Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

As children grow out of their car seats as infants, they can be moved into convertible or all-in-one car seats. These car seats are available in rear-facing and forward-facing versions but they must satisfy certain weight and age requirements.

It is not recommended to put car seats in front of airbags on the vehicle seat, since the force of the airbag can be fatal for infants and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

Many parents inquire if the infant car seat could be placed in front of the driver's seat. The answer is always no. The reason is simple: If an accident occurs, the child's head could be hit by an airbag while in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can cause injury or even death to the child.

This is the reason why infant car seats are designed to be rear-facing only. The seat's back rests against the rear of the car seat in a collision, ensuring the best infant car seat protection for your infant.

A rear-facing car seats newborn seats protects your child's head and neck better than a front-facing seat that only offers little protection. The headrest stops your child from sliding out of the shoulder straps during an accident. The harness holds the chest clip high above the shoulders.

It's important to remember that there are ZERO instances of children in car seats that face forwards breaking their legs when they hit the back of the front vehicle seat. This happens when children's feet fly up and trap them against the back of the seat and put a great deal of stress on the bones of the leg. There's no reason to put your child at risk for this.

There are a variety of programs throughout the country that allow qualifying parents to get discounted or free infant car seats. This is a great way to ensure your child is placed in a secure car seat before they outgrow it and use it in a safe manner for a long time.

The base of the majority of newer infant car seat models is designed to be removed and inserted, making them easier to use. This feature is especially useful for families with young children because it allows you to keep the seat installed and ready to use even if you change vehicles.

Find the center of the vehicle seat and measure with the help of a tape. A lot of things, like the blade of a key for the house or the length of earbuds with wireless technology, are about 1.5 inches long and can be used to determine this space. Review the instructions for your car seat as well as the owner's manual for your vehicle to see whether the angle is adjusted to remove the space.

2. Harness Position

In the infant car seats, bouncers, swings strollers, as well as other toys for children, newborns and preemies may fall into a dangerous position with their chests pressed against their chins. In the event of a crash, they could be injured by the chest clip or crushed by straps of the harness that are too loose or not placed over their shoulders. Make sure that the straps are set just a little below the shoulders of the child and then come up over their shoulders. Tighten them to avoid this. The straps should be snug enough to allow you to squeeze any fabric that is not tight enough which is known as the Pinch Test. Bulky outer layers like winter coats can hinder this, so be sure to take them off prior to placing your child in their seat.

The chest clip is designed to break in a crash but it can be compressed on the throat of a child when it's too low or when the chest straps are loose. It's also crucial that the chest strap is not in the neck opening of the collar - the buckle should be positioned at armpit level.

In a crash, infants who are facing rearwards will slide down the seat. The harness straps should be sufficient to support the head and neck of the child. This is why it's very important that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too low they may slide over the baby's ears, or go through their neck opening, and if they are too loose, they could move towards the baby's nose.

Make sure that the straps for your child's shoulders are securely fitted and in the slots above or on the child's shoulders. Newborns might need an infant insert (often included with the car seat) to lift their shoulders until they reach this slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors that help with this and you should always refer to the instructions included with your seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

Some parents might be enticed by the fact that their child's legs are getting shorter in the rear-facing seat but there is no need to do this. The rear-facing seat 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 may suffer serious injuries because their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

Additionally, a lot of infant car seats have a built-in angle indicator so you can make sure that the seat is correctly installed. It is also important to ensure that your child's head is flat on the seat, and that the straps are on their shoulders, not under their arms. You should be able to pinch a tiny bit of fabric at their shoulder to determine that the harness is snug enough. It is also essential to check the strap that holds the crotch to be sure it is level with the armpits, not at the waist. It is also an excellent idea to go through the manual of your infant car seat to ensure you understand the correct method to use it with your child.

The majority of manufacturers recommend that children remain rear-facing until they're at least one year old or until they reach their car seat's weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require infants to be rear-facing for a minimum of two years.

Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a car with only one back seat. This will allow you to see your child easily through the rearview mirror, without having to bend. It is also beneficial to put the car seat on the driver's side, so you don't have to walk all the way around your car each time you want to get your child in or out of their car seat.

If you own a car with two back seats, you can place the infant car seat in front seat (just click the next article) car seat on either side so long as it isn't in front of the passenger-side air bag. If you have to decide between installing the infant car seat on the left or right side of the vehicle, you can put it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

Children who have outgrown their infant car seats due to their weight and height will need a booster until the vehicle'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 rated baby car seats of the headrest.

Booster seats can help position the shoulder and lap belts correctly. They can also limit the distance the child's head moves during the crash, which lowers the risk of injuries. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of children aged 4-8, and head movement is the most significant cause.

If a booster is used incorrectly the lap portion of the belt may slide up over a child's abdomen and cause severe injuries in an accident. This can be avoided by using a booster equipped with lap belt guides that prevent the lap belt from sliding over arm rests or sliding up onto a child's stomach.

Many boosters have small handles, armrests or guide slots to position the lapbelt low and flat on a child's top legs. This will ensure that the lapbelt begins and remains on the child's strong hipbones, rather than moving upwards into their abdomen area during a crash.

Some booster seats have the seatbelt locking mechanism which locks the seatbelt in place when a child is seated 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 over a child's face, which could result in airway obstruction and hypoxia, as also neck strain.