What Infant Car Seat In Front Seat Will Be Your Next Big Obsession
Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?
When Push Chairs And Prams are outgrowing their infant car seats, they can switch to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats can be used rear or forward-facing, but they must to meet certain age and weight requirements.
It is not advised to place car seats in front of airbags the vehicle seat, since the force of the airbag could cause fatal injuries to babies and children.
1. The 1.5 Inch Rule
The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: When a crash occurs, 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 why infant car seats are designed to be rear-facing only. The back of the seat rests against the back of the vehicle seat in the event of a crash, providing the most effective protection for your infant.
Additionally, the rear-facing car seat protects the head and neck of your child more than a forward-facing car seat, which provides only minimal neck and head protection. The headrest also prevents the child from falling off the shoulder straps during the event of a crash and the harness holds the chest clip above the shoulders of your child.
It's important to note that there are ZERO known instances of children in forward-facing car seats breaking their legs after hitting the rear of the front seat. This happens when a child's feet are lifted and then get stuck against the rear of the seat, putting immense pressure on the leg bones. There's no reason to expose your child to the risk for this.
There are a variety of programs in the United States that offer infant car seats at a discount or at no cost for parents who meet the requirements. This is a great way to get your child into an appropriate car seat before they outgrow it and can be used in a safe way for many years.
The base of many newer infant car seat models is designed to be removed and put back in, making them much easier to use. This feature is particularly useful for traveling with young kids, as you can keep the car seat in place and ready for use even when changing vehicles.
Before you put your child in the car seat check if the car seat back will be in contact with the vehicle seat's back by measuring the middle of the seat and measuring it using a tape measure. This space is a test that can be done with a variety of objects, including the blade of a key, or the length of the wireless earbuds. Review the instructions for your car seat as well as the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine if the angle can be adjusted to remove the space.
2. Harness Position
In infant car seats, bouncers, swings, strollers, and other equipment for children, infants and preemies could get into a dangerous situation with their chests and chins touching. In the event of a crash, they could be injured by the chest clip or crushed by harness straps that are too loose or have not been placed over their shoulders. To avoid this, check that the straps on your shoulder start a bit lower and move up over the child's shoulders and ensure that you tighten them. The straps should be snug enough to allow you to squeeze any fabric that is not tight enough This is known as the Pinch Test. The bulky outer layers of winter coats can interfere with this so be sure to remove them before buckling your child in their seat.
The chest clip is designed to break in a crash but it can be compressed on the throat of a child in the event that it's too high or when the chest straps are too loose. The chest clip should not be placed in the neck opening. Instead it should be placed at the armpit level.
In the event of a crash, rear-facing infants can slide up the seat and the harness straps need to be able to support the neck and head of the child. It is essential to put the straps above the shoulders. If the straps fall too low, they may slip through the opening on the neck of the baby or over their ears. If they are too loose, they may reach the child's face.
Make sure that the shoulder straps are 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 lift their shoulders until they can fit into this slot. Some infant car seats include angle indicators or adjustors that can assist you in this. You may also want to check the instructions included in your seat.
3. Rear-Facing Only
While some parents might be tempted to turn their infant car seat to face forward, due to their child's legs being too short in the rear-facing position, there's really no reason why you should. The rear-facing seat 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 neck and spine will be supported. Children who are facing forwards are thrown backwards against the vehicle and can cause serious injuries.
Additionally, a lot of infant car seats have an integrated angle indicator so you can be sure the seat is correctly installed. It is also important to make sure your child's head rests flat against the seat and the harness straps are put over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or twisted. You should be able to pinch a little bit of material at their shoulder to determine that the harness is tight enough. It is also essential to check the crotch buckle strap to be sure it is level with the armpits, not at the waist. You should also read the manual of your infant car seat to ensure that you know how to use it properly.
The majority of manufacturers recommend that children remain 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 be rear-facing until two years old.
Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a vehicle that has only one rear seat. This allows you to view your child easily through the rearview mirror without having to bend. Installing the car seat on the driver's side can make it easier to get your child into and out of the seat.
If your vehicle has two back seats, the infant car seat can be installed on either side as long as it's not the airbag's front on the passenger's side. If you must choose between installing an infant car seat on either the left or right side of your vehicle, you can install it on the driver's side.
4. Booster Seats
Children who have outgrown their infant car seat due to weight and height will require a booster until the seat belt is fitted properly. This can only happen if they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and have reached the top of their headrest (check the seat manufacturer's recommendations for exact measurements).
Booster seats are a great way to position the lap belt and shoulder correctly. They can also reduce the distance that a child's head moves during a crash, which decreases the chance of injuries. Head movement is the most common cause of motor vehicle crashes, which are the leading killers of children ages 4-8.
If the booster is not used correctly, the lap portion of the belt may slide up and over the child's abdomen and cause serious injuries in a crash. This can be avoided by using a belt guide on the booster, which stops the lap belt from sliding up onto the stomach of a child or climbing over armrests.
A lot of boosters have handles that are small and armrests or guide slots to position the lapbelt low and flat on a child's upper legs. This ensures that the lap belt begins and stays on the child's strong hip bones instead of slipping into their stomachs in the event of a crash.
Certain booster seats feature a seatbelt locking mechanism that keeps the seatbelt in place when a child sits in them. This can help keep the lap belt from moving up and over the child's abdomen. This can also help prevent the seat belt from being pulled over the face of a child, which could lead to hypoxia and airway obstruction as well as neck strain.