Install in the Backseat The car seat should always be installed in the back seat. That is the safest spot for your baby. If you can, put the car seat in the center seat. If not, it is fine behind either the driver or passenger side.
Position 1: Front Passenger Seat
Some parents like to be able to keep an eye on their baby or child and so put them in the front. But, they are safer in the rear, and remember, if you are trying to drive and look after a child at the same time, you will be distracted and more likely to crash.
We recommend the passenger side in case you ever have to park on the street, you will be on the sidewalk side of the car putting baby in the car seat. Never install a rear-facing seat in the front seat in front of an active airbag.
The safest place for your child's car seat is in the back seat, away from active air bags. Air bags in the front seat are made to protect the head and face of an adult-sized person in a seat belt. If you place the car seat in the front seat and the air bag inflates, it can be dangerous.
The left-side and the right-side of the back seat are both appropriate positions for the second car seat. Many people have opinions on which is the safest position, but highway safety reports show that there is no statistical difference in terms of safety.
The safest placement of a car seat is on the rear seat of your vehicle in the center position, as it protects your child in the event of a side impact collision. The rear passenger side of your vehicle is an alternative option.
Facing rearwards (despite having their legs in a seemingly strange position) is still the safest position for them to travel. You should only move your child to a forward-facing restraint with inbuilt harnesses when the maximum height requirement on your rear-facing restraint is reached.
Place the car seat base in the back seat of your vehicle. In a crash, the back seat is the safest place to be, and rear-facing car seats provide extra protection for your child's head, neck and spine.
Always put your infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in the back of your car. A baby riding in the front seat can be fatally injured by a passenger side air bag. The shoulder straps must be at or below your baby's shoulders.
Safest place for 2 car seats
If both of the car seats are rear-facing/forward-facing, place the younger child in the middle and the older child behind the passenger seat. Since the older child is physically stronger and more developed, they'll be a bit more able to handle the impact force of a collision.
The rear center seat is also recommended as the best place for kids' car seats. In fact, the AAP found that children in the rear center seat have a 43 percent lower risk of injury than children in the rear window seats.
On rear-facing car seats, the shoulder straps should come through the car seat slots at or just BELOW your child's shoulders. On forward-facing seats, the shoulder straps should be at or just ABOVE the shoulders.
The frontal controlled crumple zone naturally receives the first wave of impact. As a result, the forces acting on the rear of the vehicle cabin are dampened, reducing the risk of serious injury.
Never hold a baby or child on your lap when riding in a car. If you are wearing your seat belt, the violent forces created during a crash will tear the child from your arms. The child could be seriously hurt or killed.
In the event of an accident, the front passenger airbag may deploy and injure the baby, whereas the rear seat is further away from the airbag. Additionally, the rear seat provides more protection for the baby as it is away from the impact zone in a crash. This reduces the risk of serious injury to the baby.
Buy your baby's car seat and install it in the back seat of your car at least three weeks before your due date as most babies are not born on their due dates. This way you will be prepared for your baby's first ride home from the hospital.
However, infant healthcare professionals, safety experts and most car manufacturers recommend that babies should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours at a time and they should be taken out frequently. If your trip involves driving for long periods of time, you should stop for regular breaks.
Ideally, a second adult should travel in the back of the car with your baby, or if travelling alone use a mirror to keep an eye on your baby. If your baby changes their position and slumps forward, then you should immediately stop, take them out of the car seat and sit them upright before continuing on your journey.
Better lying down than semi-seated
This can hinder breathing, as well as leaving the head unsupported, and often excessively mobile. To avoid this, it is advisable to transport little ones in the car in a specially-designed carrycot, which keeps baby in the lying position.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), if you ride in the backseat of a car and do not wear a seatbelt, you are eight times more likely to be injured or killed in a collision than if you are wearing a seat belt.
But, a recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that rear passengers might be in more danger in a head-on car crash than those in the front seat. This is due to a lack of safety protections for those in the back versus the front seat.
The car seat should be in a position where the back of your thighs is lightly touching the edge. There should be a gap of at least two fingers between the back of your knees and the seat. This will help ensure that there proper circulation as well as avoid leg and back pain while driving.
Use a rear-facing car seat from birth until ages 2–4. Infants and toddlers should be buckled in a rear-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat. This offers the best possible protection.