5 ms·

Doesn't CO2 accumulate in the box since there are no holes on the sides?

by authed 5y ago

thepete2 5y ago
apparently co2's density is only slightly higher than the other gases, so they all mix. Otherwise all of the atmosphere's co2 would be at ground level too, wouldn't it?
atomicnumber3 5y ago
Disclaimer: this is just my general impression after googling around for how much CO2 buildup/concentration might be a factor/cause of SIDS after becoming a parent. It's by no means any kind of reputable research, just the googling of a dad. The relative differences in weight/density between CO2, nitrogen, and oxygen just aren't big enough to matter much compared to the other forces that mix room air: convection, currents from forced air HVAC, air leakage, etc. Air is already 80% nitrogen, and when we exhale we only drop the % of oxygen from 20% to 16%. And consider the fairly small lung volume of the kind of infant who would be sleeping in the box. I'm sure you could get CO2 buildup in the box in very controlled lab settings, but in general practice as a crib it doesn't seem to be an issue. And in case you were wondering about the general case: is CO2 buildup an issue for infants? The answer seems to just be: no, and it doesn't even depend much on how much you run your HVAC or if you have a fan or how hole-y your crib is, etc. Room air just mixes enough normally that it's not that big of a deal.
- Thlom 5y ago
  It could be a problem in the stroller. Some parents cover the stroller with a blanket to shield the child from direct sun light or wind. That is not a good idea, but don’t think many kids die from it to be honest. And I have left all our kids sleeping in the stroller with a rain cover without any issues. By the way, letting children sleep outside in the stroller is great. They sleep so much better outside. Especially if it’s cold outside, just put the child in a sleeping bag and put on a hat and they will sleep like a rock. Just saying since I have the impression this is a very Scandinavian thing?
kupopuffs 5y ago
is cardboard airtight?
- authed 5y ago
  I don't think that it can leak CO2 in any significant way... other commenters made more convincing arguments though
wongarsu 5y ago
Gases really like to mix, much more so than liquids. The box contains a baby that causes air movement (breathing and moving), I would be surprised if the box contains substantially different air than the immediate surroundings.
- usrbinbash 5y ago
  Plus, the human body radiates off a lot of thermal energy, warm gases rise, so purely by thermal convection enough mixing occurs.
Retric 5y ago
Effectively no, first if you look at the picture there are holes on the sides and no body is putting the lid on. More widely Cold CO2 from dry ice or pressurized tanks is a problem because it’s both releasing a lot of CO2 and that CO2 is very cold which means it sinks quickly. On the other hand babies breath is both fairly slow and has a relatively low CO2 concentration which makes it easier to mix with the air. On top of this breath is warm so combined with a convection current from body heat in otherwise still air it has a tendency to rise which improves mixing. An extreme version of this happens when a baby or small child falls down a pipe and can avoid suffocating for hours.
nextlevelwizard 5y ago
You don't put the lid on, mate.

Doesn't CO2 accumulate in the box since there are no holes on the sides?

by authed 5y ago

Doesn't CO2 accumulate in the box since there are no holes on the sides?

apparently co2's density is only slightly higher than the other gases, so they all mix. Otherwise all of the atmosphere's co2 would be at ground level too, wouldn't it?

atomicnumber3 5y ago

Disclaimer: this is just my general impression after googling around for how much CO2 buildup/concentration might be a factor/cause of SIDS after becoming a parent. It's by no means any kind of reputable research, just the googling of a dad. The relative differences in weight/density between CO2, nitrogen, and oxygen just aren't big enough to matter much compared to the other forces that mix room air: convection, currents from forced air HVAC, air leakage, etc. Air is already 80% nitrogen, and when we exhale we only drop the % of oxygen from 20% to 16%. And consider the fairly small lung volume of the kind of infant who would be sleeping in the box. I'm sure you could get CO2 buildup in the box in very controlled lab settings, but in general practice as a crib it doesn't seem to be an issue. And in case you were wondering about the general case: is CO2 buildup an issue for infants? The answer seems to just be: no, and it doesn't even depend much on how much you run your HVAC or if you have a fan or how hole-y your crib is, etc. Room air just mixes enough normally that it's not that big of a deal.

Thlom 5y ago
It could be a problem in the stroller. Some parents cover the stroller with a blanket to shield the child from direct sun light or wind. That is not a good idea, but don’t think many kids die from it to be honest. And I have left all our kids sleeping in the stroller with a rain cover without any issues. By the way, letting children sleep outside in the stroller is great. They sleep so much better outside. Especially if it’s cold outside, just put the child in a sleeping bag and put on a hat and they will sleep like a rock. Just saying since I have the impression this is a very Scandinavian thing?

kupopuffs 5y ago

is cardboard airtight?

authed 5y ago
I don't think that it can leak CO2 in any significant way... other commenters made more convincing arguments though

wongarsu 5y ago

Gases really like to mix, much more so than liquids. The box contains a baby that causes air movement (breathing and moving), I would be surprised if the box contains substantially different air than the immediate surroundings.

usrbinbash 5y ago
Plus, the human body radiates off a lot of thermal energy, warm gases rise, so purely by thermal convection enough mixing occurs.

Retric 5y ago

Effectively no, first if you look at the picture there are holes on the sides and no body is putting the lid on. More widely Cold CO2 from dry ice or pressurized tanks is a problem because it’s both releasing a lot of CO2 and that CO2 is very cold which means it sinks quickly. On the other hand babies breath is both fairly slow and has a relatively low CO2 concentration which makes it easier to mix with the air. On top of this breath is warm so combined with a convection current from body heat in otherwise still air it has a tendency to rise which improves mixing. An extreme version of this happens when a baby or small child falls down a pipe and can avoid suffocating for hours.

nextlevelwizard 5y ago

You don't put the lid on, mate.