It is dangerous for babies to fly airplanes.

Parents, attention: new studies show that air travel may have more risks for babies than you thought. Security researchers are concerned about in-flight turbulence, which is the leading cause of injury to children in airplanes.

A new study, which analyzed the deaths of children during the flight, found that they occurred very rarely, but almost all the children who died on board the aircraft were under the age of 2 years and flew long flights between continents.

Some deaths were from known medical problems, but the most surprising for researchers was that in half of the cases the cause of death was not clear.

“What was surprising was the number of healthy children who died on the plane,” said Alexander Rotta, lead researcher.

Researchers say that babies have a higher risk of dying while sleeping in the same chair as an adult. The symptoms of some of the deceased babies were similar to the sudden infant death syndrome, which often happens with babies sleeping on their stomachs instead of the recommended position on their backs.

Another reason: the level of oxygen on board the aircraft can adversely affect the immature respiratory system of children, writes AmericaRu.com