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Infants, particularly those born prematurely, should never be left to sleep in a car seat alone, warns a pediatricians'' report published in the British Medical Journal.

The warning is based on a recent study of nine infants between the age of three days to 6 months who had been referred to a monitoring service after they had stopped breathing, turned blue, or scrunched up.

“All but one case occurred when the infants had been left in the car seats indoors, allowing them to fall asleep unrestrained in an upright position,” researchers said.

What Goes Wrong?

The study demonstrates the possible dangers associated with car seats, namely the risk of breathing complications.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Christopher Greeley, “If you leave a very young baby in a car seat, the structure of the head—bigger in the back—can cause the airway—the trachea—to be narrowed.”

Experts recommend that every baby born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy needs to undergo a car seat test before going home from the hospital to ensure they won''t suffer breathing problems.

Furthermore, when the infants arrive home, parents should never leave them in the car seat for a long period of time. “The more they are left in, the more predisposed they are to have partial blockage of the airways,” Greeley said. “Sleeping in a car seat is not necessarily a cause of death, but there is a higher likelihood that a baby somewhere will have difficulty with breathing.”

Importance of the Report

While all the infants in the study survived, their parents were given advice on how to better position the car seat to prevent future problems. Furthermore, they were told not leave their babies in the seats for long.

“Car seats should only be used for transportation purposes,” said Linda White, an injury prevention coordinator at a Cincinnati hospital. “Bringing one into the house and leaving a child in it, that is not what they are intended for. You don''t want them [the babies] to be at that extended angle for a long period of time,” she added. “We encourage families even when they are traveling to stop often and take the baby out of the car seat. The extended period of time is key.”