Parents, beware: Long periods of sleep in car seats dangerous for babies

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Nov 15, 2016 12:53 PM EST

A study by scientists at Bristol University has observed that infants resting longer in an auto seat could confront breathing dangers, and lethal results could take after.

They study proclaimed that it was a dangerous act to let babies sleep inside the car for a longer period of time. This might cause suffocation and can lead to infant death.

For the meantime, the specialists explained that the clinical relevance of the discoveries is subjected for confirmation.

The team used a vehicle stimulator set in a laboratory. They studied the potential negative properties towards a newborn baby sleeping at a 40 angel in a car seat. The study was assumed a sleeping baby during a travel, generally they experimented on 40 infants of different ages.

"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," said Peter Fleming, a pediatrician at the Bristol University.

During the analysis, research workers showcased the impacts of an infant sleeping in a car seat while the auto was running at a speed of 30 mph. In a certain situation, it displayed that the blood oxygen level of two months old babies considerably declined. Their heart beat also goes up.

The crucial outcome showed that, babies remained steady at a 40 angle for at least 30 minutes yielded a serious problem to the baby. Their heart rate and breathing rate were increased while resulted to a reduced blood oxygen level.

The result was differentiated to a baby sleeping in a flat position.

Significance of Study

Depicting on the importance of the research, Fleming highlighted infants' death throughout extended car trips.

The research expects relevance as a rare and initial accomplishment. Though there were few studies that tried troubles of babies in an automobile seat.

There's a danger for babies' breathing system from their inadequacy to prevent their heads from falling forward. Their neck muscles are not yet completely firm. This aggravates respiration problems and lethal consequences could come after.

Secure Child Seat Compulsory

The authors hastened appropriately putting of babies in a safe infant car seat throughout the travel. This is a lawful prerequisite in numerous nations.

Fleming supplemented that more incidents of infant death in a car seat were reported. This was during the travel and an instance when guardians utilized car seats over a push chair for the babies to sleep, as stated in PubMed Health.

The Bristol research workers also required a grown-up person to situate beside the baby. This is for the reason to guarantee the convenient breathing of the infant while wandering. 

The car seat manufacturers, likewise, ought to instruct parents regarding the possible risks of prolonged car travels with young babies, the research recommended.  

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