Can an Infant
car seat newborn insert Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?
When children have outgrown their infant car seats, they can move to convertible or all-in-one car seats. These car seats are available in both forward-facing and rear-facing versions, but they must meet certain weight and age requirements.
It is not recommended to place car seats behind airbags on a vehicle seat, as the force of the airbag could cause fatal injuries to infants and children.
1. The 1.5 Inch Rule
The answer to this question is no. The reason for this is quite simple: If a crash happens and the child is involved, they could get their head struck by an airbag if they are in the front seat. The airbag can injure or even kill a baby.
This is the reason why
infant car seats best car seats are made to be rear-facing only. The backrest of the seat is positioned against the rear of the car seat in a crash, providing the best protection for your baby.
In addition, the rear-facing car seat safeguards the neck and head of your child more than a forward-facing one, which provides only minimal neck and head protection. The headrest also stops the child from slipping off the shoulder straps in the event of a crash and the harness will keep the chest clip in place above the shoulders of your child.
It is important to keep in mind that there are ZERO known instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs after hitting the back of the front seat. This happens when children's feet fly upwards and get caught against the seat's back and put a great deal of pressure on the bones of the legs. There is no reason to put your child at risk for this.
There are several programs in the United States that provide infant car seats at a discounted price or at no cost to parents who qualify. This is a great way to ensure your child is in an appropriate car seat before they outgrow it and can be used safely for many years.
The majority of newer
infant car seat rear facing car seats have an adjustable base that they can click into and out of, which makes them much more user-friendly than older models. This feature is particularly beneficial for traveling with young kids since you can keep the car seat installed and ready to use even when changing vehicles.
Before you put your child in the car seat check if the car seat back will touch the vehicle seat's back by locating the center of the seat and measuring it using a tape measure. A lot of things, like 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 determine this space. Then, check the instructions for your car seat and vehicle owner's manual to see if you can adjust the angle of the car seat to remove this space.
2. Harness Position
Newborns and preemies often get into a potentially dangerous chin-to-chest posture in infant car seats, bouncy seats, swings, strollers and other toys for children. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by the straps on the harness that are too loose or not placed over their shoulders. Check that the straps are placed slightly below the shoulders of the child and then come up over their shoulders. Make sure they are tight to prevent this. The straps should be secure enough that you can 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 make sure to take them off prior to placing your child in their seat.
The chest clip is designed to break in an accident, but it could compress on a child's throat when it's too low or if the chest straps are loose. It's also important that the chest clip not in the neck opening of the collar. the buckle should be at armpit level.
In a crash, infants who are facing rearwards will slide up the seat. The harness straps should be able to support the child's neck and head. This is why it's important that the straps be 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 towards the baby's nose.
Make sure the shoulder straps are that are above or below your child's shoulders and that they fit snugly. Newborns may require an infant insert (often provided with the car seat) to raise their shoulders until they reach this slot. Some infant car seats have angle indicators or adjustors to assist you in this. You can also check the instructions provided in the seat.
3. Rear-Facing Only
While some parents might be tempted to flip their infant car seat around to face forward because of their child's legs becoming too short in the rear-facing position really no reason why you should. The rear-facing seat is safer than a forward-facing position because in the event of a collision, the baby's body will be pressed against the seat, and their spine and neck will be supported. Forward-facing children's bodies are thrown backwards against the vehicle, and may cause serious injury.
A lot of infant car seats come with an angle indicator built in to help you ensure the seat is correctly installed. You also need to ensure that your child's head is flat against the seat and the harness straps are positioned over their shoulders, not under their arms or bent. You should be able to squeeze a tiny bit of fabric on their shoulder to confirm that the harness is tight enough. It is also important to check the crotch buckle strap to be sure that it is at a level with the armpits and not at the waist. You should also review the manual for your infant car seat in front seat;
migration-bt4.co.uk, car seat to ensure that you know how to use it properly.
Most manufacturers suggest that children ride rear-facing until at least one year old or until they reach their car seat's weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require infants to remain rear-facing until they reach the age of two years old.
Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a vehicle that only has one back seat. This will allow you to view your child comfortably through the rearview mirror without having to bend. It's also helpful to place the car seat on the driver's side so you don't have to walk the way around your car every time you want to put your baby in or out of their car seat.
If your vehicle has two back seats the infant car seat can be placed on either side, as long as it's not in the airbag's direction on the passenger-side. If you must decide between installing an infant car seat on the left or right side of your vehicle, put it on the driver’s side.
4. Booster Seats
All children who exceed the size of their infant car seat due to weight and height should use a booster seat until their vehicle seat belt fits them properly. This is only possible when the child is at least 4'9" tall and has reached the top of the headrest.
Booster seats can help position the lap belt and shoulder correctly. They can also reduce the distance that a child's head moves during an accident, which reduces the chance of injuries. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of kids ages 4-8, and head movement is the biggest culprit.
If a booster isn't used correctly the lap belt can slide across 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 prevent the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding up onto a child's stomach.
A lot of boosters come with armrests, handles or guide slots that allow you to place the lap belt low and flat across a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt begins and stays on a child's sturdy hip bones instead of slipping into their soft stomach area during an accident.
Certain booster seats are equipped with a seat belt locking mechanism to ensure that the belt is locked in place while the child is in it, and this can help in preventing the lap belt from slipping up over a child's abdomen. This can prevent the seatbelt from being pulled upwards over a child’s face. This could lead to airway obstruction and hypoxia, as well as neck strain.
