Keeping Baby Safe in an Infant Seat

Infant seats that snap into their car-mounted base or onto the stroller are a life saver. They not only make transporting baby to grocery stores and the neighbors’ a breeze, but they are a convenient resting spot at home as well. However, these seats can also be dangerous if not used properly.

It is recommend that one not place carriers on a high surface such as a table or counter, as vibrations (not to mention older children, excited pets and rushing parents) can cause the carrier to slide to the edge and fall. It is equally important that the straps be fastened anytime baby is in the seat. One of our WeMakeItSafer team-members tells this story:

“Our four-month-old son was resting in his infant carrier, unbuckled, as we had done a hundred times before. I went to move him and accidentally knocked the dining chair. Out of instinct, I reached for the chair, which caused me to slightly tip the carrier, causing my son to fall three feet to the kitchen floor. Luckily he was fine, but the nightmare of watching him being rolled into the CAT scan will haunt me forever.”

Our teammate was incredibly lucky. A study conducted by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine looked at medical records of just one emergency room over a 1.4 year period and found 62 infants had been treated for infant carrier falls. “Of these patients, 87.1% were not buckled into their carriers.” Over a third of the infants had to be hospitalized with everything from contusions to skull fractures and even one who had to undergo a craniotomy.

On top of general precautions, parents should take the time to make sure that their car seats and carriers have not been recalled.   While WeMakeItSafer does include baby carriers that have been recalled by the CPSC, we do not yet cover recalls by the National Highway and Trarfic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  This will change soon, but until then, you can check NHTSA recalls at http://www.nhtsa.gov/ .