Mum issues warning to parents after daughter falls asleep in car seat

A mum is reaching out to warn other parents against the dangers of this common parenting act.

Three years ago, Lisa Smith received a phone call that would change her life forever. Her babysitter told her that her almost 18-month-old daughter “did not wake up from her nap”.

The heartbreaking situation led to a startling discovery. The babysitter, who ran a licensed home day care, had placed little Mia in a car seat for her nap and then left her alone in a dark room while she slept, according to WFMY News 2.

After sliding slightly downwards in her seat, the toddler had tragically died from positional asphyxia

And while the carer was prosecuted, Lisa has made it her mission to warn other parents of the dangerous situation that many are unaware of.

According to a study published by the Journal of Pediatrics, 31 children died while in their car seats over a four-year period.

A car seat’s base is better suited to prop up the child at a more safe angle, yet it is still recommended that they do not remain in the safety restraint for a long time.

It is important to know that once a car seat is placed on a flat surface, it increases the child's chances of slumping downwards in his seat, leading to suffocation or strangulation by the straps of the seat belt.

Lisa is urging parents to keep kids out of car seats once they are removed from the vehicle. She told the news station that she often approaches parents at restaurants to voice her own story and try to save them from the utter devastation she has felt over the past few years.

Little Mia loved to dance and her parents choose to remember her as their happy and energetic bundle of joy. They wish to cherish and honour her memory by spreading awareness of the cause of her tragic death.

So, please pass Mia’s story on to as many mums as you can to prevent the dangers of napping in car seats and provide sufficient warning for parents that are unaware of the situation's potential harms.