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Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat? When children outgrow their infant car seats, they can switch 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 weight and age specifications. Car seats should never be placed in front of a vehicle seat equipped with airbags, as the force of the deployed airbag can be fatal for children and babies. 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 while in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can cause injury or even death to the child. This is the reason why infant car seats are made to be rear-facing only. In the event of a collision, the seat's back will be positioned against the rear of your car seat. This is the best protection for your infant. A rear-facing car seat safeguards your child's head and neck more effectively than a front-facing one, which only provides the most basic protection. The headrest stops your child from slipping off the shoulder straps during an accident. The harness holds the chest clip high above the shoulders. It is important to keep in mind that there are ZERO instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs when they strike the rear of the front seat. This happens when a kid's feet fly upwards and get caught against the seat's back, which puts tremendous pressure on the bones of the legs. This is not something you should put your child at risk of. There are numerous programs in the United States that offer infant car seats at a discount or at no cost to parents who qualify. This is a great opportunity to get your child into an appropriate car seat before they get out of it and use it in a safe way for many years. The majority of the modern infant car seats have an adjustable base that they can click into and out of, making them much more user-friendly than older models. This feature is especially helpful for families with small children because you can keep the car seat on and ready for use even when switching vehicles. Before infant car seats best take your child's seat, find out if the car seat back will touch the car seat's back by measuring the middle of the seat and measuring it with a tape measure. Many items, such as the blade of a house key or the length of earbuds with wireless technology, are about 1.5 inches long and can be used to check for this space. Check the instructions for the car seat and the owner's manual for your vehicle to determine if the angle can be adjusted to eliminate the space. 2. Harness Position In baby car seats, bouncers, swings, strollers, and other children's gear, newborns and preemies could get into a dangerous situation with their chests pressed against their chins. In a crash, they can be injured or crushed by the chest clip. To avoid this, check that the straps for your shoulders start slightly below and come up over the child's shoulders and ensure that you tighten them. The straps should be secure enough to allow you to squeeze any fabric that is not tight enough which is known as the Pinch Test. Bulky outer layers like winter coats can hinder this so be sure to take them off prior to buckling your child in their seat. The chest clip is designed to break during a crash but it can cause a child's throat to collapse when it's too low or when the chest straps are too loose. It is also essential that the chest clip is not placed in the neck opening of the collar – the buckle should be at the armpit level. In a crash, infants who are facing rearwards will slide up the seat. The harness straps must be able to support the child's neck and head. This is why it's crucial that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too low, they may slide through the neck opening of the baby or over their ears. If they're too loose, they may touch the face of the child. Make sure that the shoulder straps are that are above or below your child's shoulders, and that they fit comfortably. Newborns may need a separate infant insert (often included in the car seat) to raise them to ensure their shoulders are in the 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 your seat. 3. Rear-Facing Only Some parents may be tempted by the fact that their child's legs are getting shorter in the seat facing rearwards, but there's no need to do this. The rear-facing position 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 spine and neck will be supported. Forward-facing children are more susceptible to serious injuries due to the fact that 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 is flat on the seat, and that the straps are over their shoulders rather than under their arms. You can pinch a tiny bit of fabric at their shoulders to ensure that the harness is tight enough. Check the crotch strap and make sure it's at the same height as the armpits and not at the waist. It is also recommended to read the manual of your infant car seat so you know the proper way to use it for your child. Most manufacturers suggest that children ride rear-facing until they're at minimum one year old or until they reach the weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require infants to remain rear-facing until two years old. Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a car with only one back seat. This allows you to view your child comfortably through the rearview mirror, without having to bend over. It's also helpful to install 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 back seats the infant car seat can be installed on either side, as long as it's not in the airbag's direction on the passenger's side. However, 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 car seat for infants by weight and height should use a booster seat until the vehicle seat belt is fitted properly. This is only possible when the child is at a minimum 4'9” tall and has reached the top of the headrest. Booster seats assist in positioning the shoulder belt and lap correctly. They can also reduce the distance that a child's skull moves during a crash, which decreases the chance of injuries. Head movement is the main cause of motor vehicle crashes that are the top deaths of children aged 4-8. If a booster is not properly used the lap belt can travel over a child’s abdomen and cause serious injuries if an accident occurs. This is avoided by using a belt guide on the booster that prevents the lap belt from sliding up onto a child's stomach or getting over armrests. Many boosters come with small handles and armrests or guide slots to put the lapbelt flat on a child's upper legs. This will ensure that the lap belt starts and stays on the child's strong hipbones instead of moving upwards into their abdomen region during a crash. Some booster seats are equipped with an automatic seat belt locking mechanism to ensure that the belt is secure while the child is in it, and this can help to prevent the lap belt from moving up over the abdomen of a child. This will prevent the seatbelt from being pulled up over a child’s face. This could lead to airway obstruction and hypoxia as well neck strain.