Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

As children outgrow their car seats for infants, they can move to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats are available in forward-facing and rear-facing models however, they must meet certain weight and age requirements.

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

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason is quite simple: If there is a crash the child's head could be struck by an airbag when in the front seat. The airbag can injure or even kill a child.

This is 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 car seat newborn protection for your baby.

A rear-facing car seat safeguards your child's head and neck more effectively than a front-facing one, which only provides little protection. The headrest prevents your child from sliding off the shoulder straps during an accident. The harness holds the chest clip up above the shoulders.

It's important to keep in mind that there are ZERO reported instances of children in forward-facing seats breaking their legs when they hit the rear of the vehicle seat. This happens when children's feet fly upwards and get stuck against the back of the seat, putting immense pressure on the leg bones. This is not something you should put your child at risk of.

There are a variety of programs in the United States for parents who qualify to receive free or discounted Infant car seats by age seat in front seat; jonpin.com, car seats. This is a great way to get your child into a safe seat before they outgrow it and use it in a safe manner for a long time.

The majority of the newer infant car seats have a base that they can click into and out of, which makes them much easier to use than older models. This feature is especially helpful for families with small children because you can keep the car seat on and ready to go even when you switch vehicles.

Before you buckle your child in, find out if the back of the car seat will touch the car seat's back by measuring the middle of the seat and measuring it using a tape to determine. This area can be checked using a variety of things, such as the blade of a key, or the length of the wireless earbuds. Review the instructions for your car seat and the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine whether the angle can be adjusted to remove the space.

2. Harness Position

In baby car seats, bouncers, swings strollers, and other toys for children, newborns and preemies may fall into a dangerous position with their chins touching their chests. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the straps of the harness that are loose or not placed over their shoulders. To prevent this from happening, make sure 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 tight enough to pinch excess fabric to each other. This is called 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 in their seat.

The chest clip is made to protect against a fall, but it can cause compression to the neck of the child if it's too low or are loose. It's also important that the chest clip is not located in the neck opening of the collar. the buckle should be placed at armpit level.

During a crash, rear-facing infants are likely to slide up the seat and the harness straps must be able to support the neck and head of the child. This is why it's important that the straps be placed over the shoulders. If the straps are placed too low, they may slide through the opening in the neck of the baby or even over their ears. If they are too loose, they may touch the face of the child.

Make sure that the shoulder straps are snugly fitted and in the slots above or on the child's shoulders. Newborns may need a separate infant insert (often included with the car seat) to raise them to ensure their shoulders are in this slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors to assist with this, and you can always check the instructions included with your seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

Some parents may be tempted by the fact that their child's legs are getting shorter in the seat facing rearwards, but there is no need to do this. Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing, as the child's spine and neck are protected in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children may suffer serious injuries as their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

Many infant car seats also have an angle indicator built-in so that you can ensure the seat is installed correctly. It is also important to make sure your child's head rests flat against the seat and that the harness straps are put over their shoulders, not under their arms or twisted. To check whether the harness is tight, you should be able squeeze a small amount of material on your child's shoulder. Examine the crotch strap to ensure that it is at the same level as the armpits and not at the waist. It is also recommended to read the manual of your infant car seat to ensure that you know how to properly use it.

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 at minimum two years.

If you own a car with only one rear seat, place the infant car seat in the middle of the vehicle so you are able to easily see your child's face through the rearview mirror without having to lean over. It is also beneficial to put the car seat on the driver's side so you don't have to walk the way around your vehicle every time you need to get your child in or out of their car seat.

If your vehicle has two rear seats, the infant car seat can be placed on either side so long as it's not in the airbag's direction on the passenger side. If you need to choose between installing the infant car seat that swivels car seat on the right or left side of the vehicle, you can put it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

Children who have outgrown their infant best car seats for newborns seats due to their weight and height will require an additional booster until the car's seat belt is fitted properly. This is only possible when they are at a minimum of 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top of their headrest (check the guidelines of the manufacturer of your seat for exact measurements).

Booster seats can help position the lap belt and shoulder properly. They also limit the distance that a child's neck moves during a collision, reducing the chance of injury. Head movement is the primary reason behind motor vehicle crashes, which are the leading fatality for children between the ages of 4 and 8.

If a booster isn't used correctly the lap belt can be able to slide over the abdomen of a child and cause serious injuries in the event of an accident. This can be avoided by using a belt guide on the booster to stop the lap belt from sliding onto the stomach of a child or getting over armrests.

A lot of boosters have handles that are small or armrests, or guide slots to place the lap belt low and flat on a child's top legs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and stays on the child's strong hip bones instead of moving up into their stomachs in the event of a crash.

Some booster seats are equipped with the mechanism to lock the seat belt to keep the seat belt locked in place while a child is sitting in it, and this will help prevent the lap belt from slipping up over a child's abdomen. This may also help keep the belt from being pulled over a child's face, which could cause airway obstruction and hypoxia, as also neck strain.