Car Seat Napping - Safe?

My daughter had reflux and slept in her car seat until she was about 8 months. She's pretty tiny. It was the only place she would nap, and a couple times I remember her spending the night in there.
It was perfect, we could just move her from spot to spot in the house. I did buckle the top buckle loosely. I didn't want her to fall out when she got bigger.

if you are going to sleep her in the carseat, you SHOULD strap her in, and you should keep it at the same incline it would be at if it were in the car.

But you also have to think long term, what will you do when she outgrows the carseat?

Hi J.,

If you think she is sleeping longer because of the swaddling effect of the carseat, have you tried actually swaddling? This may be the ticket. I do not recommend that you continue to put her in the carseat for naps, ESPECIALLY if you are not strapping her in. Kids beginning rolling over at this age, and who's to say that she won't stretch or soemthing else and she falls out of the seat. I say try to put her down in the crib, while swaddled. THis might actually work.

Good luck to you. Once I finally decided to try to let my daughter fall asleep on her own in the crib, it took less than 5 minutes and she was out like a light.

K

I believe if you read any articles regarding SIDS, they will tell you to not use the car seat for sleeping. And I don't want to scare you, but I personally know someone who lost their 3 month old child to SIDS that was sleeping in a car seat at the time. You didn't write why your child is not taking naps in her bouncy anymore. Personally, I believe in swaddling. If you child is having reflux problems, my doc always recommended putting towels or something under the matress to make an incline. You can also use the incline sleep positioner, however i found that they scoot off of it and it only gives them about an inch of an incline. Keep your child up for at least 30 min after feeding and that should help with any reflux. The best position for your child to sleep is flat, she will get used to it sooner or later. My 21 mo old was sleeping 8 hours a night (swaddled) by 2 months old. My 6 mo old didn't like the swaddle and is still not sleeping through the night...but we let him cry it out. Every child is different. Good luck!

I never had this issue with either of my sons, but I do agree with the other response that maybe you should try swaddling and putting your daughter down in the crib. At 11wks, she's big enough to get out of a lot of swaddling blankets, esp if she fidgets. I used a Miracle Blanket with my son when he was getting out of blankets, and it worked like a dream. He was able to fall asleep on his own and had great naps (minimum 1.5hrs) and slept like a champ at night. It says to only use up to 14wks, but we used it until a few weeks ago (he was almost 5mos old).

It would be better to get him out of the carseat if you're going back to work soon so that your childcare provider won't be the one "breaking" her carseat habit. Good luck!!

When my son was about 6 months old there was a story on the news that a baby fell asleep in his car seat and the mom left him in there. He turned his head to the side and suffocated :( I was FREAKED OUT...I had been letting my son sleep in the car seat...I promise I am not telling you this to cause any drama, I just thought you should know because it really did a number on me. Even when we were driving, I would turn around to make sure he was still breathing..ugh.
That said, I have never heard of it happening to anyone else and just about EVERYONE I know let their kids sleep in the car seat. I do think you could try the swaddling, but if it is a question of being upright, jump on to Amazon.com or ask Mamasource of anyone can suggest an upright sleeping stuation (the hammock thing one mom suggested sounded like a good idea?).
You might just give your pediatrician a call and see what he/she says about it? I know they were probably sick of me, but I called mine sort of a lot with questions like this: I felt like I was paying them enough money to bother them with a random question now and again ;-)

Hi J..

It is probably safe for her to sleep in the car seat as long as she is on the floor and not up high on a table or on a soft surface like a bed where she could be suffocated if the carseat flipped over. But i think that you should use the harnesses and make sure she is strapped securely. If i remember correctly, there is a warning on carseats that if the harness is unfastened, it poses a strangulation hazard.

You might want to consider having her sleep in her crib more to prevent her from becoming too dependent on the carseat b/c one day she will have to learn to sleep in the crib and the longer you wait, the more difficult it might be. Maybe what you could do is try having the first several naps in the crib and if she doesn't nap well or long enough, have the later naps in the carseat as a back up.

You can try to recreate the close confines and incline of the carseat by elevating the head of the mattress and rolling towels or blankets and placing them under the crib sheet so that they form a "U". Place her feet at the bottom of the U so she doesn't slide downward.

Good luck!

J.

J.,
I would occasionally let my boys sleep in their carseats when they were little. If they had fallen asleep in the car, I would just bring in the infant carrier and put it on the floor. Also, when they would be sick with a cold and were having trouble breathing through their nose, I would put them in the carseat next to my bed. If you strap them in and always have her in your sight then do it. Whatever works sometimes for sleep. I have read some of the responses that are scary, and I am sure that is a rare occurence. I really don't see what the difference is between a bouncy seat, carseat, swing etc. As long as they are strapped in and sleeping then leave them be. I would probably not put the carseat on and elevated or soft surface(like the crib).

I think doing what makes your baby happy is best. Because of a job I was working at the time both of my kids slept in a carseat (in the car) at naptime during the week. On saturday they would sleep in their carseat during naptime. I always kept the seat on the floor and usually had a blanket under them, or had them swaddled, so they couldn't get tangled in the straps. Everyone will have an opinion on this, but utimately YOU are her mother and you know what works best for you and her.

At 11 weeks, your baby probably can't move too much (eg, roll over), so I think it's safe. My kids slept in their car seats until maybe 3 months old. I think babies like it because their stomachs are still maturing and it might feel better to be sleeping somewhat upright if they have gas or digestion problems. The problem I had with the carseat was that it was hard to transition out of it. My pediatrician suggested putting a rolled up towel under the basinette mattress to give the basinette an incline. My kids both outgrew swaddling way before 11 weeks, so that might not work. They can kick out of that at that age. Good luck!! Sleep is very important, so it's great that you're concerned about that! You could also check out Marc Weissbluth's book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby."

J.,

We did the same thing with our daughter, even at night, and found she slept longer. She would be swaddled and then we'd put her in her car seat. Once she was able to wriggle around more, we'd only let her sleep in the seat if she fell asleep in it in the car (while strapped in). I think it's important to do whatever gets you and your baby the most sleep (as long as it's not unsafe). Just make sure that the seat is always on the floor, so she can't fall off of a high surface.

Best,
R.

Hi J. ~

I was a first~time mom at 38; my daughter is now 18 mos. She had terrible reflux for the first few months, and we used the car seat for sleeping for a while. She slept noticeably better in it. It helped with both the reflux and the swaddling issue (she was such a wiggler, we never had much luck with keeping her swaddled in bed.) I don't know what the official word is on the safety of using the car seat for sleeping, but it sure worked for us! (We did keep it on the floor when she slept in it.) It was a bit of work to eventually transition her to sleeping in her crib, but not bad ~ and she's been a good sleeper ever since! Good luck! J. S.

J.,

There's a reason why the car seat manufacturers say to only use them in the car - it's because they can be unsafe in other situations - and the Consumer Product Safety Commission made them put that on their labels. My aunt works for the CPSC, investigating child injuires and deaths. She has so many stories to tell me of children that were hurt while sleeping in car seats out of the car (them toppling over and trapping the child, getting tangeled in the belt straps, you get the point)...

On a personal note, our cousin's 1 year old baby died a few years ago while napping in his car seat. The daycare provider thought she had strapped him in correctly, but she hadn't...One of the belt buckles wasn't clicked in all of the way, he slid down while napping, and the chest clip cut off his airway. The coroner said that he couldn't breath or cry because of this, and died within minutes. It was the saddest funeral I have ever been to!!!

I would NEVER place a bouncy seat or a car seat in a crib!!! The car seats can flip over easily, and the bouncy seats are designed to be used on flat surfaces only!

Have you tried swaddling your baby snugly? A lot of babies that young really enjoy swaddling. It might help your baby sleep better! Also, have you tried a bassinet? They are smaller than the crib and your daughter might enjoy it.

I remember having my daughter at that age, and having her sleep those extra hours was a real gift. Trust me, your daughter will get used to her crib. She'll start to sleep longer and longer. I urge you not to put her in a bouncy seat or car seat in her crib, it's not worth the risk.

There was a post similar to yours (with tons of responses) on Mamasource, last summer I think, if you can still find it. The best of luck!

M.

Alright there are going to be lots of opinions on this. I think however if your child is sleeping peacefully without stating a complete answer or opinion, I'd let the child sleep. I used to hear all sorts of things about how a child would unalign his bones or something if they slept in car seats or his muscles would do something, oh who knows...my children slept in all sorts of places and they have very straight backs. Come to think of it they aren't children anymore. At any rate...temporarily this probably doesn't hurt (although I'm not a chiropractor or a stress or muscle doctor who will all tell you that this is a horrible sin) so I will tell you that your theory is correct, I am sure baby feels wonderful all cuddled up in a car seat like that. The good news is that they grow so quickly that by the time everyone criticizes us for doing these things they are then asking for futons and want their friends to stay over. If you are really worried of course call the doctor.

I think the bog issue with always using a bouncy seat, carseat or swing is the duration of time the child is in it. My sil always kept her kids in the carseat unless she was holding them. I am talking at least 15 hours a day. My niece had a slightly flat head as a result. This I am opposed to. But when it comes to sleeping, if that is a way to get her to feel secure, go for it. Just make sure that when the time comes, she gets her tummy time everyday. You have to choose what works.

Hi, I have 2 girls and think what ever you can do for good safe sleep works. I worry about using a car seat in the crib, if the child squirms out the seat is not designed for sleep and might be dangerous. Strap the child in just like you would a bouncy seat, swing or other device. The real deal, the baby should be sleeping flat in it's bed, just like you and I. Foster the habits you want now to avoid issues in the future.

I had all the same issues with you. My baby still naps longer in the carseat than in his crib. But part of that has to do with the fact tht a baby is more snug in a carseat and sitting up and with acid reflux that's necessary.

I would say yes use the carseat but make sure you strap her in because otherwise she'll eventually slide down and I guess there was once an incident of a baby getting strangled by the safety belt of a carseat cuz she wasn't strapped in, though I can't imagine how that happened.

He only bad issue I had with the carseat was that when I had to break my baby of it, it sucked because he'd started sleeping through the night and all of a sudden now he ws up every 2 hours. But it wouldn't have made any difference if I hadn't given him the carseat-- he'd have just ALWAYS been up every 2 hours because his tummy hurt! So it just sucks either way.

What I wound up doing was the family bed and having my baby sleep in my arms so that he was on his side which was comfy for his tummy, and felt safe with me so he was able to sleep. I'm now slowly transitioning him into a cosleeper and then into his crib. Heeeere we goo......

It is fine for her to sleep in the car seat. Though as she gets more active, she will likely start to get out of it. I found the amby bed was fabulous. www.amby.com It is a hammock like enclosed bed and it rocks. It is JPMA certified for safety and for those children that like that more cosy womb like environment similar to the car seat, it works like a treat.

Hi J., Have you tired using a swing? This might be a bit safer. While I don't see the problem, I can see why some are concerned depending on how active your child is. Also, once your child falls asleep, do you move them to a bed/crib? Do they wake once moved? I would try to transition them to a crib as soon as you are able to do so.

I too am guilty of raising car seat, bouncy chair and swing sleeping babies. I always had the car seat on the floor and the baby strapped in. I guess I never put either of my sons in the seat to sleep but if we came in and the baby was still sleeping, I'd live him there. (He was strapped in, obviously.) I would loosen or remove the blanket b/c my baby would get very hot. I also always turned on the ceiling fan in their rooms to help with air circ. (I do that for the baby now even though he's in the crib as I read that this helps move "stale" air and reduces the risk the baby will reinhale exhaled air. Make sense?)

our kids had terrible sleeping and eating issues and allergie adn reflux and yes they slept in the car seat swing until 4 months old, the GI dr had us transition them from car seat to an inclined crib at 4 months and it worked by at three months puttting them to sleep in the car seat in the crib with a slight incline. they would fall out was the only part that scared me, they slithered down but by four months my son was too big for the car seat and slither down to the incline and then was a sleep they also got on neocate formula that stopped the vomiting and pain and reflux. MY twins are 4 now and my son does have sensory issues and still needs to be enclosed with pressure when he eats so I do believe the car seat and swing helped with that inclosure feel. the therapists he see sometimes have him eat in a bean bag so the pressure and the bean bag wraps around him. SO from our family to yours after all we have been though yoou do what works because at that young age you do not know what you are dealing with completely and something manifest later like whaqt allergies they have and the whole sensory thing and well mine have much more but it is good to do what you can. I am sorry I cannot help on the safety issues of the car seat in the bed. I know mine only slept 20-30 minutes not in the seat or swing or bouncy and if they were in the car seat they slept 2 hours. We also were the parents that drove our little girl around in the car to fall asleep till she was 9 months old and we are sooooooooooooooooooooo grateflu we did becasue at 9 months old she had to have tubes in her ears. she had 11 ear infections and in the beginning we didnt know she couldnt sleep lying down becaue of the pain from the pressure of her ear. Falling asleep in the car upright gave her less pain and could fall asleep and then we transferred he she only got a few hours after that and then we would drive her again knowing it helped and could get her to the dr the next day and it took a month someitmes to get rid of the ear infections until the tubes phew. SO when people would yell at us about driving our child around oh they will get used to that etc..BS... My husband is so happy he did that now and looks back at his 3 am rides and knows he saved her from so much pain he even says it was worth it. And by the way she did not get used to it and when she was healthy would sleep in her bed and she still does and my son love dhis crib and was in it until almost 4 years old!!! another sensory thing like the enclosures. It took a good two months of transitioning him out with the side down etc. He needed the enclosed space. He has sensory based modulation disorde and does not know where his body is in sapce so the rails from the cribed helped him know he would not fall out of bed. He has a full bed and the batress is on the floor now for that purpose and does ok not as good as my daughters but ok.
So I guess what I am saying is do what works for you and your husband and your baby and do not let any other mother freak out on you. you were chosen to be this childs mom for a reason because you will know what is best for this child. :)
good luck and enjoy.
J.

Babies love the security feeling of the womb. Swaddling and rhythmic sound like mom's breathing and circulation work wonders. We used a box fan then changed to an ocean wave sound machine for sleeping. Not only does it provide a secure feeling, it blocks out the household noise. A friend gave us a Sleepy Bee for a gift and we love it. sleepybees.com We travel a lot and it si great for sleep away from home.

My doctor and the hospital has told me that the SIDS rate climbs if the baby/child sleeps in the car seat.

My 3rd slept in her carseat for months. She was able to sleep through the night starting at about 1 month because of it. We just put the seat in her bed. I asked my ped about it once and he suggested maybe putting her crib at an incline. But she was using a pack and play so that wasn't a possibility and we didn't think it was the angle that was making a difference. Now, since then I have read that one of the reasons for not wanting to do that is because a baby's oxygen saturation can drop from being in that position too long. If you were to go to a carseat board you would probably be able to find out more info. I wish I could give you more details but I don't want to pretend to know more than I do. I do sympathize though. Good luck.

You will be fine, just strap her in! You are close to the age where they will wiggle down and flip out.
My kids have all slept in swings/bouncy seats/car seats for bedtime and naptime until they were able to sleep for the same amount of time flat in a crib..some transitioned earlier than others..my 4 month old still can't lie flat for more than about an hour. She wakes up and is obviously uncomfortable - legs curled up and grunting like sounds, spitting up - and then starts screaming. So all 4 of my kids have done this, no one has back problems or a flat head or any other things you may hear about.
If you have her sleeping through the night in her crib, it sounds like she is ready to transition to naps in the crib. You will know when she is ready.

Have you tried raising one side of her crib mattress. Both my boys slept better that way. My first, now four, slept on an incline for about a year. My second who is 7 months, only slept that way for maybe 3 months. Just sounds like she prefers to be in more of an upright position. Just a thought.

Keep her swaddling blankie snug as a bug in a rug so she feels that security she needs. She's a little young for a bouncie chair.

hi im a first time mom of a 10 month old little girl. im i found that the car seat was my life saver for the first few month of my little ones life she slept in her car seat for naps and at night i tried everything from wraping her in blankets to puttin pillows around her and nothing worked the only thing that worked was the car seat after a few months we were able to start uesing the crib but it took awhile. my little one is just find the only time i would think there would be a prob is when your little one start to roll then it could be un safe well hope this helps

Having a child sleep in a car seat is totally safe, BUT strap her in!!! BOTH of my kids did this and they ended up flipping out of their car seats. I do have pics! Also make sure they are on the floor. Put a blanket down and the carseat on top just in case you don't strap her in and she does flip out. Anyway good luck with this.