Five reasons why your baby shouldn’t sleep in the car seat.
1. Poor Breathing
Babies have big heads compared to their size. When babies sleep for prolonged periods seating down, they have an increased risk of their neck bending forwards and their chins falling on their chest which may decrease airflow through their windpipes, decreases their oxygen supply and increases their risk of suffocation. That’s why premature babies are checked in their car seats, to make sure they can breathe well in it, before hospital discharge.
2. Spitting up.
Car seat places a baby in the seated or semi-supine position. (strollers, swings and infant carriers and some sleep positioner which puts the baby seating up also have this risk. ) The seated position bends their thighs, which pushes up their small stomachs and its contents and therefore increases their chances of spitting up and choking on their food.
Car seats have restraints, which protects your babies if you have an accident. However, these restraints can be a safety hazard when used for prolonged sleeping on babies who can already turn or roll over. These babies may become trapped in uncomfortable positions which increase their risk of injury and strangulation.
3. Loose accessories.
Loose accessories present in some car seats may increase a babies risk of injury or strangulation.
5. Not recommended by your baby doctor.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn’t recommend car seats for sleeping outside of vehicles. The most recent recommendations of the AAP is that babies should be placed in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat.
Here are other safe sleep recommendations:
• Place all babies to sleep on their backs
• Have them sleep on a firm bed surface.
• Place no loose bedding with babies inside their bed.
• Babies may use pacifiers during sleep
• Mothers shouldn’t expose their babies to second-hand smoke.
Please always keep your babies in the car seats while traveling. There’s a reason that all car seats have safety warnings that says there’s a risk of serious injury or death when they are not used as specified.
Your baby’s comfort is our Mission.
Andrew Faniku MD
Andrew Faniku is a pediatrician and father of four who focuses on giving parents practical guidance for a calmer, more comfortable beginning with their babies. He also writes short stories, paints in acrylics, and is steadily building his presence on social media. Connect with him online for more parenting tips and insight.
