April 2007
Bouncer-seat safety
Nearly 2,000 infants are injured each year in bouncy seats. Here's how to protect your newborn:
- Stick to the weight limit. Manufacturers suggest an upper weight limit, usually from 18 to 30 pounds. A child who is over
the weight limit can make the seat tip.
- Never use a bouncer seat as a car seat.
- Stop using a bouncer seat as soon as your baby can sit up unassisted if the bouncer is not designed for toddlers (some are);
check the manufacturer's recommendations.
- Put the seat on the floor. Never use it on an elevated surface, such as a table, where the baby's movement could rock it to
the edge, or on a soft surface, such as a bed, sofa, pillow, or cushion. The seat may tip and soft surfaces are a suffocation
hazard.
- Don't carry your baby while he's in the bouncer, even if it has a carrying handle, and never use the toy bar as a handle.
- Always keep a close eye on your baby, even if you think he's completely safe and secure in the bouncer seat.
- Make sure the bouncer you select doesn't have any sharp edges.
- Always secure your baby with the bouncer's 3- or 5-point safety harness.
- Don't use a bouncy seat that's damaged or broken.
- Don't park your baby in a bouncer. The American Academy of Pediatrics says babies who spend excessive time in bouncers (or car seats) may be prone to positional plagiocephaly, also called flattened head syndrome, a persistent flat spot in the back or on one side of the head. The AAP doesn't say how much is too much, so use your best judgment. No more than 30 minutes at a shot seems reasonable to us. Don't substitute a bouncy seat for cuddle time.
