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Car Seat Confinement
How Long Is Too Long in a Car Seat?
By Lisa A. Goldstein
Effects on Development
When Baby gets a little older, around 6 months or more, parents should exercise more caution. A parent must examine how much time in a day the infant spends in the seat. In some cases an infant may be placed in a car seat and remain in the seat for transport, feeding, interaction and play time, only being removed for diaper changes. If so, what did this infant miss? "He missed the opportunity to be held, have close contact with his parent or caregiver [and to] be able to continue to work on head control, upper body strength or rolling over," Thompson says. The bottom line is that a car seat can be useful in certain environments. "It's not a question of right or wrong," Thompson says. It's more about how long the intervals are or how often a baby remains in a car seat.
"This technique certainly has its time and place," Dr. Sophy says. "Parents need to be mindful of the need for children to develop emotionally, physically, as well as socially – everything in moderation."
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