What is the Car Seat Challenge?

What is the car seat challenge? The car seat challenge is where all infants that are born preterm are placed into a car seat for an hour while they are monitored. While the infants are placed into he car seat for an hour, they are not going anywhere, but simply staying at hospital, while the staff monitors their behavior in a car seat.

What is the purpose of the car seat challenge? The purpose of the car seat challenge is to show wether or not the infant that was born preterm is ready for the car ride home, in the car seat. Because it is against the law for a newborn baby to ride in a vehicle without a car seat, there is no other way to transport your new bundle of joy home from the hospital. The car seat challenge must be done to take your infant home that was born preterm.

What is being monitored on the baby during the car seat challenge? While the baby is sitting in the car seat for an hour, the staff at the hospital will monitor the baby’s breathing, oxygen levels, and heart rate. Monitoring these things on the baby before he or she is released from the hospital, will let the staff know if the baby is ready to be discharged or not, and wether or not the baby will survive the car ride home.

Why does the hospital think that a baby that is born preterm will not make it home in the car seat? There have been studies that show that some babies will have a slower heart rate, lower oxygen levels, as well as breathing problems when they are placed in the car seat. Catching these problems before the infant leaves the hospital is a great idea. Because of the studies, the car seat challenge is required by all infants that are born preterm, before they can be discharged from the hospital.

The car seat challenge is an excellent way to see if your baby is ready to leave the hospital. When you have a baby that is preterm, there are many precautions that you will have to take. Most preterm babies are more susceptible to germs and sicknesses. Preventing these things will take a lot of effort on your part.

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