Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?
When children outgrow their infant car seats, they can change to convertible or all-in-one car seats. These car seats can be used rear-facing or forward-facing but they need to meet certain age and weight specifications.
Push Chairs And Prams is not recommended to put car seats behind airbags on a vehicle seat, as the impact of the airbag could be fatal for infants and children.
1. The 1.5 Inch Rule
The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: If a crash occurs the child's head could be struck by an airbag when in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can injure or kill the baby.
Infant car seats are designed to be rearward-facing. The backrest of the seat is positioned against the rear of the car seat in a crash, providing the most effective protection for your infant.
A rear-facing car seats protects your child's neck and head better than a front-facing seat, which only provides little protection. The headrest also prevents the child from falling off the shoulder straps in a crash and the harness holds the chest clip above your child's shoulders.
It's important to keep it in mind that there have been ZERO known instances of children in forward-facing seats breaking their legs when they hit the rear of the vehicle seat. This happens when a child's feet fly upwards and are sucked into the seat's back which causes a lot of pressure on the bones of the legs. There's no reason to put your child at risk of this.
There are also several programs across the country for parents who meet the criteria to receive free or discounted infant car seats. This is a great way to ensure your child is in an appropriate car seat before they get out of it and use it safely for many years.
The base of many newer infant car seat models is designed to be removed and inserted, making them easier to use. This feature is particularly useful for families with young children since it allows you to keep the seat installed and ready to use even if you change vehicles.
Before you take your child's seat make sure that the car seat back will touch the car seat's back by locating the middle of the seat and measuring it with a tape to determine. Many things, such as the blade of a key for the house or the length of wireless earbuds, are about 1.5 inches long and can be used to test for this space. After that, you should check the instructions for your car seat and owners' manuals for the vehicle to determine if you can adjust the angle of the car seat to remove the space.
2. Harness Position
Preemies and newborns frequently are prone to fall into a risky chest-to-chin position in infant car seats, bouncy seats, swings, strollers and other children's equipment. In a crash the children could be injured or crushed by the chest clip. Check that the straps are positioned just a little below the shoulders of the child, and then they will be able to rise over their shoulders. Adjust them to prevent this. The straps should be tight enough to be able to pinch any fabric that isn't tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. Bulky outer layers like winter coats can interfere with this so be sure to remove them prior to placing your child in their seat.
The chest clip is made for a crash, but it can cause compression to the child's neck if it is too low or are loose. It's also important that the chest clip not in the neck opening of the collar - the buckle should be placed at armpit level.
In the event of a crash, children who are rear-facing will likely slide up the seat. The harness straps must be sufficient to support the head and neck of the child. This is why it's very important that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps aren't high enough, they could slide over the baby's ears or go through their neck opening, and if they're too loose, they could move up to the child's nose.
Make sure the shoulder straps are securely fitted and in the slots above or on the shoulders of your child. Newborns may need a separate infant insert (often included with the car seat) to raise them up so that their shoulders can reach this slot. Some infant car seats have angle indicators or adjustors that could assist you in this. You may also want to check the instructions that come with the seat.
3. Rear-Facing Only
Parents may be enticed by the fact that their child's legs are getting shorter in the rear-facing seat, however there is no reason to do this. The rear-facing seat is safer than the forward-facing position because in the event of a crash, the baby's body will be pressed against the seat, and their neck and spine will be supported. Forward-facing children may suffer serious injuries because their bodies are thrown into the vehicle.
A majority of infant car seats include an angle indicator to help you ensure the seat is correctly installed. Also, you must ensure that your child's head rests flat against the seat, and that the harness straps are placed 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 whether the harness is secure enough. It is also important to examine the strap around the crotch to make sure it is in line with the armpits, rather than at the waist. You should also read the instruction manual for your infant car seat to ensure you are aware of how to use it correctly.
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. Some states have laws that require babies to remain rear-facing until two years old.
If you own a vehicle that has only one back seat, you can install the infant car seat in the middle so you can easily view your child through your rearview mirror without having to lean over. It's also helpful to place the car seat on the driver's side so you do not have to walk all the way around your vehicle every time you want to take your child into or out of their car seat.
If you have a vehicle with two back seats, you can put the infant car seat on either side as you don't place it behind the passenger side airbag. If you must choose between installing an infant car seat on either the left or the right side of your vehicle, you can install it on the driver’s side.
4. Booster Seats
Children who outgrow their car seat for infants by weight and height should use a booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits them 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 can help position the lap belt and shoulder properly. They can also reduce the distance the child's head moves during a crash, which decreases the risk of injury. Head movement is the main cause of motor vehicle crashes, which are the leading deaths of children aged 4-8.
If the booster is not used correctly, the lap portion of the belt could slide up over a child's abdomen and cause severe injuries in an accident. This can be avoided by using a booster equipped with lap belt guides that prevent the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding on a child's belly.
Many boosters are designed with armrests, handles, or guide slots that aid to keep the lap belt in a low and flat position across the child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and stays on the strong hipbones of the child, rather than moving upwards into their abdominal area in the event of an accident.
Some booster seats are also equipped with an automatic seat belt locking mechanism to ensure that the belt is secure while children are sitting in it, and this will help prevent the lap belt from moving up over the abdomen of a child. This can keep the seat belt from being pulled upwards over a child's face. This can lead to airway obstruction and hypoxia as well as neck strain.