What Is Postural Asphyxia And How Can It Be Avoided?

Have you heard of postural asphyxia in infants? If the answer is no, it is important that you find out what it is about.

During the first months of your life, your baby requires your attention permanently, even during rest, excursions and transportation. In addition to support and comfort, it is important to ensure a safe environment to prevent serious injuries.

Postural asphyxia, or suffocation, can be caused by car seats, rocking chairs or in any device for infants where the position of the spine is in a C-shape for a long time. For this reason, it is important that you learn to use these devices properly.

What is postural asphyxia?

Newborns are born with a rather loose muscle composition, which prevents them from holding the body core to stand or sit

When the child is lying on a slightly elevated surface, the spine assumes a C-shaped posture. This benefits the forward tilt of the torso and head, which puts pressure on the breathing structures and prevents the child from breathing.

Because the baby does not have enough ability to sit up, after a while, the oxygen in the blood decreases and they can lose their lives.

The younger the age, the greater the risk of suffocation. As they grow, children develop strength and muscle shape. After 3 months, infants can usually control their head position and movement, and after 6 months, many can sit up without support.

What can you do to avoid postural asphyxia?

The first thing you should think about to avoid postural asphyxia is to use the children’s equipment in the ways they are intended for. That being said, it is very common, but extremely risky, to use a car seat as a place for your baby to rest.

Below we share some safety precautions you must take to take care of your baby when using these devices:

• Secure your baby correctly in the chair: Make sure the harness is the right size for your little one. Your child’s shoulders must be in contact with the seat to prevent them from leaning forward.
• Do not leave them in their child car seat for more than 90 minutes: the function of this unit is only to transport small ones. Therefore, you should never use it in your home for other purposes.

• If you have to leave your child for a few minutes to do something, it is better to place them on a flat and safe surface, always at ground level. This encourages safe rest and encourages free movement while you are awake.
• Monitor the child permanently: The fact that the child is comfortable and supported is not enough to ensure their well-being. The child must always travel within sight of the adult, whether he is asleep or awake.
• If you are going to travel far, stay often: at least once an hour, it is important to stop and remove the child from the chair. You can take advantage of these breaks to breastfeed or change your diaper.
• Do not use the car seat to get your child to sleep at night, as you will not be able to monitor them all the time.

Other considerations to take into account

There are hundreds of options on the market for placing or transporting small ones. But when choosing one of them, you should check their characteristics:

• Check the type and size of the car seat: Make sure that the seat fits the child’s age and weight.
• Install the seat correctly in the car seat, depending on the fixing element (isofix, latch or belt). This is one of the crucial factors for the safety of the device and prevents the child from moving suddenly inside the car.
• Use approved reducers or adapters to keep the baby’s head in line: Some seats have these accessories. If not, look for specially conditioned pillows.
• Always use the car seat backwards : Make sure that the seat allows you to place it in this position.

You can prevent postural asphyxia!

Although postural asphyxia is an unfortunate outcome, it is completely preventable. Therefore, you must try to take the necessary precautions when leaving your baby in an infant seat.

Remember that car seats or seats should only be used as part of safe transport.