Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

When children have outgrown their infant car seats best car seats, they can change to convertible or all-in-one car seats. These car seats are available in rear-facing and forward-facing versions however, they must meet certain weight and age requirements.

Car seats should never be placed in front of a vehicle 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 inquire if the infant car seat in front seat (just click the up coming article) car seat could be placed in front of the vehicle driver's seat. The answer is always no. The reason is simple: When a crash occurs the child's head may be struck by an airbag when 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 the event of a collision the back of the seat will rest against the rear of your car seat. This will provide the most protection for your infant.

A rear-facing car seats protects your child's neck and head better than a front-facing car seat that only offers the most basic protection. The headrest stops your child from sliding off the shoulder straps in an accident. The harness keeps the chest clip up above the shoulders.

It's important to keep in mind that there are ZERO reported instances of children in forward-facing seats breaking their leg when they hit the rear of the vehicle seat. This happens when a kid's feet fly up and are sucked into the seat's back which causes a lot of pressure into the leg bones. There is no reason to put your child at risk of this.

There are numerous programs across the country for qualifying parents to get discounted or free infant car seats. This is a great opportunity to get your child in a secure car seat before they get out of it. It can be used for many years.

The majority of the new infant car seats come with a base that they click into and out of, which makes them much easier to use than older models. This feature is especially helpful when traveling with children because you can keep the car seat installed and ready to go even if you change vehicles.

Find the middle of the seat and measure with the aid of a tape. This space is a test that can be done with a variety of things, such as the blade of a key or the length of earbuds wireless. After that, you should check the car seat's instructions and the owner's manual of your 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 equipment for children. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by straps of the harness that are loose or have not been placed over their shoulders. To avoid this, check that the straps on your shoulder begin a little below and then come upwards over the shoulders of the child and be sure to tighten them. The straps must be tight enough to pinch excess fabric together. This is called the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other bulky outer layers can hinder the Pinch Test, so be sure to remove them before you buckle your child in their seat.

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

During a crash, rear-facing infants can slide off the seat, and the harness straps need to be able to hold the neck and head of the child. This is why it's very important that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too low, they may slide through the opening on the neck of the infant or over their ears. If they're too loose, they can be able to reach the face of the child.

Make sure the shoulder straps are securely fitted and in the slots above or on the shoulders of your child. Newborns might need an infant insert (often provided with the car seat) to raise their shoulders until they can fit into this slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors that help with this and you can always check the instructions that came with your seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

While some parents may be tempted to flip their infant car seat around to face forward, due to their child's legs becoming too short in the rear-facing position, there is really no reason to do so. The rear-facing position is much safer than a forward-facing position because in the event of a collision, the baby's body will press against the seat and their neck and spine will be supported. Forward-facing children may suffer serious injuries because their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

Additionally, a lot of infant car seats come with an angle indicator built-in so that you can make sure that the seat is correctly installed. You should also make sure that your child's head rests flat on the seat and that the straps are over their shoulders rather than under their arms. To check whether the harness is tight, you should be able pinch a small amount of material at the shoulder of your child. It is also important to check the strap that holds the crotch to be sure that it is at a level with the armpits and not at the waist. It is also a good idea to review the manual for your infant car seat to be aware of the proper method to use it with your child.

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

If you own a vehicle with only one back seat, you can install the infant car seat for travel car seat in the middle so that you can easily view your child through your rearview mirror without having to lean back. It is also beneficial to put the car seat on the driver's side, so you don't have to walk all the way around your vehicle every time you want to put your baby in or out of their car seat.

If your vehicle has two rear seats the infant car seat can be placed on either side so long as it's not the airbag's direction on the passenger's side. If you must decide between installing an infant car seat on the left or the right side of your vehicle, put it on the driver's side.

4. Booster Seats

All children who exceed the size of their car seat for infants by weight and height must be fitted with a booster seat until their vehicle seat belt is properly fitted. This is only possible when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top rated infant car seats of their headrest (check the seat manufacturer's recommendations for exact measurements).

Booster seats aid in positioning the lap and shoulder belt properly. Booster seats can also reduce the distance that a neck of a child moves during collisions, which reduces the chance of injury. Head movement is the most common cause of motor vehicle crashes which are the most frequent deaths of children aged 4-8.

If a booster is used incorrectly, the lap portion of the belt could slide up over a child's abdomen and cause severe injuries in an accident. This can be prevented by using a booster with lap belt guides that prevent the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding up on a child's belly.

Many boosters come with small handles, armrests or guide slots that help place the lap belt low and flat on a child's upper legs. This ensures that the lapbelt begins and remains on the child's strong hipbones, rather than moving upwards into their abdominal area in the event of an accident.

Certain booster seats feature a seatbelt locking mechanism that secures the seatbelt when a child is sitting in them. This can help prevent the lapbelt from moving upwards and over the child's abdomen. This will prevent the seatbelt from being pulled up over a child’s face. This could cause airway obstruction and hypoxia as well neck strain.