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Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

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

Car seats should never be placed in front of a vehicle seat that has airbags because the force of the deployed air bag can be lethal for infants and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: When 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 the reason why infant car seats are made to be rear-facing only. The seat's back rests against the rear of the car seat in the event of a collision, ensuring the best protection for your infant.

A rear-facing car seat safeguards your child's neck and head more effectively than a front-facing one that offers only minimal protection. The headrest stops your child from falling out of the shoulder straps during a crash. 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 riding forward-facing seats breaking their legs when they hit the rear of the seat. This happens when a child's feet are lifted and then get caught against the back of the seat, putting enormous stress on the bones of the legs. There's no reason to put your child at risk for this.

There are a variety of programs in the US that offer infant car seats at a discounted price or for free to parents who qualify. This is a great chance to ensure that your child is in a safe car seat newborn insert seat before they grow out of it. It can be used for many years.

Most new infant car seats have an adjustable base that they can click into and out of, which makes them much easier to use than older models. This feature is particularly useful when traveling with children, as you can keep the seat in place and ready for use even when changing vehicles.

Before you take your child's seat check if the car seat back will touch the car seat's back by locating the middle of the seat and measuring it with a tape measure. A lot of things, like the blade of a house key or the length of earbuds with wireless technology are around 1.5 inches long and can be used to check for this space. Examine the directions for the car seat and the owner's manual for your vehicle to determine whether the angle is adjusted to eliminate the space.

2. Harness Position

Newborns and preemies often get into a potentially dangerous chest-to-chin position in infant carrier seat car seats, bouncy seats swings, strollers and other equipment for children. In the event of a crash they could be injured or crushed by the chest clip. To avoid this, check that the straps for your shoulders start slightly below and come upwards over the shoulders of the child and ensure that you tighten them. The straps should be secure enough to be able to pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. The bulky outer layers of winter coats can hinder this, so make 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 cause a child's throat to collapse in the event that it's too high or when the chest straps are loose. It is also essential that the chest strap is not placed in the neck opening of the collar - the buckle should be at armpit height.

In a crash, infants who are facing rearwards will slide off the seat. The harness straps must be sufficient to support the child's neck and head. It is essential to put the straps above the shoulders. If the straps are too high they may slide over the baby's ears, or go through their neck opening, and if they are too loose they can move up to the child's nose.

Make sure that the straps for your child's shoulders are snugly 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 raise their shoulders until they can reach the slot. Some infant car seats have built-in angle indicators or adjustors that assist with this, and you can always check the instructions included with your seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

While some parents might be tempted to turn their infant car seat around to face forward, due to their child's legs becoming too short in the rear-facing position, there's really no reason why you should. Rear-facing is more secure than forward-facing as the infant's neck and spine are supported in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children may suffer serious injuries because their bodies are thrown into the vehicle.

Many infant car seats also have an angle indicator built in to help you ensure the seat is properly installed. You also need to make sure your child's head rests flat against the seat and that the harness straps are positioned over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or bent. To determine whether the harness is tight you should be able to squeeze a small amount of material at the shoulder of your child. It is also essential to examine the strap around the crotch to make sure it is in line with the armpits and not at the waist. It is also an excellent idea to go through the manual for your infant car seat so you know the proper method of using it for your child.

Most manufacturers advise that children ride rear-facing in their car seats until they reach at least 1 year old or until they reach the weight and height limits of their specific car seat. Some states have laws that require babies to remain rear-facing until they reach the age of two years old.

If you own a car with only one back seat, you can install the infant car seat in the middle so that you can easily view your child's reflection in your 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 want to put your baby in or out of their car seat.

If your vehicle has two rear seats, the infant car seat in front seat car seat can be placed on either side so long as it's not the airbag's direction on the passenger's side. If you must decide between installing an infant car seat on the left or the right side of your vehicle, install it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

All children who outgrow their infant car seat by weight and height should be fitted with a booster seat until their vehicle seat belt is fitted properly. This is only possible when the child is at a minimum 4'9" tall and has reached the top of the headrest.

Booster seats can assist in positioning the lap belt and shoulder properly. They can also limit the distance that a child's skull moves during the crash, which lowers the chance of injury. Motor vehicle crashes are the most fatal killer of kids ages 4-8, and head motion is the most significant cause.

If the booster is not used correctly the lap portion of the belt could slide up over a child's abdomen and cause major injuries in a crash. This is avoided by using a belt guide on the booster to stop the lap belt from sliding onto the stomach of a child or climbing over armrests.

Many boosters are equipped with armrests, handles or guide slots that aid to place the lap belt in a low and flat position across a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and stays on a child's sturdy hip bones instead of being pushed up into their soft stomach area in the event of an accident.

Some booster seats have a seatbelt locking mechanism that keeps the seatbelt in place when a child is seated in them. This can help keep the lap belt from moving upwards and over the child's abdomen. This can also help stop the seat belt from being pulled over a child's face, which could lead to hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well as neck strain.