Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

When children outgrow their infant car seats, they can switch to convertible or all-in-one car seats. These car seats are available in both forward-facing and rear-facing models but they must satisfy 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 airbag can be fatal for infants and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

Many parents inquire if an Infant Car Seat In Front Seat car seat may be placed in front of the vehicle driver's seat, and the answer is always no. The reason is very simple: If a crash happens, the child could have their head struck by an airbag, especially if they are in the front seat. The airbag can injure or even kill a child.

This is why infant car seats are made to be rear-facing only. The back of the seat rests against the back of the seat in a crash, providing the best car seat newborn uk protection for your baby.

In addition, a rear-facing car seat protects the head and neck of your child more than a forward-facing seat, which provides only minimal head and neck protection. The headrest also stops the child from falling off the shoulder straps during the event of a crash and the harness will keep the chest clip above the shoulders of your child.

It's important to keep in mind that there are ZERO reported instances of children riding forward-facing seats breaking their legs when they strike the rear of the seat. This happens when a child's feet fly upwards and get caught against the seat's back, which puts tremendous stress on the bones of the leg. There is no reason to put your child at risk of this.

There are a variety of programs in the US that offer infant car seats at a discount or at no cost for parents who meet the requirements. This is a great way to get your child into a secure car seat before they grow out of it and can be used in a safe way for many years.

The majority of new 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 particularly useful when traveling with children because it allows you to keep the seat in place and ready for use even if you change vehicles.

Find the center of the vehicle seat and measure with the help of a tape. This area can be tested with many things, such as the blade of a key, or the length of the wireless earbuds. Review the instructions for your car seat as well as the owner's manual for your vehicle to determine whether the angle can be adjusted to remove the space.

2. Harness Position

Newborns and preemies often get into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture in infant car seats, bouncy chairs, strollers, swings and other children's equipment. 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 for your shoulders start a bit lower and move up to the shoulders of your child and ensure that you tighten them. The straps should be secure enough to allow you to pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other heavy outer layers can interfere with the Pinch Test, so remove them prior to putting your child in their seat.

The chest clip is designed to break in a crash, but it may cause a child's throat to collapse when it's too low or if the chest straps are too loose. The chest clip shouldn't be located in the neck opening. Instead it should be located at the armpit level.

In the event of a crash who are rear-facing may slide up the seat. The harness straps must be capable of supporting the child's neck and head. It is crucial to place the straps above the shoulders. If the straps aren't high enough, they can slip over the baby's ears, or go through their neck opening, and if they're too loose they can move up to the child's nose.

Make sure the shoulder straps are in the slots at or above the shoulders of your child and they fit comfortably. Newborns might need an portable infant car seat insert (often provided with the car seat), to lift 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 that came with the seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

While some parents might be tempted to flip their infant car seat around to face forward facing infant car seat, due to their child's legs being too short in the rear-facing position really no reason to do it. Rear-facing is more secure than forward-facing because the baby's neck and spine are supported in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children can suffer serious injuries as their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

In addition, many infant car seats have a built-in angle indicator so you can be sure the seat is installed correctly. It is also important to ensure that your child's head rests flat on the seat, and that the straps are placed over their shoulders, not under their arms. To determine if the harness is too tight it is best to pinch a small amount of material at the shoulder of your child. Check the crotch strap to ensure that it is at the same height as the armpits and not at the waist. It is also an excellent idea to go through the manual of your infant car seat so you know the proper method to use it with your child.

Most manufacturers recommend that children sit rear-facing in their car seats until they reach at least 1 year old or until they have reached the weight and height limits of their car seat. Certain states have laws that require infants to be rear-facing for at minimum two years.

Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a vehicle with only one back seat. This will allow you to see your child comfortably through the rearview mirror without having to bend. Installing the car seat on the driver's side also makes it easier to get your child in and out of the 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 front on the passenger-side. However, if you have to choose 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 have outgrown their infant car seats uk car seats due to weight and height will require a booster until the vehicle's seat belt is properly fitted. This can only happen when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top of their headrest (check the recommendations of the manufacturer of the seat for exact measurements).

Booster seats are a great way to position the shoulder and lap belts correctly. They can also reduce the distance the child's head moves during the crash, which lowers the chance of injuries. Head movement is the most common cause of motor vehicle accidents which are the most frequent deaths of children aged 4-8.

If a booster is used improperly the lap part of the belt can travel up to the abdomen of a child and cause serious injuries in the event of a crash. This is avoided by using a belt guide on the booster, which stops the lap belt from sliding up onto a child's stomach, or getting over armrests.

A lot of boosters have handles that are small or armrests, or guide slots that help position the lapbelt low and flat on a child's upper legs. This ensures that the lap belt begins and stays on a child's strong hip bones instead of slipping into their stomachs during a crash.

Certain booster seats are designed with an automatic seat belt locking mechanism to keep the belt locked in place while children are sitting in it, and this will help prevent the lap belt from slipping up over a child's abdomen. This will to stop the seat belt from being pulled upwards over a child's face. This could cause hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well neck strain.