It’s a norm for nursing mothers to put
the safety of their child before any other thing henceforth, the use of child
seats but unknowingly you might be putting your child in a greater danger. A
new study shows that newborn babies can develop breathing problems when
travelling in child seats for long.
The study which was carried out by the
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Bristol and the
University of Southampton, studied 40 newborns of which 21 are premature
infants and 19 are full term babies. The procedure used in the study involved a
simulator which is designed to reproduce road vibrations through a child seat
travelling at 30mph. During the experiment, the babies heart rates, carbon
dioxide levels and blood oxygen levels breathing in and out were monitored
while spending 30mins each in three different positions.
The outcome of the study showed that
babies who are seated in an upright position in the child seat have increase in
heart and breathing rates, it also showed that the Childs’ blood oxygen level
is lower compared to when the child is lying flat in a cot. Babies seated at an
angle of 40-degree were found to have a significant increase in their heart,
breathing rates and blood oxygen levels were lower compared to those seated at
an angle of 30-degrees. It has been confirmed that this difficulty in breathing
is as a result of babies’ neck muscles not being fully developed as being
seated in an upright position makes it harder for the child to support his/her
head and this leads to difficulty in breathing.
In an interview with BBC, Pro. Peter
Fleming, professor of infant health and developmental physiology at the
University of Bristol, said: “If you can avoid a long journey, it’s better to
do so. Try to avoid unnecessary car journeys for young babies.”
Should parents stop using child seat??? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
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