Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?
When children have outgrown their infant car seats, they can switch to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats can be used rear or forward-facing, however they have to meet certain weight and age specifications.
It is not recommended to place car seats behind airbags on a vehicle seat, as the impact of the airbag could cause fatal injuries to infants and children.
1. The 1.5 Inch Rule
Many parents wonder if the infant car seat could be placed in front of the vehicle driver's seat, and the answer is always no. The reason is simple: If there is a crash the child's head could be hit by an airbag if in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can cause harm or even death to the infant.
Infant car seats are only designed to be rearward-facing. In the event of a crash, the seat's back will rest against the back of your vehicle seat. This provides the best protection for the infant.
Additionally, the rear-facing car seat safeguards the head and neck of your child better than a forward-facing car seat, which provides only minimal head and neck protection. The headrest stops your child from slipping 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 documented cases of kids in car seats that face forwards breaking their legs when they hit the back of the front seat. This happens when children's feet are lifted and then get stuck against the back of the seat, putting immense pressure on the bones of the leg. There is no reason to expose your child to the risk for this.
There are a variety of programs in the United States that provide infant car seats at a discounted price or for free to parents who qualify. This is a great opportunity to ensure your child is in a safe seat before they grow out of it and can be used in a safe way for many years.
The base of most modern infant car seats is designed to be easily removed and installed, making them more convenient to use. This feature is particularly useful for traveling with young kids because it allows you to keep the seat installed and ready to use even when changing vehicles.
Before you put your child in the car seat check if the back of the car seat will be in contact with the vehicle seat's back by locating the center of the seat and measuring it using a tape to determine. This area is a test that can be done with a variety of things, such as the blade of a key or the length of the wireless earbuds. Check the car seat's instructions and the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine whether you can alter the angle of the car seat to eliminate the space.
2. Harness Position
Preemies and infants often fall into a dangerous chin-to-chest position in infant car seats, bouncy seats strollers, swings and other toys for children. In the event of a collision the children could be injured or crushed by the chest clip. Check that the straps are positioned slightly below the shoulders of the child, and then come up over their shoulders. Adjust them to prevent this. The straps should be snug enough to allow you to pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other bulky outer layers could interfere with the Pinch Test, so take them off them prior to putting your child into their seat.
The chest clip is designed for a crash, but it can compress the neck of the child if it's too low or if they are not tight enough. It's also crucial that the chest strap is not placed in the neck opening of the collar - the buckle should be placed at armpit height.
In infant car seats best of a crash, children who are facing rearwards will slide down the seat. The harness straps must be sufficient to support the head and neck of the child. It is crucial to place the straps on the shoulders. If the straps are too low, they could slide through the opening in the neck of the baby or even over their ears. If they're too loose, they can reach the child's face.
Make sure that the shoulder straps are properly fitted and positioned in the slots above or at the shoulders of your child. Newborns may require a separate infant insert (often included with the car seat) to lift them up so that their shoulders can reach this slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors that aid in this process and you should always read the instructions that came with the seat.
3. Rear-Facing Only
While some parents may 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 really no reason why you should. Rear-facing is more secure than forward-facing because the baby's neck and spine are supported in the event of an accident. Children who are facing forwards are thrown backward against the vehicle, and may cause serious injury.
A lot of infant car seats include an angle indicator built-in to help you ensure the seat is correctly installed. Also, you must make sure your child's head is level against the seat and that the harness straps are put over their shoulders, not under their arms or bent. You should be able to pinch a small amount of material at their shoulders to ensure that the harness is tight enough. It is also important to examine the strap that holds the crotch to be sure that it is at a level with the armpits, rather than at the waist. It is also recommended to read the manual of your infant car seat so you are aware of how to use it properly.
The majority of manufacturers recommend that children use rear-facing seats 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 infants to be rear-facing until two years old.
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 clearly through the rearview mirror without having to bend. Installing the car seat on your driver's side also makes it easier to get your child into and out of the seat.
If your vehicle has two rear seats the infant car seat can be placed on either side so that it is not in the airbag's front on the passenger's side. However, if you have to decide between installing the infant 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 outgrow their infant car seat due to weight and height should use a booster seat until the vehicle seat belt is fitted properly. This can only be done when the child is at a minimum 4'9" tall and has reached the top of the headrest.
Booster seats help to position the shoulder belt and lap correctly. They can also limit the distance that a child's head moves during the crash, which lowers the chance of injury. Head movement is the most common cause of motor vehicle accidents, which are the leading killers of children ages 4-8.
If a booster is not properly used the lap belt can travel over a child’s abdomen and cause serious injuries in the event of an accident. This can be avoided by using a booster equipped with lap belt guides that stop the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding up on a child's belly.
Many boosters are equipped with small handles, armrests or guide slots that aid to keep the lap belt in a low and flat position across a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and remains on a child's strong hip bones instead of slipping into their soft stomach area during an accident.
Certain booster seats are designed with an automatic seat belt locking mechanism to keep the belt secure while children are sitting in it, and this will help prevent the lap belt from moving up over a child's abdomen. This can also help keep the seat belt from being pulled across a child's face, which could result in hypoxia and airway obstruction as also neck strain.