See What Infant Car Seat In Front Seat Tricks The Celebs Are Using

Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

As children outgrow their car seats as infants, they can move into convertible or all-in-one seats. These car seats are available in both rear-facing and forward-facing versions, but they must meet certain weight and age requirements.

Car seats should never be placed on top of a car seat equipped with airbags, as the force of the air bag can be lethal for children and babies.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: If a crash happens, the child could have their head hit by an airbag, especially if they are in the front seat. The result is that the airbag could cause injury or even death to the child.

Infant car seats are only designed to be rearward-facing. In a crash, the seat's back will rest against the back of your vehicle seat. This is the best security for the infant.

Additionally, the rear-facing car seat safeguards the neck and head of your child better than a forward-facing car seat which offers only a small amount of head and neck protection. The headrest also stops the child from slipping off the shoulder straps during an accident and the harness holds the chest clip high above the shoulders of your child.

It's important to remember that there are ZERO instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs when they strike the back of the front seat. This occurs when a child's feet are lifted and then get trapped against the back of the seat, which puts enormous pressure on the bones of the leg. This is not something you should put your child in danger of.

There are numerous programs in the US that offer infant car seats at a discounted price or at no cost for parents who meet the requirements. This is a great opportunity to ensure that your child is in a secure car seat before they get out of it. It can be used for a number of years.

The base of many modern infant car seats is designed to be removed and put back in, making them much easier to use. This feature is especially useful for traveling with young kids, as it allows you to keep the seat installed and ready to use even when you change vehicles.

Before you buckle your child in check if the car seat back will touch the car seat newborn insert seat's back by locating the center of the seat and measuring it with a tape measure. This area can be checked using a variety of items, including the blade of a key or length wireless earbuds. Then, check the instructions for your car seat and the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine whether you can alter the angle of the car seat to eliminate this space.

2. Harness Position

Newborns and preemies often fall into a dangerous chest-to-chin position in infant car seats, bouncy chairs, swings, strollers and other children's equipment. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the straps on the harness that are loose or not placed over their shoulders. To prevent this from happening, make sure that the straps for your shoulders begin a little below and then come upwards over the shoulders of the child and be sure to tighten them. The straps should be tight enough that you can squeeze any fabric that is not tight enough - this is called the Pinch Test. Overly bulky outer layers such as winter coats can hinder this, so be sure to remove them before placing your child in their seat.

The chest clip was designed for a crash, but it can compress the neck of a child if it's too low or are loose. The chest clip shouldn't be located in the neck opening. Instead, it should be at the armpit level.

During a crash, rear-facing infants can slide across the seat and the harness straps must be able to cradle the neck and head of the child. This is why it's important that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too low they may slide over the baby's ears or go through the opening in their neck, and if they are too loose, they can slide up to the child's nose.

Make sure that the shoulder straps are properly fitted and positioned in the slots above or around the child's shoulders. Infants may require an infant insert (often included with the car seat newborn seat) to lift them up so their shoulders reach this slot. Some infant car seat best car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors that help with this and you should always refer to the instructions that came with your 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 being too short in the rear-facing position really no reason why you should. Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing, as the child's neck and spine are supported in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children are more susceptible to serious injuries as their bodies are thrown into the vehicle.

In addition, many infant car seats come with a built-in angle indicator so you can make sure that the seat is properly installed. It is also important to ensure that your child's head is flat against the seat and the harness straps are placed over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or bent. To determine if the harness is too tight, you should be able pinch a small amount of material at the shoulder of your child. Examine the crotch strap to make sure it is at the same level as the armpits and not at the waist. You should also read the instruction manual for your infant car seat in front seat - from the Xyhero blog - car seat to ensure that you know how to use it properly.

Most manufacturers recommend that children ride rear-facing in their car seat for newborn seats until they reach at least one year old or until they reach the weight and height limit of their particular car seat. Some states have laws requiring infants to be rear-facing for at least two years.

If you have a vehicle with 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 needing to lean over. It's also helpful to install the car seat on the driver's side so you don't have to walk all the way around your car every time you want to take your child into or out of their car seat.

If your vehicle has two back seats the infant car seat can be placed on either side so long as it's not the airbag's front on the passenger-side. If you need to choose between installing the infant car seat on the left or right side of the vehicle, you can put it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

Children who have outgrown their infant car seat due to their weight and height will require a booster until the vehicle's seat belt is properly fitted. This is only possible when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top of their headrest (check the guidelines of the manufacturer of your seat for exact measurements).

Booster seats are a great way to position the lap belt and shoulder properly. Booster seats can also reduce how far the child's neck moves during collisions, reducing the chance of injury. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of kids ages 4-8, and head motion is the biggest culprit.

If a booster is used improperly the lap portion of the belt could slide up over a child's abdomen and cause major injuries in a crash. This can be prevented by using a booster that has lap belt guides that prevent the lap belt from climbing over arm rests or sliding up on a child's stomach.

A lot of boosters come with small handles, armrests or guide slots that help to position the lap belt in a low and flat position over a child's upper thighs. This will ensure that the lap belt starts and stays on the strong hipbones of the child instead of moving upwards into their abdominal region during the event of a crash.

Certain booster seats are equipped with a seat belt locking mechanism to keep the seat belt in place when a child is sitting in it. This will help prevent the lap belt from moving up over a child's abdomen. This can also help to prevent the belt from being pulled across the face of a child. This could lead to hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well as neck strain.