baby sleeping in car seat

Fabulous

Wed, Feb 17 2010, 12:04 pm

It's totally ok, my son slept in his car seat till he was about three months because of his reflux. We switched to the bouncer seat and then after half hour/hr, to his crib. Now, I mostly just hold him for fifteen minutes after feeding and then put him in his crib.

amother

Wed, Feb 17 2010, 12:21 pm

my son was also in the car seat a lot due to his reflux, however he developed a flat head on one side because of it. I don't have any suggestions on how to get him into the pack in play but just make sure to rotate his head.

racheleezzy

Wed, Feb 17 2010, 12:22 pm

My advice... get him out as fast as you can, we realized wwhen dd was a week that she slept better in her carseat, perfect right! for us it was murder trying to get her to sleep in a bassinet/pack n play bc she was so used to the position of the carseat. needless to say to say next time around im'yh I am not gonna let a baby sleep in the car seat. But we did get her in the pack n play by gradually if she was awake we let her play in their on her back she would look up at the mobile... and right after I fed her I would put her to sleep and basically just tried to get her used to the bassinet and eventually she learned to fall asleep in it...

the world's best mom

Wed, Feb 17 2010, 1:41 pm

Many babies feel more snug and secure in their car seats, so why not let them sleep there?

Honestly, I don't think I'd be comfortable in a pack and play either. Pack and plays usually have very thin matresses that just don't seem very soft in my opinion. If you really feel it's terrible for a baby to sleep in a car seat for some reason, at least try a thicker matress or a port-a-crib.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Feb 18 2010, 7:03 am

It's not that safe, honestly. If there is a medical reason for the baby to be upright, that has to be taken into consideration, but the danger of occlusion is too great for me to recommend a young baby being in a carseat non-stop for more than 2 hours at a time.
http://kids-safety-products.su.....risks
The airway can become obstructed, oxygen levels go down, and it's really not the best thing for the baby's head either. (Though backlying is also problematic for flat heads and torticollis...)

amother

Thu, Feb 18 2010, 7:29 am

my baby slept in her carseat exclusively for at least 6 weeks and then I slowly weaned her off. She is 8 months old now and until she was 6 months old she still napped in there a lot. A pediatrician told me that the first 6 weeks are SURVIVAL- meaning do what you need to do so that you, your husband and baby survive with your sanity intact. You do not need to worry so much if you are doing things right or wrong. That being said you sould consider trying to get your baby to sleep in a pack n play at this point. Ive heard countless stories of 9 months old..etc that will ONLY sleep in thier car seat and you dont want to run into that problem. try putting him in his pack n play in the corner (head touching the walls) since as previous poster wrote babies like feeling stuff around them (thats what they are used to) like someone else wrote let him spend time in the crib. I used to put my daughter in there whenever she fell asleep while nursing. 6 weeks old is still very young - your baby just like that position now...at some point they get more comfortable in bigger spaces. I would not worry so much about it.

AlwaysGrateful

Thu, Feb 18 2010, 7:56 am

chaylizi wrote:

What HY said.

Yes, that's what my doctor told me. He said sleeping in there for a nap, once a day or so, is fine. But overnight or for every nap is not a good idea.

He didn't sleep as well in his crib/pack-n-play, but I felt that it was worth it to try, even though it was frustrating. Eventually, he started sleeping much better in his crib, and we transitioned him completely. It's like everything else involving infants/toddlers that can be habit-forming. It's a tightrope that you walk and then slowly wean the baby off of it whenever possible.

racheleezzy

Thu, Feb 18 2010, 8:22 am

my dd had torticollis and her phsyical therapist said although she was born with it ( bc her pediatrician noticed it right away) The fact that she slept in her carseat didnt help the situation.....

Mirabelle

Thu, Feb 18 2010, 8:44 am

My baby with reflux has been sleeping in her car seat. I talked to the doctor about it and she said it was a better idea to have her sleep in a crib with one of those positioners. So I just ordered the "nap nanny" positioner. It was expensive, but got really good reviews. It hasn't come yet, but I hope it works!

amother

Brunette

Wed, Mar 17 2010, 12:49 pm

I got a pack 'n play from graco -one of their models has a 'newborn napper', it's a small cozy piece that attaches to the pack 'n play and is kind of curved / rounded, so the baby isn't flat on their back. It's very soft and cozy, and has an option of making it vibrate. My baby is now 6 weeks -she hated being flat in the crib. We just got this, it works wonders. Maybe you can order just the 'baby napper' piece and attach it to your pack 'n play -I doubt it's expensive just for that piece.

Last edited by amother on Wed, Mar 13 2019, 1:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

MaBelleVie

Wed, Mar 17 2010, 5:37 pm

BKIND wrote:

when my ds was a newborn, he used to nap well in the car seat, but if we put him into the newborn napper he was up and screaming within a minute. I got that pack n play because I thought it would be great to have that option, but nope- ds had other ideas about that! so I would recommend trying it out first if possible.

chaylizi

Wed, Mar 17 2010, 6:26 pm

BKIND wrote:

I have one & no you can't. The bassinet is made specially to accomodate it. It is completely awesome though & is worth every cent.

MommyZ

Wed, Mar 17 2010, 6:33 pm

chaylizi wrote:

BKIND wrote:

I have one & no you can't. The bassinet is made specially to accomodate it. It is completely awesome though & is worth every cent.

They make pack'n'plays with beside co-sleepers now which look awesome.

HAPPYMOMMY

Wed, Mar 17 2010, 7:43 pm

My baby slept in the swing for several months. His pediatrician wasn't thrilled and suggested we wean him. He is now 6 months old and sleeps 1/2 the night in his stroller (semi recline) and the other 1/2 of the night he sleeps on his stomach in the crib. A sleep positioner did not work for him, but it worked wonders with another child.

Rodent

Thu, Mar 18 2010, 1:39 am

I'm with HY, it's dangerous. It can cut off a baby's airway to be in that position so long. I read somewhere that they shouldn't be left that way for more than 30 minutes at a time. I have never had a capsule to remove the temptation - convertible from birth and taken out when we get out of the car.

SivanMom

Fri, Mar 19 2010, 1:32 pm

I find it interesting that people say their babies were in carseats because of reflux. The first thing both our pediatrician and GI specialist told us about our daughter's really bad reflux was no sleeping in the carseat, it is the worst position for reflux because it forces the food right back up. Also, my neighbor's kid developed torticollis which her pediatrician said was because he had slept in a carseat for several months.
However, a pac 'n play is not a good choice either. A baby should not sleep in a pac 'n play beyond a certain age for lengthy periods of time as it does not have support. I got this last piece of information from a friend who heard it from a pediatrician - it is not first hand information so I can't vouch for it. maybe ask your pediatrician.