Experts warns that newborn babies should not use car seats for more than 30 minute

Scientists have advised that parents should not use car seats for their young babies for more than 30 minutes to avoid the risk of suffocation.

Car manufacturers advise that babies should not be left in car seats for more than two hours and now doctors are warning that babies whose neck muscles are not strong enough to stop their heads flopping forward could stop breathing which increases the risk they will be unable to breathe – with potentially fatal results and are now calling on manufactures to update that information to reflect expert medical findings with regards to very young babies.

Doctors and charities are also calling for all car seat makers to provide consistent information to parents to warn them of the dangers of long car journeys with very young babies.

A paediatrician at Bristol University, Dr Peter Fleming carried out research that shows newborn babies may be at risk in car seats.

'If you can avoid a journey, it's probably better to do so, restricted to no more than half an hour or so, said Dr Fleming.

'But try to avoid unnecessary car journeys with young babies' he added.

Dr Fleming and colleagues carried out a research in a laboratory to replicate the effects of sleeping in a car seat during a car journey at 30mph.

Findings revealed that after half an hour in the seat the amounts of oxygen in the blood of babies under two months old were found to have dropped 'significantly' while their heart rates increased.

The authors said their findings still mean babies should travel in a properly secured child seat during car journeys - as is required by law, but advise that an adult should sit next to the baby to make sure the infant is breathing properly. 

There have been reports of deaths of infants who have been left in a sitting position, including in car seats - both on journeys, and when parents have used it as an alternative to a pushchair or cot for the infant to sleep in, warned the authors.

Source: DailyMail