Warning about infant carseats

[youngnan]

This news story was brought up on the Mothering discussion board, and I wondered whether anyone here had any comments or further information about the study it reports:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1526517.stm

It does raise a serious concern esp in light of the bucket-baby phenomenon. I think it could have some positive implications as it strengthens the argument for babywearing. But the study came out more than a year ago, and I'm surprised that I have not seen it referred to, even on other attachmt parenting/babywearing sites.

We are not expecting until April, and I'm still torn about whether the infant carseat is a worthwhile investment, esp in light of this article. (we may go straight to a britax, as has been discussed in other threads) If the point of the infant carseat is convenience, that is because you can keep the baby strapped in there longer (getting in/out of car, using a car-seat stroller, etc). But this study is basically refuting that premise by advising that the infant should spend as little time as possible in the bucket, at least for the first three months.

I do have some questions about this study also. I knew about the dangers of bjorns and swings for small babies, but the infant car-seats are designed to keep the baby inclined at least 45 degrees. There are so many different carseat models out there that it's hard to know personally how much weight to give to this study, given that they are not specifying a specific make or model.

[ColleenB]

You know, I took that article with a grain of salt.

I think that parents have to use common sense in this situation. We have an infant seat. And yes, when we go about with our 6 month old daughter, we use it. We used it from the time she was born. The important thing here is that we didn't let her "live" in it.

When we were in the car, yes she was in it. If we were running around and doing quick errands, she would stay in her infant carseat. I could not see the point of waking her to put her in a front carrier only to have to put her back into her carseat 15 minutes later, especially when I was alone with her.

Anytime I was going to be somehere for a while, say, the mall, she went right into the fully reclining stroller. I felt that would be more comfortable for her anyway. When we take neighborhood walks, again, she is in the stroller, not the carseat. And she never sits in the seat when we are home. The only time she sits in it when we are out is if we are eating out, or when we visit family and we have to pop one of the Baby Mozart videos in. Then she has a place to sit and watch.

The key word here, is moderation.

Colleen

[shibababy]

The only thing I can give you is my experience. My daughter used her infant car seat for car trips, in the stroller (the Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier), in and out of stores and occasionally when that was the only place where she'd fall asleep. She has been rolling over since approx. 2mths old, crawled at 5mths and sat unsupported at 6mths. Now she's 7mths and pulling up on furniture, standing holding on with one hand.

Of course, all children develop differently and there are so many variables-the form of the carseat, the recline, the central nervous system/muscle development of the child, the health of the child, the amount of time spent in the infant seat, etc.

[youngnan]

I did find the study a bit alarmist, but I think it's a good reminder not to leave the baby in the carseat for hours on end -- and I have seen friends do this who would otherwise go out of their way to take precautions with their babies.

Also, for those looking for bouncy chair alternatives, I saw at BRU there is a new baby trend euro rocker, a bouncy which allows the infant to recline fully. On the expensive side, but apparently well-reviewed...

[mamahill]

I think this topic is interesting, especially since in Ainsleigh's case we were told by the doctor to sleep her in her carseat because of her severe gas/reflux problem. As soon as we started doing that, she slept MUCH better. Of course, as soon as she was up, she was out of the seat, but while she was asleep, she had to be held at an angle. She was 3 weeks early and small, though, and we were told it probably had something to do with her nervous system not being fully developed. She slept like that for 8 weeks. Just sharing our experience...

edited to add that when she wasn't asleep, she could lay flat (and she did that a lot b/c I was worried about the carseat thing!).