Dangers of infants sleeping upright in carseats
The death of an infant in West Island Pointe Claire almost a year ago is prompting a Quebec coroner to warn against the risks of putting little babies to sleep in car seats.
A two month old boy in Pointe Claire died last February 23 after his mother put him to sleep in a carseat placed in his bassinette, hoping that would calm the crying colicky infant. An autopsy revealed that the baby died of asphyxiation. Quebec coroner Dr. Jacques Robinson says putting an infant in such an upright position to sleep is dangerous, since the baby's head tends to fall forward.
"The upper airways are obstructed."
Robinson says about 17 such deaths have happened over the past ten years and they could have been prevented.
"It's not frequent, but when it happens, it's very dramatic."
He warns that car seats should be used only in the car since they help prevent deaths in accidents.
"We recommend to go with this but not for sleeping or using the carseat as a bed."
And Robinson advises parents should take care to check on their babies in the car seat if they're sleeping, to make frequent stops on long trips and to take them out at rest stops.
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