Infant carriers

[SuzieQ1971]

A bit of info here fellow mums.

Please do not keep your infant in a infant carrier for longer than 2 hours at a time, reasons being;

1.Uncomfortable for child.

1. Physio pherapists concerned about curvature of spine.
2. Been reserch into cot death.
3. Gives your child a chance to stretch out.

[muddleduck]

what did the 'reserch' show?

[Seona1973]

this is from the sids website:

Is it okay for my baby to sleep in a car seat?

Car seats are not ideal places for safe infant sleep in the home. Our advice is that the safest place for your baby to sleep ? both during the day for naps and during the night ? is in a crib, cot or Moses basket in a room with you for the first six months. It is important to check on your baby regularly when she is asleep. If your baby is being transported in a car, she should be carried in a properly designed and fitted car seat, facing backwards, and be observable by a competent adult. Be careful that your baby doesn?t get too hot and remove hats and outdoor coats when you get in the car. On long car journeys, stop for breaks for fresh air and a drink for the baby. Premature babies who may slump need particular care when travelling in a car seat.

A recent study of car seats gave this advice: ?We are still concerned about the vulnerability of infants in car seats ? We advise parents to use car seats that do not have a steeply angled back. Caregivers are also instructed that immature infants being discharged from the neonatal nursery should be watched carefully while in the car seat and transferred back to their cot as soon as possible after the car journey ends.? [Car seat test for preterm infants: comparison with polysomnography, Elder et al. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed..2007; 92: F468-F472]

[muddleduck]

but what did the research actually show?

I know what the advice is, but I've not seen any research to back this up...

[Seona1973]

this is in the BMJ

[TruthSweet]

This is why I only use car seats for actual travelling and take frequent breaks to take baby out of the car seat and why I get the heebie jeebies when I see people out for hours with their babies in a travel system.

An extract from this paper:-

'Seven infants (3 preterm and 4 term) had oxygen saturation values of

[sazm]

when my pfb was born 5 weeks early,the advise from midwifes an scbu was to make sure he wasn't in a carseat for longer than 1 1/2-2hrs as the angle they are in can cause a lack of oxygen,before we were allowed home he had to be in the carseat for 30 mins with monitiors on to make sure he passed the oxygen level test.
i had just bought a lovely travel system and as a result never used it as he couldnt be in the carseat.
i've never heard this for full term babies,just that its not a good idea as newborns should lie flat as much as poss to let their spine develop properly.