How long is it safe for children to sit in a car?

Experts stress that parents need to learn about how to keep their children safe when traveling in cars. It is important to install car seats and seat belts correctly, but it is also important to avoid leaving children in car seats for too long.

The safest thing to do is try to remove your child from the car seat every hour of driving, says Jessica Zablan, a child expert at Birth & Baby. Zablan also suggests having a technician thoroughly inspect the car seat before every long trip. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking a break every two hours.

Back to the case of a 3-week-old baby in Scotland who almost died after being stuck in a car for too long. On April 4, 2018, Kirsti and Christopher, a couple living in the town of Falkirk, Central Scotland, went shopping with their children, including 3-week-old Harper. They drove 45 minutes to the shopping center and spent 3 hours taking the children shopping and playing. They then drove back home, but due to traffic jams, it took them about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get home.

Harper sat in the car for another 15 minutes while her mother took her older sister upstairs. The couple noticed that their 3-week-old daughter was acting strangely, with her lips turning blue and pursed and foaming at the mouth. The couple rushed their daughter to the hospital.

Doctors said that baby Harper suffered from severe oxygen deficiency after sitting in the car for nearly 2 hours, she went into shock and had symptoms similar to an epileptic seizure. Fortunately, Harper's health improved after resuscitation treatment. However, there have been many children who were not so lucky and lost their lives because they sat in the car for too long.

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Jessica Zablan said that seat standards and regulations vary from country to country and continent to continent, so she could not comment specifically on this case. However, this technical expert emphasized the importance of parents regularly checking the corners of the car seat.

If the seat is not fitted correctly or the seat cushion and back are not level, it can cause the baby's head to droop, obstructing the airway. It is also important that the car seat is not a place to sleep and you should never leave your baby alone in the car without adult supervision.

For safety reasons, it is best to remove your baby from the car seat every hour for feeding and diaper changes, so you should not bottle-feed or breast-feed while the car is moving. Also, drive safely and make sure your car seat is properly installed.