The car seat from https://adviserbaby.com/best-affordable-car-seats/ does make your little one safer, especially if there is a risk of an accident when parents drive. But did you know about the “2-hour rule?” If you don’t know, you’re not alone. A study showed that 58 percent of parents were not aware of this rule.

The 2-hour rule is the maximum time your little one is in the car seat. After 2 hours, the baby should be removed from the car seat because it will endanger his life. The reason is, the baby sits in a half-sitting position while in the car seat. This position is dangerous if done for a long time, for the following reasons:

• The spine of a newborn is still not fully developed and the sitting position puts a strain on the spine.

• Limited air entering the Little One’s lungs. This risk increases when the little one falls asleep in the car seat with the head tilted downwards. The reason is, the newborn’s head does not yet have the reflex to stand up. So that the tilted head, can block the entry of air into the lungs.

Not a Bed
Many parents don’t have the heart to wake their sleeping little ones. But, if he fell asleep in the car seat, you should immediately move him to bed. Keep in mind that car seats are only safe to use while driving and are not a substitute for a bed.

For example, in 2015, a baby named Shepard Dodd, 11 weeks old, died from falling asleep in the car seat. Shepard fell asleep in the car seat, not wearing a seat belt, then placed in daycare.

The daycare caregivers were busy and didn’t think sleeping Shepard needed to be watched. About 2 hours later, Shepard’s face turned blue and he could not be saved.

A similar incident also happened to Emily Albright, 2 months, who died from sleeping on a bouncer. The half-sitting position of a baby in a bouncer is similar to a car seat, a position that is dangerous for babies who are not yet 3 months old. Hopefully, this kind of incident will not happen again and become a valuable lesson for all of us.

To be sure, the best bed for newborns is a flat place that allows your little one’s back to being straight, like a crib or bed.

When You Take a Long Trip
If you are taking a long trip that requires your child to sit in the car seat for more than 2 hours, you should stop every 2 hours and take your child out of the car seat. Parents should also keep an eye on their little one while driving safely, to ensure he doesn’t fall asleep with his head tilted. Ideally, the mother or parent of the baby is accompanied by another adult so that someone is in charge of supervising the little one along the way.