In addition to the oxygenation issues, there is a connection between "reflux" and overeuse of car seats. I have seen mothers whose babies spend virtually ALL their time in these plastic buckets. In the car, in stores, even most of the day at home. I have seen people who use the car seat while the baby is IN the crib, as to "not to disturb her" when putting the baby to bed, after falling asleep in the seat. Seeing as a good 55% to 80% of my clients tell me their baby has been diagnosed with "reflux" (with usually no other symptom but normal spitting up) I always issue the recommendation that the car seat never, or almost never, leave the car. Perhaps the massive increase in babies dxed with this condition is directly linked to less time in arms and lying down, and more time scrunched down in a plastic bucket. I often hear "What will I do with him, if he isn't in the car seat?" (Not refering to being IN the car.) The suggestion to hold the baby is often met with blank stares. Sigh. I have seen parents, with trembling arms, holding babies at arm length, while walking through parking lots, shopping places, and even parks. The "wisdom" of putting a 8 lb baby into a 14 lb chunk of plastic, out of skin contact, and calling it "convenient" escapes me. In the area where I live, seeing a baby in arms in public is a rarity. Perhaps we need to discuss the number of hours a day the babies in our practice spend in car seats, both in, and more importantly, OUT of the car. Mary Jozwiak IBCLC, RLC, LLLL, AAPL Private Practice *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html