New research warns that infants under four weeks shouldn’t travel in car seats for more than 30 minutes.BBC News
And if your child is born more than a 30 minute journey from hospital? Bus?
It follows a study at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital which reveals that putting babies in an upright position might cause breathing difficulties.
The thing is, car seats don’t hold them upright but in an arch – very similar to the way someone would hold a baby in their arms. Certainly they’re less upright than, say, a mother holding her baby to her. Or should this be restricted to less than 30 minutes at a time?
Now it sounds like I’m just being flippant but with two children, some years apart, I’ve seen all sorts of rules and regulations change with regard to car seats and it’s become stupidly confusing. Different seats should be used depending on age and/or height and/or weight. Then ridiculous pronouncements such as this come out (my youngest was very nearly born a 1.5 hour car journey from home).
I genuinely now don’t know which “rules” are actual laws and which are just suggestions. When confusion sets in, people get it wrong or, worse still, don’t bother.