My daughter alerted me to a report she saw not long ago about infant car seats. Apparently, there is concern of them causing SIDS, and since she didn’t see all of the report she asked if I could find something out. Here’s what I found.
A new study on SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has shown that infants placed in infant car seats might increase the risk of the child dying from SIDS. This information was reported in the online study of the “Canadian Archives Of Disease In Childhood.”
When researchers scrutinized 500 infant deaths, they found that 17 of those occurred when the baby was in a car seat. According to the study, the greatest risk of SIDS was in newborns less than one month old. Six of the deaths were in that age group.
It seems that being scrunched up, such as babies are when they are placed in an infant seat, was the problem. This position compresses the lungs and throat, cutting off their breathing. However, they also noted that all of the babies that died had been sitting for at least 90 minutes or longer.
Baby car seats are designed to fit your child’s size and weight; however, they do not provide proper positioning. Any time your baby’s head tips forward or way over to the side, or if their body is scrunched up causing abdominal pressure, there is a danger of obstructing their breathing.
In addition, this safety issue is not just for car seats, but also for any type of sitting device that causes abnormal posture.
The accidents happened in infant car seats, but they warn that it is not safe to leave your baby in any sitting device, such as infant carriers, bouncy seats and infant swings, for very long while they are young.
If you are traveling, it is best to take occasional breaks, removing your baby from their car seat to stretch their lungs. They also found that if the baby is awake, there is no cause for alarm. The problem occurred with sleeping infants.
It was also noted, in a separate study, that inserts, which hold an infant’s head in a neutral position while in a car seat, reduced the number and severity of episodes of lowered oxygen. Inserts, recommended for premature babies, are available at most stores that sell infant seats.
SIDS is the leading cause of death for babies between one-month and one-year old. It is the diagnosis given when the infant dies suddenly, and an exact cause is not found after a full investigation.
SIDS most commonly affects babies between the ages of two to four months, with 90 percent of cases being infants under six months. It occurs most frequently during cold-weather months.