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A study conducted by researchers at the University of Auckland has determined that parents shouldn't let their babies sleep in car seats.
After examining the breathing patterns of 78 infants while they slept, it was found that the babies who had a foam insert positioned in the car seat to keep their head upright had significantly reduced breathing problems than the babies who did not use the insert and were simply restrained in the seats normally.
The results of the study were published in the journal Pediatrics. The report urges parents to only leave their baby in the car seat for the time it takes to get from point A to point B and not to leave them sleeping there.
Huh. This is definitely something that all parents need to pay attention to and take to heart -- because pretty much every single one of us is guilty of leaving our babies to sleep in their car seats as opposed to waking them up when we take them out of our vehicles.
Oh come on, you know you do it too. The car seat is just so darn convenient since it snaps right out of the base and you can carry it with you anywhere. When my son was a baby, he'd fall asleep in the car nine times out of ten no matter where we went. I'd simply grab the seat out of the car, place it on top of the shopping cart or carry it on one arm while running errands, and go about my business as usual.
To put it plain and simple, the thought of waking up my baby seemed almost inconceivable, because a sleeping baby is pretty much every parent's number one goal, right?
But had I known that I could potentially be hindering his breathing by letting him sleep in there? Hmm. I'm sure I would've thought twice about how long I let his naps continue after the car stopped moving.
At least moms who have babies today can benefit from this information and take these warnings to heart, and maybe consider scheduling car trips around baby's nap time or at least limit how long they leave their little ones to sleep in their seats should they doze off on the road. Any steps we can take to keep our babies safe is definitely worth it.
Do you let your baby sleep in the car seat for long periods of time?
Image via Deborah Austin/Flickr
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