Experts say children napping in a car seat can be deadly

Action News Jax has an alert for parents: Experts say children napping in a car seat can be deadly.

Elana, a 1-year-old makes a little fuss while being strapped into her car seat by her dad, Robert Ortiz.

But Ortiz is meticulous, like any parent.

“Every day, I make sure she’s strapped in, and I constantly check the rear-view mirror, constantly seeing if the thing might tip over or anything,” Ortiz said.

The Journal of Pediatrics looked at a four-year period and found the car seat can be a deadly place for children.

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They say 31 kids were killed sleeping in them during that span, from what’s called positional asphyxia.

“[They’re] suffocated by the position that their neck or their head is in,” said Lisa Schwing, Dayton Children’s Hospital Trauma program manager.

Experts say when the child is strapped in the carseat, their head is kept at the proper angle.  They say it’s often when parents take them out of the car and don’t want to wake them that can be especially dangerous, as experts say children can suffocate from having their necks pinned against the straps.

“You don’t want them to be able to lay their neck or their head on any part of those straps,” Schwing said. “The clip needs to be down here at the armpit level, so it doesn’t have the opportunity to obstruct their airway.”

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“It is a huge concern. It’s critical,” Babcock said.  “Your grandchildren fall asleep in their car seats, and you’ve got to make sure that their heads aren’t falling forward.”

Schwing advises parents to follow the “ABCs” of sleeping when it comes to infants, “Alone on your back in a crib,” or a pack and play if you don’t have a crib.

Cox Media Group