Parents are being warned by scientists to not allow babies to be in a rear-facing car seat and have them sleep for long periods of time due to a danger of blocking their airways. After half an hour sleeping in the seat, the amount of oxygen in the blood of babies aged under two months “dropped significantly”. Also, babies are not strong enough to control their neck muscles to stop head to flop. Continous uncontrol of the neck may lead babies to stop breathing.
Parents Must Know This
According to Mirror, researchers found all the babies had an increased heart and breathing rate - while a “significant” number saw their blood oxygen levels fall. Dr Peter Fleming, a pediatrician at Bristol University, carried out research on the pre-term and full-term babies. He said he is “concerned” about the results and findings. He also said that “Half an hour is not an issue but beyond that we can't say. So just think carefully what length of journey.”
It is feared young babies whose neck muscles are not strong enough to stop their heads flopping forward could stop breathing. Doctors are calling for all the car seat makers to provide consistent information to parents to warn them of the dangers of long car journeys with very young babies.'If you can avoid a journey, it's probably better to do so, restricted to no more than half an hour or so. But try to avoid unnecessary car journeys with young babies,' Fleming added.
The authors of the study said their findings still mean babies should travel in a properly secured child seat during car journeys.But they advise that an adult should sit next to the baby to make sure the infant is breathing properly, as reported by Daily Mail. "There have been reports of deaths of infants who have been left in a sitting position, including in car seats - both on journeys, and when parents have used it as an alternative to a pushchair or cot for the infant to sleep in."
Researchers Advice
A spokesperson at Good Egg Safety, a company which offers car safety advice for families said, "We advise that infants should not be in a car seat for longer than 90 minutes." “For longer car journeys we advise planning in regular breaks and taking your baby out of the car seat for a little while.” They said the best position for a newborn is to be laid flat, but rear-facing seats are fine if they’re “more upright”, for better protection in a collision.
Researchers challenge parents to think of some things they can do to try prevent a child’s head dropping forward in the car. Parenst mus be resourceful about it. “Before buying, try a few seats in the car and select one that gives a good recline position for a newborn. When using the seat, make sure it is installed correctly as per the manufacturer’s instructions, put your baby in the seat with their nappy touching the crotch strap" they researchers adviced.
