10 Healthy Habits To Use Infant Car Seat In Front Seat
Can an Infant car seats newborn Seat Be Placed in Front Seat?
As children grow out of their car seats for infants, they can be moved to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats are available in both forward-facing and rear-facing models but they must satisfy certain weight and age requirements.
Car seats should never be placed in front of a seat equipped with airbags, as the force of the airbag can be fatal for infants and children.
1. The 1.5 Inch Rule
The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple If a collision occurs and the child is involved, they could get their head hit by an airbag if they are in the front seat. The result is that the airbag can injure or kill the Lightweight Baby Car Seat.
Infant car seats are only designed to be rear-facing. In a crash the back of the seat will be positioned against the back of your vehicle seat. This provides the best protection for the infant.
A rear-facing car seat safeguards your child's head and neck better than a front-facing car seat, which only provides minimal protection. The headrest prevents the child from sliding off the shoulder straps in an accident, and the harness keeps the chest clip high above your child's shoulders.
It's important to remember that there are ZERO instances of children in car seats that face forwards breaking their legs when they hit the back of the front seat. This happens when a kid's feet fly up and get caught against the back of the seat, which puts tremendous pressure on the bones of the legs. This is not something you want to put your child at risk of.
There are several programs in the United States that offer infant car seats at a discounted price or for free for parents who meet the requirements. This is a great chance to ensure that your child is in a secure car seat before they grow out of it. It can be used for many years.
The majority of the modern infant car seats come with a base that they can click into and out of, which makes them much easier to use than older models. This feature is particularly useful for traveling with young kids because you can keep the car seat installed and ready to use even when you change vehicles.
Find the middle of the seat and measure it using a tape. 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 determine this space. Check the instructions for your car seat and the owner's manual of your vehicle to determine whether you can adjust the angle of the car seat to remove the space.
2. Harness Position
Preemies and infants often get into a potentially dangerous chest-to-chin position in infant car seats, bouncy seats, strollers, swings and other equipment for children. In a crash they can be injured by the chest clip or crushed by straps on the harness that are too loose or have not been placed over their shoulders. To prevent this from happening, make sure 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 known as the Pinch Test. Overly bulky outer layers such as winter coats can interfere with this, so make sure to remove them before placing your child in their seat.
The chest clip is made for a crash, but it could compress a neck of the child if it's too low or if they are not tight enough. The chest clip should not be located in the neck opening. Instead, it should be at the armpit level.
In a crash, infants who are rear-facing may slide up the seat. The harness straps must be capable of supporting the head and neck of the child. It is essential to put the straps over the shoulders. If the straps fall too low, they may slide through the opening in the neck of the baby or even over their ears. If they're too loose, they can reach the child's face.
Make sure that the straps for your child's shoulders are snugly fitted and in the slots above or around the shoulders of your child. Newborns may require a separate infant insert (often included in the car seat) to raise them so that their shoulders can reach this slot. Some infant car seats come with angle indicators or adjustors to aid you in this. You can also refer to the instructions that come in your seat.
3. Rear-Facing Only
While some parents may be tempted to flip their infant car seat to face forward because of their child's legs becoming too short in the rear-facing position, there's really no reason to do so. Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing as the infant's neck and spine are supported in the event of an accident. Forward-facing children can suffer serious injuries due to the fact that their bodies are thrown into the vehicle.
Many infant car seats also come with an angle indicator built-in to help you ensure the seat is properly installed. You also need to ensure that your child's head is flat against the seat, and that the harness straps are placed over their shoulders, not beneath their arms or bent. To determine whether the harness is too tight you should be able to pinch a small amount of material on your child's shoulder. Check the crotch strap to ensure that it is at the same level as the armpits, and not at the waist. You should also read the instruction manual for your infant car seat to ensure that you know how to use it correctly.
Most manufacturers suggest that children ride rear-facing until at least one year old or until they reach the weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require infants to be rear-facing for a minimum of two years.
Install the infant car seat on the middle seat of a car that only has one back seat. This will allow you to view your child clearly through the rearview mirror, without having to bend. Installing the car seat on your driver's side will also make it easier to get your child in and out of the seat.
If you own a car with two back seats, you can put the portable infant car seat car seat on either side so long as it isn't in front of the passenger-side air bag. If you have to decide between installing 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
Children who have outgrown their infant carrier seat car seats due to weight and height will need a booster until the seat belt fits them 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 can assist in positioning the lap belt and shoulder properly. Booster seats also help reduce how far the child's neck moves during a collision, reducing the risk of injuries. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of kids ages 4-8, and head movement is the biggest culprit.
If a booster is used improperly the lap part of the belt could slide up and over the child's abdomen and cause severe injuries in an accident. 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 climbing over armrests.
Many boosters are designed with armrests, handles, or guide slots that allow you to place the lap belt low and flat across the child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt starts and remains on a child's strong hip bones instead of moving up into their soft stomach area during an accident.
Some booster seats come with a seatbelt locking mechanism that locks the seatbelt in place when a child is sitting in them. This will help to prevent the lapbelt from moving up and over the child's abdomen. This may also help stop the seat belt from being pulled over the face of a child. This could lead to hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well as neck strain.