Shepard Dodd was 11 weeks old when he died in his infant car seat. But he didn’t die in a car accident. He died when he was left to sleep in it. It’s a risk that not many people know about, but the accident has devastated his family. Now Shepard’s parents, Ali and Derek Dodd, are sharing their story so that what happened to their son does not happen to another family.
“Shepard was in the home of his licensed daycare provider. Shepard had a runny nose and a little congestion, so when it was time for his nap he was swaddled and placed in his car seat so he could sleep more upright. The straps were left completely unbuckled. While he was sleeping, Shepard’s body shifted and his head fell down into a chin-to-chest position and because he was so young he couldn’t pick his head up to open up his airway,” writes The Car Seat Lady on Facebook.
By the time the daycare worker checked on Shepard he was unresponsive. She called 911 and he was rushed to hospital, but it was too late. Shepard had died of asphyxiation.
Shepard Dodd was 11 weeks old on April 6, 2015 when he died in his infant car seat.
But its not what you're thinking….
Posted by The Car Seat Lady on Sunday, October 4, 2015
The Dodds told KFOR that only eleven days before Shepard’s death, the same daycare was warned about the dangers of allowing a child to sleep in a car seat by the Department of Human Services, but she obviously did not heed the warning and Shepard payed the consequences.
Car seats may protect children while traveling in a car, but they pose a danger if infants are not properly strapped in and monitored. What happened to Shepard is called positional asphyxiation. It happens when babies fall into a sleeping position that closes off their airway. Babies haven’t’ got the neck muscles to hold their head upright so if they are not properly buckled in to a rocker or car seat, their chin can fall on their chests cutting off their air supply.
So what should parents do? Pediatricians say to be vigilant and do not leave a child unattended in a car seat, especially if the car seat has been removed from the car, as this changes the angle of the chair. Also, it’s important for any infant caregiver to take the time to learn the proper way to strap children into the car seat.
As for Ali and Derek Dodd, the grieving couple are lobbying the state legislature to introduce safe sleep standards for babies and are warning other parents of the dangers of letting babies sleep in car seats.
“It’s not worth getting a little more sleep or 30 minutes more of quiet time,” Derek Dodd told KFOR. “It’s just not worth it when it’s as dangerous as it is.”
Please share this important safety warning with your family and friends!
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