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Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

As children outgrow their car seats as infants, they can be moved into convertible or all-in-one seats. These car seats are available in both forward-facing and rear-facing versions 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 air bag can be lethal for babies and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

Many parents wonder if the infant car seat can be placed in front of the driver's seat. The answer is always no. The reason is simple If a collision occurs and the child is involved, they could get their head struck by an airbag if they are in the front seat. The result is that the airbag could cause harm or even death to the infant.

This is why infant car seats are made to be rear-facing only. The seat's back rests against the back of the vehicle seat in the event of a crash, providing the most effective protection for your baby car seat.

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

It is important to keep in mind that there are ZERO known instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs after hitting the back of the front vehicle seat. This happens when children's feet fly up and get caught against the back of the seat which causes a lot of stress on the bones of the leg. This is not something you want to put your child at risk of.

There are a variety of programs in the United States that offer infant car seats at a discount or free to parents who qualify. This is a great opportunity to ensure your child is placed in a safe seat before they grow out of it and can be used in a safe manner for a long time.

Most newer 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 for traveling with young kids because it allows you to keep the seat in place and ready for use even if you change vehicles.

Find the center of the car seats newborn seat and measure it using the help of a tape. A lot of things, like the blade of a house key or the length of wireless earbuds are approximately 1.5 inches long and can be used to determine this space. Check the car seat's instructions and the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine whether you can adjust the angle of the car seat to remove the space.

2. Harness Position

Preemies and newborns frequently fall into a dangerous chin-to-chest posture in infant car seats, bouncy seats, strollers, swings and other equipment for children. In the event of a crash, they could be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the harness straps that are too loose or not placed over their shoulders. To avoid this, check that the straps on your shoulder start slightly below and come up over the child's shoulders and make sure you tighten them. 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 can hinder the Pinch Test, so take them off them before you buckle your child into their seat.

The chest clip is designed to break in an accident, but it could compress on a child's throat if it's too low or when the chest straps are too loose. It's also important that the chest strap is not located in the neck opening of the collar - the buckle should be at armpit height.

In the event of a crash rear-facing infants can 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 fall too low, they could slide through the neck opening of the infant or over their ears. If they are too loose, they can touch the face of the child.

Ensure the shoulder straps are in the slots at or above your child's shoulders, and that they fit snugly. Newborns might need an infant car seat in front Seat insert (often provided with the car seat), to raise their shoulders so they reach this slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors that aid in this process and you should always refer to the instructions included with the seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

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

A lot of infant car seats include an angle indicator built in to ensure that the seat is installed correctly. Also, you must ensure that your child's head is level against the seat and that the harness straps are placed over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or twisted. To determine whether the harness is too tight it is best car seat infant to pinch a small amount of material around your child's shoulder. Examine the crotch strap to make sure it's at the same height as the armpits and not at the waist. It is also a good idea to review the manual of your infant car seat to be aware of the proper method of using it for your child.

Most manufacturers recommend that kids remain rear-facing until they're at least one year old or until they reach the weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require infants to be rear-facing for at least two years.

Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a vehicle with only one back seat. This allows you to view your child clearly through the rearview mirror, without having to bend. It is also beneficial to put the car seat on the driver's side so you do not have to walk all 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 set on either side so that it is not in front of the airbag on the passenger's side. If you must choose between installing an infant car seat on the left or right side of your vehicle, put it on the driver’s side.

4. Booster Seats

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

Booster seats aid in positioning the lap and shoulder belt correctly. They can also reduce the distance that a child's head moves during the crash, which lowers the chance of injuries. Head movement is the primary cause of motor vehicle crashes which are the most frequent killers of children ages 4-8.

If a booster is used improperly the lap portion of the belt can travel infant car seat up over a child's abdomen and cause major injuries in the event of a crash. This is avoided by using a belt guide on the booster to stop the lap belt from sliding onto a child's stomach, or climbing over armrests.

Many boosters are designed with armrests, handles or guide slots that allow you to place the lap belt low and flat over a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and stays on the child's strong hip bones, instead of moving up into their stomachs during an accident.

Certain booster seats feature a seatbelt locking mechanism that secures the seatbelt when a child is seated in them. This will help to stop the lapbelt from moving upwards and over the child's abdomen. This can also help to stop the seat belt from being pulled across the face of a child. This could result in hypoxia and airway obstruction, as also neck strain.