Nothing sounds more gratifying than to see the babies and toddlers sitting and even napping soundly on the road. But a new study suggests this practice may be harmful.
In a study conducted by Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center researchers, carrying and sitting devices such as car seats can actually be very dangerous for the children as they can be tangled by the straps and eventually end up strangled and suffocated. The same thing can happen to babies that are placed on bouncers and swings.
They have come up with this conclusion after they looked into more than 45 deaths of infants and children no older than 2 years old between 2004 and 2008. Coroner's report, medical records, and death certificates, and personal interviews were also used to evaluate each of these cases.
Virtually all of the children died of strangulation or asphyxia, which is characterized by the obstruction of the air's passageway, preventing oxygen from reaching the brain and the children from breathing properly. At least 66% of these deaths happened on car seats and more than half were due to being strangled by the straps of the sitting device. The longest duration it took before the child was discovered strangled was about 11 hours.
The researchers wanted to make it clear that sitting devices like car seats have been designed to fully secure children and can really offer protection. However, they also like to tell the public that these devices are not meant for napping children, more so if they are left unsupervised. For example, children can slide off the seat and the strap can tangle themselves on the lower belts.
The best place for the children, especially infants, to sleep on is a on a mattress with no bedding, with their backs firmly on the mattress. Experts not part of the study, meanwhile, recommend strapping the children properly and completely and parking cars in stable surfaces.
