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Although car seats have saved many babies' lives, they can also be harmful for infants who sit in them in other locations besides the car. Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, host of HealthDay TV. In a new study from the journal Pediatrics, researchers looked at injuries among infants below the age of one that were related to the use of car seats outside the vehicle. They estimated that more than 43,000 of these injuries required treatment in emergency departments in a recent five-year period. Eighty-five percent of the injuries were related to falls, such as the baby falling from the car seat or the seat falling from an elevated surface. Common places involved in falls included shopping carts, tables, and countertops. The researchers found three reported deaths during this period. According to the researchers, parents should avoid setting car seats on shopping carts, washing machines, car roofs or trunks, or other elevated surfaces. They recommend that if parents must set an infant in a car seat on an elevated surface, they should make sure the surface is firm, the child is restrained, the seat is well away from the edge, and they constantly supervise the child. I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.
