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Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?

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

Car seats should not be placed on top of a car seat with airbags, since the force of the deployed air bag can be lethal for infants and children.

1. The 1.5 Inch Rule

The answer to this question is no. The reason is quite simple: If there is a crash the child's head could be hit by an airbag if in the front seat. The airbag can injure or even kill a baby.

This is the reason why infant car seats are made to be rear-facing only. In the event of a crash the back of the seat will rest against the back of your vehicle seat. This provides the best car seat infant protection for your infant car seat for travel.

A rear-facing car seat protects your child's neck and head more effectively than a front-facing one, which only provides the most basic protection. The headrest prevents the child from sliding off the shoulder straps in the event of a crash and the harness holds the chest clip in place above the shoulders of your child.

It's important to note that there are ZERO documented cases of kids in car seats that face forwards breaking their legs after hitting the back of the front vehicle seat. This happens when a kid's feet fly up and are sucked into the seat's back, which puts tremendous pressure into the leg bones. There is no reason to put your child at risk for this.

There are numerous programs in the United States that provide infant car seats at a discount or for free to parents who qualify. This is a great opportunity to ensure your child is in an appropriate car seat before they outgrow it and use it safely for many years.

The base of most modern infant car seats is designed to be easily removed and installed, making them more convenient to use. This feature is especially beneficial for families with small children as it allows you to keep the car seat on and ready to go, even when you switch vehicles.

Before you buckle your child in make sure that the car seat back will touch the vehicle seat's back by finding the center of the seat and measuring it using a tape measure. Many items, such as the blade of a house key, or the length of wireless earbuds are around 1.5 inches long and can be used to determine 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 eliminate the space.

2. Harness Position

In infant car seats, bouncers, swings strollers, and other children's gear, newborns and preemies could fall into a dangerous position with their chests and chins touching. In the event of a crash, they can be injured or crushed by the chest clip. Make sure that the straps are placed just below the shoulders of the child, and then, when they are up, they should be over their shoulders. Tighten them to avoid this. The straps should be snug enough that you can pinch any excess fabric together which is known as the Pinch Test. Winter coats and other bulky outer layers can interfere with the Pinch Test, so remove them prior to putting your child into their seat.

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

In the event of a crash, children who are rear-facing may slide up the seat. The harness straps should be able to support the head and neck of the child. It is important to place the straps over 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 are too loose they can move toward the child's nose.

Make sure that the shoulder straps are in the slots that are above or below your child's shoulders, and that they fit snugly. Newborns might need an infant insert (often included in the car seat) to raise their shoulders until they reach this slot. Some infant car seats come with angle indicators or adjustors that can aid you in this. You may also want to check the instructions that come with the seat.

3. Rear-Facing Only

Some parents may be tempted by the fact that their child's legs are becoming shorter in the rear-facing seat but there's no need to do this. Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing, as the child's spine and neck are supported in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children may suffer serious injuries as their bodies are thrown against the vehicle.

Many infant car seats also have an angle indicator to ensure that the seat is installed correctly. It is also important to make sure your child's head is level against the seat, and that the harness straps are positioned over their shoulders, not under their arms or bent. To check whether the harness is too tight it is best to hold a small amount material on your child's shoulder. It is also essential to check the strap around the crotch to make sure it is in line with the armpits, rather than at the waist. It is also recommended to read the manual for your infant car seat so you are aware of how to properly use it.

Most manufacturers suggest that children ride rear-facing until at minimum one year old or until they reach their car seat's weight and height limits. Some states have laws that require infants to be rear-facing until two years old.

If you have a vehicle with just one back seat, you can install the infant car seat in the middle of the vehicle so you can easily view your child's reflection in your rearview mirror without needing 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 each time you want to take your child into or out of their car seat.

If your vehicle has two rear seats, the infant car seat can be placed on either side as long as it's not in front of the airbag on the passenger's side. If you have to decide whether to install 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

All children who exceed the size of their infant car seat In Front Seat car seat by weight and height should be fitted with a booster seat until the seat belt is properly fitted. This can only be done when the child is at least 4'9" tall and has reached the top of the headrest.

Booster seats help to position the lap and shoulder belt properly. They also decrease the distance that a child's skull moves during an accident, which reduces the chance of injury. Motor vehicle accidents are the most fatal killer of children aged 4-8, and head motion is the most significant cause.

If a booster is not used correctly, the lap portion can travel infant car seat over a child’s abdomen and cause serious injuries in the event of an accident. This can be avoided by using a booster that has lap belt guides that stop the lap belt from sliding over arm rests or sliding on a child's stomach.

Many boosters have small handles or armrests, or guide slots to position the lapbelt low and flat on the child's upper legs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and stays on the child's strong hip bones, instead of slipping into their soft stomach area in the event of an accident.

Some booster seats are equipped with the mechanism to lock the seat belt to ensure that the belt is in place when a child is sitting in it, and this can help to prevent the lap belt from slipping up over the abdomen of a child. This may also help stop the seat belt from being pulled across the face of a child, which could cause hypoxia and airway obstruction as and neck strain.