TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Babies fall asleep in infant car seats all the time, but is it safe?
“Yes, you can let your baby sleep for short stretches in a car seat, as long as it’s used properly. While the risks of sleeping on an incline are real and serious, they are vastly outweighed by the protection that a properly installed car seat provides during a crash,” said Rachel Rabkin Peachman with Consumer Reports.
The angle of the rear-facing car seats has been extensively tested to protect a child’s head and spine in a collision but the seat needs to be installed correctly.
“Infant car seats have a five-point harness system, which is designed and tested not only to protect your baby in the event of a crash but also to lower the risk of your baby slumping down, and their head falling chin to chest and blocking airflow,” Peachman said.
The best advice for parents is to follow the safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Babies should sleep alone, on their backs, with no soft bedding or padding and always on a firm flat mattress.
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