Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

When children outgrow their infant car seats, they can switch to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats can be used rear-facing or forward-facing, but they must to meet certain weight and age requirements.

Car seats should never be placed in front of a vehicle seat with airbags, since the force of the deployed airbag can be fatal for children and babies.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: When an accident occurs the child's head could be struck by an airbag when in the front seat. The airbag can cause injury or even kill a baby.

Infant car seats are only designed to be rear-facing. The seat's back rests against the back of the vehicle seat in a crash, providing the best protection for your baby.

In addition, the rear-facing car seat safeguards the head and neck of your child better than a forward-facing one, which provides only minimal neck and head protection. The headrest stops your child from sliding out of the shoulder straps during a crash. The harness keeps the chest clip high above the shoulders.

It's important to remember that there are ZERO instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs when they hit the rear of the front seat. This happens when a child's feet rise and are sucked into the back of the seat, which puts tremendous stress on the bones of the leg. There is no reason to put your child at risk for this.

There are several programs in the US that offer infant car seats at a discount or for free to parents who qualify. This is a great opportunity to ensure your child is in a secure car seat before they outgrow it and can be used in a safe way for many years.

The base of the majority of newer infant car seat best car seat models is designed to be easily removed and installed, making them more convenient to use. This feature is particularly useful when traveling with children as it allows you to keep the car seat in place and ready to go, even when switching vehicles.

Before you take your child's seat, find out if the car seat back will touch the car seat's back by measuring the center of the seat and measuring it using a tape measure. This space can be checked using a variety of items, including the blade of a key or length of the wireless earbuds. Check the instructions on your car seat as well as the owners' manuals for the vehicle to determine if you can adjust the angle of the car seat newborn insert seat to eliminate the space.

2. Harness Position

Preemies and infants often fall into a dangerous chin-to-chest position in infant car seats newborn seats, bouncy seats strollers, swings and other children's equipment. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the straps of the harness that are loose or have not been placed over their shoulders. Check that the straps are set slightly below the shoulders of the child and then, when they are up, they should be over their shoulders. Make sure they are tight to prevent this. The straps should be tight enough to be able to pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other heavy outer layers can interfere with the Pinch Test, so remove them prior to putting your child into their seat.

The chest clip was designed to protect against a fall, but it could compress a neck of the child if it's too low or if they are not tight enough. The chest clip should not be located in the neck opening. Instead it should be placed at the armpit level.

In the event of a crash rear-facing infants are likely to slide off the seat, and the harness straps should be able to hold the neck and head of the child. This is why it's very important that the straps be placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too high they can slip over the baby's ears, or go through their neck opening, and if they're too loose, they could move toward the child's nose.

Ensure the shoulder straps are that are above or below the shoulders of your child and they fit snugly. Newborns might need an infant insert (often included in the car seat), to raise their shoulders so they reach this slot. Some infant carrier seat car seats come with angle indicators or adjustors that can aid you in this. You can also check the instructions that come with the seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

Some parents might be enticed by the fact that their child's legs are becoming shorter in the rear-facing seat, but there is no need to do this. The rear-facing position is safer than the forward-facing position because in the event of a crash, the baby's body will tense against the seat and their neck and spine will be supported. Forward-facing children's bodies are thrown backwards by the vehicle, and may cause serious injuries.

A majority of infant car seats come with an angle indicator built in to ensure that the seat is properly installed. Also, you should ensure that your child's head rests on the seat flat, and that the straps are on their shoulders instead of under their arms. To determine whether the harness is tight you should be able to squeeze a small amount of material around the shoulder of your child. It is also important to check the strap around the crotch to make sure that it is at a level with the armpits, rather than at the waist. It is also recommended to read the manual for your infant car seat to ensure you are aware of how to use it properly.

The majority of manufacturers recommend that children ride rear-facing in their car seats until they are at least 1 year old or until they reach the height and weight limits of their specific car seat. Some states have laws requiring infants to be rear-facing for a minimum of two years.

Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a vehicle that has only one rear seat. This will allow you to view your child comfortably through the rearview mirror, without having to bend over. Installing the car seat on the driver's side can make it easier to get your child in and out of the seat.

If you have a vehicle with two rear seats, you can put the infant car seat in front seat car seat on either side as you don't place it behind the passenger side air bag. If you need to decide between installing the infant car seat on the left or right side of the vehicle, put it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

Children who have outgrown their infant car seat newborn car seat due to weight and height will require an additional booster until the car's seat belt is fitted properly. This can only be done when the child is at least 4'9" tall and has reached the top of the headrest.

Booster seats help to position the lap and shoulder belt properly. They also limit the amount that a neck moves in a collision, reducing the chance of injury. Motor vehicle accidents are the most fatal killer of kids ages 4-8, and head motion is the biggest culprit.

If a booster is used incorrectly the lap part of the belt could slide up and over the child's abdomen and cause severe injuries in a crash. This can be prevented by using a booster that has lap belt guides to prevent the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding up on a child's belly.

A lot of boosters come with armrests, handles, or guide slots that help to position the lap belt in a low and flat position over a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lapbelt begins and remains on the hipbones of a child's strength, rather than moving up into their soft abdomen region during a crash.

Certain booster seats feature an automatic seatbelt lock mechanism that keeps the seatbelt in place when a child is sitting in them. This can keep the lap belt from moving up and over the child's abdomen. This can also help to stop the belt from being pulled across the face of a child. This could result in hypoxia and airway obstruction, as and neck strain.