# what age for front seat?



## plantmama (Jun 24, 2005)

Ds is 5.5 and often spends a bit of time with his gps in the summer which is great. But my dad puts him in the front seat (usually without his booster) of his very old, no air bags, mercedes. Is the main concern just airbags? They don't go more than a few miles with this set up. 2.5 y/o has ridden in the front seat as well in his car seat







But we told my dad we prefer him to stay in the back.
We recently had to tell my dad that ds couldn't ride with him on the motorcycle unless he had a helmet on so you can see that safety is not really big on my dad's list of priorities!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

When they get their learner's permit









The general rule is 12 and under need to be in the back seat. The back seat is still safer for everyone (regardless of the fact that there is no air bag), so I'd hold out for the back seat as long as possible. In NO circumstances would I allow a 5 year old in the front seat with no booster/car seat. The only times it's "ok" is as a last resort, as in there are 4 kids that need to be transported in an emergency situation, in which case you put the oldest harnessed child up front.

ETA: how old is "very old"? Does it have lap/shoulder belts in the backseat or just lapbelts?


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

If it's so old that there are only lap belts in all 3 positions of the back seat, then I could see how the front seat _might_ be a safer option. of course a HWH seat like the Nautilus installed w/ lap belt in the back would be the safest option (since you cannot use a belt positioning booster w/ a lap belt only).

Of course if there are lap/shoulder belts in the back, then that's where your DS should be riding, in his booster. Airbag or not, the back seat is SIGNIFICANTLY safer for everyone, esp. for kids under 12.


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

I don't suppose you will like the answer "until they are ready to drive." But really, that's it. At least until 12. It's not just airbags, the crash forces are greater in the front period.

Here is an example: My sister, age 7, was in the front when my mom came up a blind hill and found a car in her lane. She swerved to avoid the car, and hit a tree. July 14, 1994, sunny beautiful day, just a few miles from home. My sister suffered a skull fracture and cerebral hematoma that day. She nearly died. Her head hit the dash board, despite the seat belt and no air bags. Had she been in the back, she might have walked away from the scene.


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## plantmama (Jun 24, 2005)

I think 12 if not older seems reasonable. I can also say that I don't want ds getting interested in sitting in the front. There are shoulder belts in the back. It's a 1980 I think. I've also heard that most accidents occur within 5 miles of home so even though they will be going slowly and not very far, you never know...
I was just reading about how children should never ride with an adult on a ride on lawn mower, something both my boys do with grandpa, and was thinking, geez, is there anything safe they do together!?
thanks for the replies.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Perspective is different in the front, and I'd like my daughter to have some experience with that before she starts driving, so I'll let her sit in the front sometime around age 14.

I would probably be okay with occasional front-seat use for carpooling/etc. around age 12, provided she fits the belts properly (she's on the small side).


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

I think the general rule is no one under 12, that's what it says on our visors in our car. when I was a kid my mom's rule was we could ride in the front seat when we were bigger than her, I like that rule, though at their current growth curve, Janelle and Travis will never by bigger than DH or I...and Kincaid will be taller than both of us in early jr high, so I'm not going to make that rule for my own kids.


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## BeckC (Nov 27, 2006)

Good luck with your dad. I know mine can be ridiculously stubborn and skeptical when it comes to child safety.







:

With lap and shoulder belts, there's no reason that your son shouldn't be in the backseat with his booster.


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## plantmama (Jun 24, 2005)

It's partly a generational thing I think. My sister and I were in the front from about 3 y/o on and some of their cars didn't have working seat belts!
We also rode our horse all through the woods with no riding helmet, never wore bike helmets...the list goes on.
I can't believe the things I used to do with ds#1 when he was a baby, like taking him out of his car seat if there was a traffic jam. Or sitting him on my lap for the 2 minute drive from the grocery store to home...I've since gotten a little dose of fear in me







Ds #2 always rides in his carseat!
We are a tall family and I think by age 12 we will probably be allowing ds in the front...unless he has a late growth spurt he will probably be starting to get uncomfortable in the back.
Now him learning to drive? That is not something I'm looking forward to.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

It's not just height or size that you need to take into consideration, it's the hardness of their bones. By 12 a kid's bones are mostly ossified, but a big 8 year old who is the size of a 12 year old is alot different


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

The age is 15...this is from www.carseat.org

"The back seat is the safest part of the car for all passengers. Recent research shows that children should ride in the back seat until they reach age 15."

They have done studies on this and although a 13 or 14 yr old may be the same size as an adult, the bone structure is changing so rapidly due to puberty and they cannot withstand the same force from an accident that a same-size adult could.

I don't buy the "they need to see what's going on so they know what to do when they start driving" excuse. That's what drivers' ed classes are for.


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## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

I'm curious what carseat you have and the age of the Mercedes are. My parents drive an '84 Mercedes and I've tried 4 different carseats in there and _none_ of them install well in it. The biggest issue is the super-stiff and long seatbelt stalks, mainly. But I'm pretty good at installing carseats but this one is a doozy. My parents just use their other vehicle to transport the kids. But if you found a way to make it work, let me know what you're using!


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## plantmama (Jun 24, 2005)

My dad's is an '80. Ds has some sort of booster. We have one without a back and one with a back. And ds#2 has a Britax marathon. Sometimes when I read this forum I'm not sure if we install them 100% correctly but they both fit in there as far as I can tell.
I don't think there is anyway I'll keep him out of the front until he's 15. That's seems so old! 12 I can handle. Especially since our cars have airbags.
15 is when you can get your learner's permit! And what about my younger kids? When their brother can drive them places they'll sit in the back?
Well, I've got almost 10 years to think about all that








thanks again for the advice! Safety is not necessarily something that comes naturally to me


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