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Can an Infant Car Seat Be Placed in Front Seat? As children outgrow their car seats for infants, they can transition to convertible or all-in one car seats. These car seats can be used rear or forward-facing but they need to meet certain weight and age specifications. It is not recommended to place car seats behind airbags on the car seat, because the force of the airbag can cause fatal injuries to babies and children. 1. The 1.5 Inch Rule The answer to this question is no. The reason is simple: If there is a crash the child's head could be hit by an airbag if in the front seat. The result is that the airbag could cause injury or even death to the child. This is why infant car seats are designed to be rear-facing only. In a crash, the seat's back will rest against the rear of your car seat. This will provide the most protection for your infant. A rear-facing car seats protects your child's neck and head better than a front-facing car seat that offers only the most basic protection. The headrest prevents your child from sliding off the shoulder straps during an accident. The harness holds the chest clip up 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 hit the rear of the front seat. This happens when children's feet rise and become trapped against the rear of the seat, putting immense pressure on the leg bones. This is not something you want to put your child at risk of. There are numerous programs across the country for qualifying parents to get discounted or free infant car seats. 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 newer infant car seats come with a base that they can click into and out of, making them much easier to use than older models. This feature is particularly useful for traveling with young kids, as you can keep the car seat installed and ready to use even when you change vehicles. Find the center of the car seat and measure with the aid of a tape. This space is a test that can be done with a variety of things, such as the blade of a key, or the length of earbuds wireless. Check the instructions for the car seat and the owner's manual of your vehicle to see if the angle can be adjusted to remove the space. 2. Harness Position Preemies and infants often fall into a dangerous chin-to-chest posture in infant car seats, bouncy chairs, strollers, swings and other equipment 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 have not been placed over their shoulders. Make infant car seats best that the straps are placed just below the shoulders of the child, and then, when they are up, they should be over their shoulders. Make sure they are tight to prevent this. The straps should be tight enough to pinch excess fabric to each other. This is known as the Pinch Test. Overly bulky outer layers such as winter coats can interfere with this so be sure to remove them before buckling your child in their seat. The chest clip was designed to protect against a fall, but it could compress a child's neck if it is too low or if they are not tight enough. The chest clip shouldn't be located in the neck opening. Instead it should be placed at the armpit level. In the event of a crash, rear-facing infants are more likely to slide off the seat, and the harness straps should be able to cradle the neck and head of the child. This is why it's important that the straps are placed over the shoulders. If the straps are too low they may slide over the baby's ears or go through the opening in their neck, and if they're too loose, they could move towards the baby's nose. Make sure the shoulder straps are securely fitted and in the slots above or at the shoulders of your child. Newborns might need an infant insert (often included with the car seat) to raise their shoulders until they can reach the slot. Some infant car seats come with built-in angle indicators or adjustors to aid in this process and you should always read the instructions included with the seat. 3. Rear-Facing Only Some parents might be enticed by the fact that their child's legs are getting shorter in the rear-facing seat, but there is no need to do this. Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing because the baby's spine and neck are supported in the event of an accident. Children who are facing forwards are thrown backwards against the vehicle and could cause serious injuries. A lot of infant car seats have an angle indicator so that you can 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 positioned over their shoulders, not under their arms or twisted. To determine whether the harness is too tight, you should be able pinch a small amount of material on the shoulder of your child. It is also important to check the strap that holds the crotch to be sure it is level with the armpits, not at the waist. It is also a good idea to review the manual of your infant car seat so you know the proper method of using it for your child. Most manufacturers recommend that kids remain rear-facing until they're at least one year old or until they reach the weight and height limits. Certain states have laws that require babies to remain rear-facing until they reach the age of two years old. If you own a car with only one back seat, install the infant car seat in the middle so you can easily see your child through your rearview mirror without needing to lean over. Installing the car seat on the driver's side also makes it easier to get your child in and out of the seat. If your vehicle has two rear seats the infant car seat can be installed on either side, as that it is not in the airbag's front on the passenger-side. If you must choose between installing an infant car seat on the left or the right side of your vehicle, put it on the driver's side. 4. Booster Seats All children who outgrow their infant car seat due to weight and height must be fitted with a booster seat until the vehicle seat belt is properly fitted. This is only possible when the child is at a minimum 4'9” tall and has reached the top of the headrest. Booster seats can help position the shoulder and lap belts correctly. Booster seats also help reduce how far the neck moves in collisions, reducing the risk of injuries. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of children between the ages of 4-8, and head movement is the biggest culprit. If a booster isn't used correctly the lap belt could slide across a child's abdomen and cause serious injuries if an accident occurs. This can be prevented by using a booster with lap belt guides that stop the lap belt from slipping over arm rests or sliding up onto a child's stomach. Many boosters are designed with armrests, handles or guide slots that help to keep the lap belt low and flat across a child's upper thighs. This ensures that the lap belt begins and stays on the child's sturdy hip bones instead of slipping into their soft stomach area during an accident. Certain booster seats are equipped with the mechanism to lock the seat belt to keep the belt secure while the child is in it, and this can help to prevent the lap belt from slipping up over a child's abdomen. This may also help prevent the belt from being pulled over a child's face, which could result in hypoxia and airway obstruction, as well as neck strain.