Have Car Seats Caused Infant Deaths?

when I lived in wales, a lady left her infant in his car seat asleep, she took a nap on the couch and he slept, when she woke up he was dead - his neck had lolled forward and he suffocated.

The more likely problem with leaving a baby in the car seat is the potential of a flat head. Babies spend so much time in laying in various baby chairs or flat on their backs that more babies are needing helmets to correct flat heads. Food for thought.

Oxygen levels can be reduced according to our pulmonologist. We were never to leave our son in his seat other than in the car. Just make sure baby's head is not leaning over too far, and you're okay. Their heads tend to roll too far forward. Babies 'R Us has some really nice head supports that help with that a lot.

Are you talking about the infant carriers?

I think they can be dangerous if you set it on the couch, on a chair, on a table, or other raised surface & the baby moves a lot. It could cause it to fall!

I used to leave my daughter sleeping in hers on the floor with no problems. Or maybe beside me on the couch as long as I was sitting next to it.

I agree w/ Sandy...it is only unsafe if you put the child seat on something it can fall off of. Both my children (4 years and 7 months) would sleep / still sleep in their carrier after I brought them in from the car. No sense in waking a sleeping baby. I set her on the floor of the livingroom and when she wakes and fusses - then I take her out. There is no harm in doing so. The next time you go to the store / restaurant / church / mall - look at how many baby seats there are w/ baby's still in them - sleeping or not.

The only thing I ever heard of (other than the falling) is what Kimberly said and that was in reference to the carrier actually being installed incorrectly in the car so that the angle of the carseat was wrong and the head flopped forward too much cutting off the airway. With the carrier just being on a flat surface like the floor it's going to go to the right angle naturally and reduce this risk.

Good luck,
K.

no one on here is wrong, but pick your battles. yes, there is an increased risk of decreased oxygen. But while one baby dying is of course tragic, think of how many kids sleep in their carseats all the time and are totally fine. the risk is there, but is extremely small. I say if your baby sleeps comfortably in the carseat, go for it.

My first two kids had reflux and slept in carseats buckled in for the first three months of their lives. They were in them almost constantly. We drove a ten hour trip and only stopped once. With my fourth, they told us at the hospital not to leave them in the carseats ever because it wasn't safe anymore and if we were to take a long trip, to stop and take the baby out every hour. Mothering is yours to do. Use your judgement to what is best.

Hi - My Father In Law is a firefighter/EMT and I believe I remember him telling me of going on a call where the baby had died in the carseat. I asked my mother who is a mother-baby nurse about this (all of my babies slept BETTER in their carseats at home) and she said it is mostly for premature and small babies that they are worried, but regardless, they tell all moms now not to do it. So with my son who is now 1, when he was an infant and happened to fall asleep in his infant carrier in the car, I would bring it inside and prop it up so that he was more flat and not all scrunched up. Good luck!

I used to let my son sleep in his car seat on the floor. I just used pillows or another kind of prop around the car seat to make sure that it was tilted to a slight recline. That way, even as a newborn, I didn't need to worry about his head flopping forward.

I do not think it is dangerous at all unless you are sitting them in the seat without being buckled. I guess they could fall out. They have found though that people who use the car seat continuously to store their children during the day slow physical development because their children do not move around as much.

Once and a while is fine and it is safe.

My kids have all napped and traveled extensively in their carseats. However, while not realizing that there was a study about a problem, I have always been very vigilant about their heads falling into an uncomfortable position--aka forward or badly sideways. I make sure the seat is reclined and their mouth and nose are unobstructed.for breathing. Thanks to everyone, though, for the heads up--I had no idea there was a possible problem.

Best wishes and blessings

HI Ladies I am K. K's aunt, she was running late for an appt. and wanted me to tell you Thank You for her, your insite gave her alot to think about.and she will be back :}

In his infant seat? I wouldn't think so, unless it on top of a counter, couch, chair, stool, etc. My daughter sleeps in hers all the time.

You can google almost any question and get a whole list of websites to choose from. I googled "infant death related to car seats," and here's one of the first items that came up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6216892.stm

Yes, there is a potential that moms should be aware of, apparently connected to the baby's head flopping forward.

Actually a study was fairly recently released about this and it did say that laying in the carriers could cause decreased oxygen which can lead to death. Also, as someone else mentioned, they can roll their head forward. I think it's just safest to take them out of there as often as you can. I know it's hard b/c they are just so convenient! Do what you can and honestly, getting your child used to transferring from carseat to bed is an awesome skill to have so might as well start early! Of course when you're in the car it's fine and even on long trips, the study just suggested that you always take them out when at home, etc.

The study I heard about says it's better to remove them from their car seats, because sitting in them can reduce the amount of oxygen they take in.
That said, my first son spent a few nights in his car seat because it helped his tummy feel better to be bent like that.
And my third son is currently napping in his car seat after falling asleep in the car. He's cranky and I NEED him to sleep!

I agree with the other mom who said to pick your battles. Babies could die at any moment from SIDS, and whatever they were laying on or sitting in at the time would get blamed. There is no way we can possibly control everything in our lives. The odds are everything will be fine. If you acted on every 1-2% chance of possible harm, you'd live paranoid and never do ANYTHING.

I'm sure your baby will be fine. I definitely wouldn't call it DANGEROUS to be in a car seat.
Be grateful that your aunt cares and is current. I was staying with my aunt (along with my mom, her sister) for a few days while I was pregnant with my first. I got a splitting headache and we had to go buy some Tylenol because we only had Ibuprofen, which isn't safe during pregnancy. The entire time, my aunt grumbled that it wasn't medicines that caused birth defects and pregnancy problems, it was the fact that people don't eat meat and potatoes every day anymore. Yeah. Meat and potatoes cure birth defects, and chemicals don't cause them. Mmmm hmmmm. I'd do a little internet research, find the study, and share it with your aunt so she knows the facts. She sounds like the kind who would like to learn.

It seems like if they could die while sleeping in it at home, then they'd be at risk in the car too... Wouldn't it be the same as sleeping in a swing or bouncer? It seems like it would be safe enough especially if you watching to make sure his head doesn't fall forward. Good luck and congratulations!

This is TRUE! small/sleeping infants should be in their car seats only while necessary while driving. Infant car seats should not be used for keeping small babies in them for an extended amount of time.
The same positions that keeps babies safe in an accident also can cause their airways to collapse and suffocate when asleep (and their little head slumps forward). This has nothing to do with incorrect installation.

In addition strangulation and fall hazards can occur when leaving babies improperly restrained or placed on high/soft surfaces.

I am not even a big fan of using an infant carrier as a substitute stroller - the best position for babies is flat on their backs in a stroller bassinet.
Just my two cents.