How Long Can a Baby Stay in a Car

The two-hour car seat rule – what you lot need to know

Car seats are for travelling, cribs are for sleeping, says the latest research on how long it's safe to keep your child in a car seat

Car seats are, on the whole, very secure, essential pieces of babe gear, for keeping our children rubber when travelling in a vehicle.

Simply only when they're used correctly. And sadly, machine seats and, by extension travel systems, are sometimes used for too long or for general sleeping, leading to some devastating consequences.

Betwixt 2004 and 2008, a total of 31 children under the age of 2 died due to suffocation or strangulation while sitting in a machine seat for extended periods of time, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

The Penn Country Medical Centre report says children as young as 1 month had either suffocated or been strangled by the straps of their auto seats. In the image above, you can see how a small infant can easily wriggle out of car seat straps if they're not tightened correctly.

What the enquiry says:

A written report (October 2016) funded by the Lullaby Trust and conducted past an NHS Foundation Trust and University of Southampton, has too recommended parents practise non keep infants or babies in car seats for long periods of time.

That's considering also as being in a scrunched position, the motility of the car while travelling too has an impact on babies while in car seats.  Previously, prophylactic tests did non have into account the bending a seat will take while in a car or the vibrations of the seat while in movement.

Using a motion simulator (and 40 babies in the car seats) they replicated a 30mph machine journey to reproduce vertical vibration – similar to that at the base of operations of a automobile safety seat in a rear-facing position in the dorsum of a pocket-size family unit automobile.

The study revealed that movement and an upright position of 40 degrees, significantly increased eye and respiratory rates, and decreased oxygen saturation, leading to an "increment in potentially clinically significant oxygen desaturations."

Of form the experts aren't saying we should ditch motorcar seats, simply they are in one case once again warning against keeping babies in a motorcar seat for too long, especially while sleeping.

"Parents should not end using car safety seats to transport their infants. Infants must exist protected in moving vehicles, and Great britain law requires car seats exist used whenever infants travel in cars," says consultant Paediatrician of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Renu Arya.

"However, our findings support the AAP (American Academy of Paediatrics') guideline that infant car seats should non be used equally a routine infant slumber surroundings."

It'south important not to get over-anxious almost your baby sitting in a car seat. These are still small numbers. The cardinal message is that car seats are for travelling, cribs and cots are for sleeping. It's really about knowing the safety communication.

Does it furnishings newborn infants differently?

Reports (some worrying) in the mainstream media questioned whether newborn babies are safe if they sit in a car seat for only 30 minutes.

The research (November 2016) carried out by researchers at Swindon's Cracking Western Hospital, the Academy of Southampton and the University of Bristol and commissioned by the Lullaby Trust found that when newborn or premature babies sat in a car seat for 30 minutes, their heart and breathing rate increased, and their blood oxygen levels were lower compared with lying flat in a cot.

This happened when the babies were both stationary in the automobile seat and 'moving' in the machine simulator and these effects were more marked with premature babies but still seen with term babies.

Here'due south the full story

The ii hour 'rule'

The '2 60 minutes rule' is the established rubber recommendation endorsed by rubber experts and manufacturers, that suggests children shouldn't sit in a car seat for more than 2 hours at a fourth dimension. That'south not just when your baby'southward in a car simply also when they're in a travel system (pictured above) – a buggy chassis with a car seat fastened.

The reason, equally we explained in a higher place, is that babies and very immature children can feel breathing problems if placed in a seated or scrunched position for too long.

"Automobile seats are desperately important to salve lives from automobile accidents. All the same, families should not leave babies in car seats for long periods or in one case they are removed from the car," explains Justin Daniels from the Lullaby Trust.

"Modest babies do not take the ability to back up their heads and this study shows being upright in a seat is a risky position for a long menstruation of time."

The safest fashion for babies to sleep is on their backs – equally recommended by the experts at the Lullaby Trust.

It'southward best if they are on a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in a split cot or Moses basket for at least the first 6 months.This is because your baby's ability to keep their head held up is not fully developed, significant their head can flop down and restrict the airways.

Read: How to stop your child wriggling out of car seat straps

So to keep your baby safe:

• Ensure your baby is not sitting for more a couple of hours in the aforementioned upright position
• Don't use a car seat as an alternative to a cot or crib – as a regular place to slumber (although plain don't worry if your baby falls asleep in your automobile, as most babies exercise! You lot just don't want them sleeping for more than than 2 hours in the same position)
• If you lot're travelling on a long car journeying, cease for a little bit and take your baby out of the car seat
• If you're using a travel system, don't continue your babe in the car seat for more than than the two hours. If you know your infant is going to be in the travel arrangement for a longer flow, use a carrycot or prevarication-apartment seat rather than the car seat

Lie-flat motorcar seats

There are two types of auto seats that can help solve this issue:

A converting prevarication-flat car seat – such every bit the Jane Matrix 2 (pictured above) or the Kiddy Evo-Lunafix, is a car seat that will go on your baby upright in the car, but so tin be converted to a lie-apartment position on a travel organisation or at dwelling.

A permanent lie-flat car seat/carrycot –such as the Britax Babe Prophylactic Sleeper or the Jane Transporter two, lets your infant lie apartment in the automobile and is also a carrycot suitable for overnight sleeping

Read: Why your newborn needs a lie-apartment buggy

Read: 6 of the best lie-flat car seats from birth

Beware with slings, bouncers, swings and buggies too

Information technology isn't only auto seats posing a pocket-sized risk to sleeping children, according to the report.

In total, 47 deaths were recorded, with 31 occurring in car seats, 5 in slings, iv each in swings and bouncers, and 3 in buggies.

These findings mirror an older study published in the British Medical Journal back in 2006.

That report warned parents against keeping babies in automobile seats unchecked, specially when not travelling, following the deaths of 9 children. Only of these, eight children died while sleeping in a machine seat at home and merely one baby died while in a seat as the car was being driven.

Both reports accept warned parents against using car seats, travel systems and whatsoever kind of sitting device as a full general identify for your baby to slumber.

The Lullaby Trust is aiming to release new guidelines for parents on how to use car seats. All the same, you can follow these car seat and prophylactic sleep tips from the Trust and Dr Erich Yard Batra who led the recent inquiry:

Auto seats

• Automobile seats should not exist used equally sleeping areas outside of the vehicle
• Do not exit children unsupervised (awake or comatose)
• Never leave children in a car seat with unbuckled or partially buckled straps
• Automobile seats should never be placed on a soft or unstable surface

Bouncers and swings

• Infants in bouncers, strollers, and swings may be able to motion themselves into positions that could restrict their airways
• Restraints should be used co-ordinate to manufacturer'south instructions simply these may not preclude infants from getting into hazardous situations
• Ensure that infants cannot twist their heads into soft bedding or slump forward in a seat
• Do not place more than than ane infant together in a swing meant for one infant

Slings

• If slings are non used correctly or safely at that place's a chance of your baby'south airway becoming compromised
• Your baby's face should be "visible and kissable" at all times
• Ever follow the 'TICKS' safety advice shown below when using a sling

General sleeping

• Always place babies on their backs to sleep
• Identify your baby to sleep in a separate cot or Moses handbasket in the same room as you for the first 6 months
• Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition
• Remove all pillows, soft bedding, cot bumpers and soft toys from the cot
• Don't let your baby become too hot
• Don't cover your infant's face up or head while sleeping or employ loose bedding

We've got more on safety hither…

• 5 baby condom rules that can genuinely save lives
• Shocking footage shows chief retailers non plumbing equipment child car seats safely
• Safe sleep warning as cot deaths rise
• Baby slings – how to habiliment i safely

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Source: https://www.madeformums.com/news/the-2-hour-car-seat-rule-what-you-need-to-know/

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