Infant car seats aren’t for indoors

While infant car seats can decrease a baby’s risk of serious injury by 70 percent, these safety devices, when used outside of the car, could pose a serious risk to some infants, according to a new study.

Nine infants, ranging in age from 3 days to 6 months, struggled to breathe after being left in a car seat indoors, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. All of the infants survived, but this study reminds parents of important car-seat safety rules.

“The take-home message is that parents should not leave babies unattended in car seats,” said Dr. Christopher Greeley, medical director of the newborn nursery at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. “If you leave a very young baby in a car seat, the structure of the head, bigger in the back, can cause the airway, the trachea, to be narrowed.”

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to protect your infant from serious injury while in a car seat.

•First, infants born before 37 weeks should receive a car-seat test before leaving the hospital. This test, established by the American Academy of Pediatrics, observes infants in their car seats before they are discharged to ensure they will be safe on the ride home.

•When infants do get home, do not leave them in the car seat for an extended period of time. Infants who are kept in car seats are predisposed to a partial blockage of their airways, Greeley cautions.

•Use car seats exclusively for transportation purposes. If infants fall asleep in their car seat, remove them from the seat immediately when you arrive home, even if it risks waking them.

Car seats are a highly effective tool in preventing infants from serious injury. Use them exclusively in the car to keep your children safe.