Small Babies Should Be In Car Seats For Not More Than 30 Minutes, Study Reveals
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It’s a common practice in several countries to have your infant in the car seat while traveling. This is unlike in a few countries, where it’s ok for the mother to hold her baby in the lap while there is someone driving the car. For security reasons, it’s however not acceptable in several countries. Depending on the road rules of where you are based, you would have to travel with your child at some point. When you are on a road journey to a destination, you will have to keep it short – not more than thirty minutes for your infant in the car seat!
Yes, a new finding from Briston University, the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and the University of Southampton in the UK states that quite a few infants could have problem breathing if left in the car seats for more than thirty minutes.
On the other hand, the BBC reports that a clinical study was conducted by researchers over 40 babies, of whom 21 babies were pre-term and 19 were full-term, all under the age of two months were seated in rear-facing car seats. By creating a simulation of a straight road drive at the speed of 30 mph, scientists monitored the heart rates and the blood-oxygen levels of the babies. It appeared that the babies’ blood-oxygen levels dropped to 85% from the normal 95% range. It was also noted by the Mirror, that due to the concerns of a few participating infants’ parents over their children’s well-being, the study had to be stopped at times.
We need to understand that babies do not have strong muscles in the neck that will help them in holding their heads for prolonged periods or from drooling forwards when the car is in motion. Therefore experts agree that the lesser the time an infant is seated in the car, the better it is. The finding has been backed by pediatricians as well who recommend that car journeys that are not necessary with infants should be avoided.
On the other hand, researchers also hope that manufacturers of car seats will pay attention to the recommendations as to how much time a baby should spend in a car seat, especially if the baby is four weeks or younger. This is especially considering the fact that a few car seat manufacturers claim that babies can remain in the car seat for up to two hours.
The finding may frighten parents, and it might prompt them to time their car journeys. They could also keep the baby home all the time. However, there are a few things that can help you travel with your infant:
- Take breaks during the rides: It might be a good idea to take a break every half hour. So you must split up the road trip at intervals and let your baby sleep on a firm flat base on your arrival at the destination.
- Sit adjacent to the baby: It’s good to monitor your baby now and then.
- Ask your pediatrician to assess if your baby can travel by car.
The finding sure adds to the anxiety of mothers who have infants and need to travel very frequently. If you are a working mother, you might want to look for a baby care center which doesn’t take more than half an hour to get to by car.
Should you need to travel to long distances, it’s the best to wait until your baby has grown a bit from infancy. It’s ok to have them in the backseat then – literally – but still, have them in the back of your mind all the time! Their safety comes first.
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