes while the car warms up! This is the perfect solution! Thanks for the chance to win.

  232. This is absolutely adorable! I also want to say TY for giving your readers this opportunity! You rock!

  239. Those are so cute! I have a granddaughter that would love these! 🙂 thank you for the opportunity to be a winner! 🙂

  241. I LOVE those!!! What a brilliant idea! And that it would fit for a couple years is awesome! Sign me up for a win (please?)! 🙂

  245. O.K. I’m not sure it would work with a 3 year old, but it IS very cool. Wish I had thought of it, but I’m glad someone did!

  247. Thanks so much. This is a wonderful item. So nice not to struggle putting arms in sleeves You know your little one is nice and warm wearing a babycape.

  251. My daughter is only 6 months old, so I haven’t had the “fun” of trying to manage cold weather gear and carseats at the same time, and I would love to continue to avoid it haha!
    Not to mention, while we live in Texas, my husband’s extended family lives in Wisconsin, where we frequently visit over Christimas!

  252. How adorable is that cape? I would love the lighter fabric since I live in area that gets cold at night but warms up a bit in the day.

  253. Oh this would look just adorable for a photo on my daughter in the middle of light snow falling around her. Oh, I want one!!! Too cute!!!!

  259. This may be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It looks so cuddly and warm! I would love to get one!

  265. Ditto on the never winning thing…but I figure it’s worth a shot. This could be a great down-the-road wear for my sweetie pie.

  266. I never win these kinds of contests but I’m willing to try anyway. My one year old little girl would look darling in a babycape. Thanks for the tip!

  267. I would love to win this. My daughter is such a squirmer she is hard to buckle in her seat on a good day.