Sleeping in car seat

tarheelgirl8 · August 2015

Do y'all let your LOs sleep in their car seat at home? I've heard that you're not supposed to, but I'm not sure if that's true or not. We never put her in the car seat to get her to go to sleep. But a lot of times when we get home from running errands she's passed out in her car seat, and it's so tempting to just leave her in there peaceful and content (always supervised though). Thoughts?

SassetteSmurfling · August 2015

If she falls asleep in there I let her sleep.

Starynightsky24 · August 2015

SassetteSmurfling said:
If she falls asleep in there I let her sleep.

This. I never use it to make her sleep though

kelseyrayay · August 2015

My little one is a heavy sleeper. I mean a bomb could go off and he would still be knocked out. So I can take him out and he won't wake up. But if he was a light sleeper then I would probably leave him there to sleep. Or if I was in church and he was fussy from the bad gas he gets and he was asleep and comfortable I'd leave him.

prpl11butterfly · August 2015

DS slept in his last night. He was so stuffy that if we laid him down, he screamed. Only way he would relax was being laid on my chest while I leaned back on pillows. I felt so aweful that he couldn't sleep there, so we buckled him in and set his seat in the cradle (cradle is low to the floor and seat fits in it perfectly, he was eye to eye with me when I laid down) and I rocked him to sleep that way. I didn't sleep well due to being on high alert for his safety, but he slept great and that's more important to me right now.

Edited to add - My mom says she had to put me in mine most nights in the first few weeks because I didn't like to be laying down. I would start screaming immediately and that's the only way she could get me to sleep without being held. I am still alive

carleym93 · August 2015

My kid is too smart for my tricks. She will sleep in the carseat in the car and in the stroller, but I kid you not the moment we set her carseat down in the house, she will wake up. Otherwise I'd totally leave her in there.

benmel31 · August 2015

DS slept part of the night in his last night. Once he woke up to feed, I did not put him back in it though.

hclzmm14 · August 2015

I never, ever do this. It's not recommended and babies can and have died from this. No judgment to you mamas who do, but if baby is napping I want to be able to get some shit done, not staring at her making sure she is still breathing the whole time.

jesselayne8 · August 2015

I don't leave the baby in the car seat because I am so paranoid about her head shape. My DS had a flat spot from too much time in the rock n play.

KateDerek · August 2015

I leave them in there.

emmacake08 · August 2015

I remember last year there was a baby that died from sleeping in his carseat and I remember my pedi specifically saying not to let LOs sleep in the seat out of the car. Mine always woke up once they weren't in a moving car so I was never tempted. This has also made me paranoid when LO is riding in the car, I always want to ride back with them when they're tiny.

CaliforniaDream87 · August 2015

Nope. I move my baby as soon as possible. I don't allow car seat sleeping if we're at home.

deviduke412 · August 2015

Exactly what @SassetteSmurfling said.

CarelessDiva89 · August 2015

CaliforniaDream87 said:
Nope. I move my baby as soon as possible. I don't allow car seat sleeping if we're at home.

This^^^ the nicu docs said not to let LO Sleep in the car seat. I always take her out immediately.

ChanelLovesB · August 2015

Was told by my Ped that he should never be left sleeping in a car seat. So I remove him immediately.

sushilove15 · August 2015

This might be a dumb question... why is it safe for them to sleep in the car seat while in the car but not out of the car?

JNOVA2015 · August 2015

CaliforniaDream87 said:
Nope. I move my baby as soon as possible. I don't allow car seat sleeping if we're at home.

This exactly.

ChanelLovesB · August 2015

mwt8673 said:
This might be a dumb question... why is it safe for them to sleep in the car seat while in the car but not out of the car?

The movement of the car is what I was told. If they sit restricted in a car seat, they may "forget" to move and breathe. SIDS Risk
I think

neludelu · August 2015

mwt8673 said:
This might be a dumb question... why is it safe for them to sleep in the car seat while in the car but not out of the car?

It is the incline of the seat.

prpl11butterfly · August 2015

Ok, if letting him sleep in the car seat is really that bad, does anyone have a recommendation on what else I can do to help DS sleep? He is so stuffy he can't sleep when he's laying down. He seemed great today, until I got home and put him down. Immediately all congested and crying. I am using saline drops and the sucker to clean out his nose but it doesn't stop!! He's great on all other aspects (no fever, boggers are white/yellowish so no infection) so I don't feel the need to bring him to the doctor and don't think there is anything that they could do anyway. I feel awful that he is unable to sleep cause if the congestion.

emmacake08 · August 2015

Do you have a vibrating chair, swing, or rock and play? All those are on an incline. Also you can put a book or rolled up blankets under one end of the mattress to put the crib on an incline. One particularly bad night of reflux, I had to sleep next to LO propped up on a pillow.

emmacake08 · August 2015

Also, have you tried to steam up the bathroom and sit with LO in there for about 15 minutes and then saline and suck out the nose? That combo worked on my boogie monsters!

kettlekitten · August 2015

prpl11butterfly said:
Ok, if letting him sleep in the car seat is really that bad, does anyone have a recommendation on what else I can do to help DS sleep? He is so stuffy he can't sleep when he's laying down. He seemed great today, until I got home and put him down. Immediately all congested and crying. I am using saline drops and the sucker to clean out his nose but it doesn't stop!! He's great on all other aspects (no fever, boggers are white/yellowish so no infection) so I don't feel the need to bring him to the doctor and don't think there is anything that they could do anyway. I feel awful that he is unable to sleep cause if the congestion.

Try propping up his mattress a little at the head end if you can, and using a vaporiser in his room. Other than what you're already doing, There's not much else you can do other than ride it out unfortunately!

hclzmm14 · August 2015

Do you have a Nose Frida? It's a little more gentle on their nasal cavities than a regular bulb.

prpl11butterfly · August 2015

@kettlekitten His cradle mattress is inclined (helped with his gas issue) but we can probably adjust it more. He's sleeping in our room right now cause I'm BF and its so much easier for me. I have a cool mist humidifier in there already (just not running) will that help?

@emmacake08 I did take him in the bathroom this morning while DH was showering for work, but don't think we were in there for 15min. I plan to take one when DH gets home so I will bring his swing in the bathroom. He has been sleeping in his glider swing this evening.

Edited because I forgot to say thank you both for suggestions! FTM with sleep deprivation

kettlekitten · August 2015

@prpl11butterfly I think the hot humid air helps more to loosen congestion...we bought a vaporiser from the pharmacy and it seems to help a bit. You can also put in eucalyptus oil or something like that which also helps decongest.
I realise you're probably in mid summer though so hot humid air probably isn't that appealing...

gulimz · August 2015

carleyec93 said:
My kid is too smart for my tricks. She will sleep in the carseat in the car and in the stroller, but I kid you not the moment we set her carseat down in the house, she will wake up. Otherwise I'd totally leave her in there.

Hahaha mine does this too!
And yes, I'd leave her there sleeping as long as I was awake. Wouldn't leave her there overnight or anything, but a nap is ok

kjandericka · August 2015

I leave DS in the car seat if he falls asleep in the car. He actually slept in his car seat for 30-45 minutes while we unpacked our hospital bags when we first got him home. I've never left him in there longer than that and I don't let him out of eyesight either. Luckily our house is open concept so I can easily see him from the kitchen, living or dining areas.

jlo629 · August 2015

I do not let DD sleep in her car seat as a friend lost her DS to SIDS 5 years ago in his car seat. He was 6 weeks old and it was his 2nd day at in home daycare and when she went to drop him off he was asleep in his car seat so the put him in the bedroom still in the car seat with a baby monitor to get some sleep. When the day care lady went to go check on him a half hour later he was not breathing. I know this is rare but still not risking it!

amk013 · August 2015

jlo629 said:
I do not let DD sleep in her car seat as a friend lost her DS to SIDS 5 years ago in his car seat. He was 6 weeks old and it was his 2nd day at in home daycare and when she went to drop him off he was asleep in his car seat so the put him in the bedroom still in the car seat with a baby monitor to get some sleep. When the day care lady went to go check on him a half hour later he was not breathing. I know this is rare but still not risking it!

That is absolutely heartbreaking!

Starynightsky24 · August 2015

jlo629 said:
I do not let DD sleep in her car seat as a friend lost her DS to SIDS 5 years ago in his car seat. He was 6 weeks old and it was his 2nd day at in home daycare and when she went to drop him off he was asleep in his car seat so the put him in the bedroom still in the car seat with a baby monitor to get some sleep. When the day care lady went to go check on him a half hour later he was not breathing. I know this is rare but still not risking it!

that's horrible. What a nightmare.

Well, looks like I won't be doing this anymore. Thanks ladies.

.

TamarraL · October 2015

You should never let LO sleep in the car seat out of the car. The car seat is not ventilated or doesn't have air moving around it. The same goes for the strollers. Plz remember that baby cannot regulate their own body tempreture and that's why it's even a greater SIDS risk in hot weather. I'm a very paranoid mom. And check on DD constantly and more so in hot weather. I can't risk any chances.

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