Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

As children outgrow their car seats as infants, they can move to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats can be used rear-facing or forward-facing, however they have to meet certain age and weight requirements.

It is not recommended to place car seats in front of airbags on the vehicle seat, since the force of the airbag could be fatal to babies and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason for this is quite simple If a collision occurs and the child is involved, they could get their head hit by an airbag if they are in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can cause injury or even death to the child.

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

A rear-facing car seat protects your child's neck and head better than a front-facing car seat that offers only minimal protection. The headrest also prevents the child from sliding off the shoulder straps in the event of a crash, and the harness keeps the chest clip high above the shoulders of your child.

It is important to keep in mind that there are ZERO known instances of children in car seats that face forwards breaking their legs when they hit the rear of the front seat. This happens when a kid's feet fly upwards and trap them against the back of the seat, which puts tremendous stress on the bones of the leg. This is not something you want to put your child in danger of.

There are several programs in the US that offer Infant Car Seat In Front Seat car seats at a discount or for free to parents who qualify. This is a great way to ensure your child is placed in a secure car seat before they get out of it and can be used safely for many years.

Most newer infant car seats have an adjustable base that they can click into and out of, making them much more user-friendly than older models. This feature is particularly beneficial for traveling with young kids, as it allows you to keep the seat installed and ready to use even if you change vehicles.

Find the middle of the seat and measure it with the aid of a tape. Many things, such as the blade of a key for the house or the length of earbuds with wireless technology are around 1.5 inches long and can be used to test for this space. Review the instructions for your car seat as well as the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine if the angle can be adjusted to eliminate the space.

2. Harness Position

Newborns and preemies often get into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture in infant car seats, bouncy seats strollers, swings and other toys for children. In the event of a crash, they could be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the straps on the harness that are too loose or have not been placed over their shoulders. To avoid this, check that the straps on your shoulder start a bit lower and move up over the child's shoulders and make sure you tighten the straps. The straps should be secure enough that you can pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough This is known as the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other heavy outer layers could interfere with the Pinch Test, so take them off them prior to putting your child into their seat.

The chest clip was designed to protect against a fall, but it can cause compression to the child's neck if it is too low or are not tight enough. The chest clip shouldn't be in the neck opening. Instead it should be located at the armpit level.

During a crash, rear-facing infants are likely to slide up the seat and the harness straps should be able to hold the child's neck and head. It is important to place the straps on the shoulders. If the straps are too low, they could slide through the opening in the neck of the infant or over their ears. If they are too loose, they can reach the child's face.

Make sure the shoulder straps are snugly fitted and in the slots above or at the child's shoulders. Newborns may need a separate infant insert (often included in the car seat) to lift them up to ensure their shoulders are in this slot. Some infant car seats include angle indicators or adjustors to help you with this. You can also refer to the instructions provided in your seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

While some parents may be tempted to flip their infant car seat around to face forward because of their child's legs being too short in the rear-facing position, there's really no reason why you should. The rear-facing position is much safer than the forward-facing position because in the event of a collision, the baby car seat's body will press against the seat and their neck and spine will be supported. Forward-facing children can suffer serious injuries due to the fact that their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

In addition, many infant car seats come with an integrated angle indicator so you can ensure that the seat is installed correctly. You also need to make sure your child's head is flat against the seat and the harness straps are put over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or twisted. You should be able to squeeze a small amount of material at their shoulder to determine that the harness is tight enough. Check the crotch strap to ensure that it is at the same level as the armpits and not at the waist. You should also review the instruction manual for your infant car seat to ensure you are aware of how to use it properly.

Most manufacturers recommend that children sit rear-facing in their car seats until they are at least 1 year old, or until they reach the weight and height limit of their particular car seat. Certain states have laws that require babies to remain rear-facing until two years old.

If you own a vehicle that has only one back seat, install the infant car seat in the middle so you can easily view your child's reflection in your rearview mirror without needing to lean over. It's also helpful to place the car seat on the driver's side so you do not have to walk all the way around your car every time you need to get your child in or out of their car seat.

If you have a vehicle with two back seats, you can place the infant car seat on either side so long as it isn't behind the passenger side air bag. If you need to choose 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 seat due to weight and height will require a booster until the vehicle's seat belt is fitted properly. This is only possible when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top of their headrest (check the seat manufacturer's recommendations for exact measurements).

Booster seats aid in positioning the lap and shoulder belt correctly. Booster seats can also reduce the amount that a child's neck moves during a collision, reducing the chance of injury. Head movement is the most common reason behind motor vehicle crashes that are the top killers of children ages 4-8.

If a booster isn't properly used the lap belt could slide across a child's abdomen and cause serious injuries in the event of an accident. This can be prevented by using a booster with lap belt guides to prevent the lap belt from sliding over arm rests or sliding on a child's belly.

Many boosters have small handles or armrests, or guide slots to position the lapbelt low and flat on a child's top rated infant car seats legs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and remains on the child's strong hipbones instead of slipping upwards into their abdomen area in the event of an accident.

Some booster seats come with a seatbelt locking mechanism that keeps the seatbelt in place when a child sits in them. This can help stop the lapbelt from moving upwards and over the child's abdomen. This can also help prevent the belt from being pulled across the face of a child, which could lead to hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well as neck strain.