Baby Head Hangs Out of Car Seat Headrest

Parents oft see their children slumped over sleeping in their car seats and wonder if that could possibly be comfortable — or safe. That's why some might turn to products, often referred to as car seat head support headbands or straps, to help their children snooze upright. But experts warn that these car seat add together-ons can be unsafe.

"You lot should definitely not apply products like these. They are definitely not safe for babies and children to use in car seats," Erin Baughn, an injury prevention specialist with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told TODAY Parents. "It looks uncomfortable to united states ... to have our kid's head flopping frontward in their motorcar seat if they fall asleep. However, they are completely safe to have their head flopping forward every bit long as they are old enough to have that caput control."

While parents might purchase extra products for auto seats considering they think they're helping their children, experts agree that using car seats every bit instructed offers the virtually protection.

"Anything that does non come with the car seat from the auto seat manufacturers should not exist used," Courtney Gleaton, injury prevention coordinator at Orlando Wellness Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, told TODAY. "Car seats are going to have very specific instructions and warnings about what types of items you can apply with their seats and which ones you cannot."

Many parents worry that their children's awkward positioning might crusade them to feel uncomfortable or fifty-fifty suffocate via what's known equally positional asphyxiation. This tin occur when babies residual in such a way that they're non able to exhale freely. While that can happen to infants, it does not occur in children with adequate caput and neck strength.

"Every bit far equally our older child that just falls comatose in the car and looks uncomfortable to the states as parents, they are completely fine," Baughn said. "Nosotros don't take to worry about that positional asphyxiation when the machine seat is installed correctly in the machine."

Newborns do not accept the neck forcefulness to hold their heads upwards to prevent suffocation. That'due south why newborn automobile seats look the fashion they do. These seats, which are rear facing, cradle and support babies' heads.

"It'southward so important to brand certain that the auto seat is installed correctly and rear facing for those babies that don't have that head control," Baughn said. "Rear facing car seats work phenomenally well."

Experts agree that older children's heads should be free in their car seats, especially in case of an accident. Belongings back their heads tin can cause devastating injuries.

"If you restrain your child's head ... the car seat is no longer going to perform the way that the car seat manufacturers have designed it," Baughn said. "Potentially, that child'southward neck could actually separate from their spinal string. Nosotros phone call that internal decapitation."

What's more, car seat caput support straps could obstruct their airways.

"That footling headband could slide down and maybe be a choking hazard, or it could cover their oral cavity and nose ... which tin cause suffocation," Gleaton explained. "Any of those things could be dangerous for a child in an accident."

Just experts understand why many parents buy such products. They believe they're helping their children.

"They are really just thinking they're doing the right thing," Gleaton said. "Like, 'Well, their cervix looks like it hurts, maybe I should put this headband on it so information technology doesn't go forward.'"

Knowing how to install motorcar seats or what to use with them can feel overwhelming. But parents can go to Safe Kids to locate a nearby kid rider safety technician. Often these experts offering automobile seat installation or car seat checks at fire departments or other customs spaces along with individual help. If parents have questions almost their car seats, they can read the manual or contact the visitor to learn more.

To a higher place all, experts concord that properly using the right auto seat for a child is the best thing parents can do.

"Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the take chances of death in as much as 71 percentage," Gleaton said. "Just using your car seats the right way, you lot tin reduce the take a chance of death."

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Meghan Holohan is a contributing writer who covers health and parenting for TODAY.com. She enjoys cooking, yoga, reading, music and walking her two rescue dogs. Follow her on Twitter to see her recent stories.

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Source: https://www.today.com/parents/car-seat-headbands-prevent-slumping-can-be-dangerous-t229209

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