Scientists have warned parents against bringing their infants on long-distance car journeys, amid fears that it could create breathing problems for them.

 

The team from the Universities of Bristol and Southampton urged parents not to use car seats for babies under four weeks, for longer than 30 minutes.

 

According to their research, carried out at Swindon’s Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, being seated in this upright position could be creating serious breathing problems for these tots.

 

 

In fact, these little ones could even be at risk of suffocation, as their neck muscles are not strong enough to stop their heads from flopping forward during the journey, thus obstructing their breathing passages.

 

The findings were made as part of a study of 40 newborns. Each baby was tested with a simulator which reproduced road vibrations through a car seat of a car travelling at 30mph.

 

The research team then measured each child’s heart, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, from three different seating positions.

 

 

The results showed that, when the babies were placed in an upright sitting position in this scenario, their heart and breathing rates increased significantly in comparison to when they were lying flat in their cots.

 

Publishing their results, the research team advised parents to completely avoid long car journeys with babies under four weeks, if at all possible.

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