At What Age Did/Will Your Child(ren) Sit in the Front Seat?

[WDWKOOK]

At what age did/will your child(ren) start sitting in the front seat of the car?

I'm aware that the recommendation is for kids 12 and under to sit in the back seat, however, is there also a height or weight recommendation for sitting in the front seat? Or is it purely age-based and therefore they should be 13 before sitting in the front?

 

[PatsMom]

I'm not sure if there is a height and weight. We had a truck so my daughter always rode in the front until we got a king cab. But then we kept her in the back until she was somewhere around 12. In the regular car she sat in back that long too.

 

[npmommie]

I think it is age based, not height weight based.
the passenger airbag in my front turns off if the weight of the person riding is below a certain point.
i forget what that is though

 

[LisaR]

As you stated, it is safest for kids to ride in the backseat. If they ride in the front seat, they need to be heavy enough to activate the airbags if there is an accident.

My pet peeve are people that allow their kids to ride in the front seat because their car has an off switch or automatically switches off if the passenger doesn't weigh enough. The point of an airbag is to deploy during an accident to save lives. If the child is too light to activate it, you defeat the purpose of the airbag. Off my soap box now.

My DS is 12 and about 81 pounds. We try him out regularly in the front seat and he is too light to activate the airbag so he still has to sit in the back seat. DD is also very small but she was heavy enough at 12. I am guessing the weight needs to be somewhere around 85 pounds (based on what I can remember DD being at that age). Vehicles probably vary, too.

 

[minkydog]

With my older kids it was 12. I never put Christian (14) in the front, though. He is pretty hypotonic and loose. He has a hard time holding himself upright for long periods. Plus, he likes to touch you in the car and I can't risk him grabbing my arm while I"m driving. It's bad enough that he reaches over and taps my shoulder every 15 seconds.

 

[WDWKOOK]

With my older kids it was 12. I never put Christian (14) in the front, though. He is pretty hypotonic and loose. He has a hard time holding himself upright for long periods. Plus, he likes to touch you in the car and I can't risk him grabbing my arm while I"m driving. It's bad enough that he reaches over and taps my shoulder every 15 seconds.

Will Christian be getting his driver's license in 2 years?

Oops, I just noticed your signature. I apologize if Christian is handicapped in some way that would prevent him from driving.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have had my 9yo up front on occasion. My 7yo has been as well. Both in a booster. My 9yo is no longer FT in a booster in the back seat. ETA: We have an airbag sensor--and we make sure that it recognizes there is a person in the seat.

The recommendation is 12 though. But I have already broken that rule a few times as has their daddy.

 

[mamacatnv]

We just started letting DD 11 - she is 5'4" 122#'s - she is adult size and so we now let her ride in front

 

[minkydog]

Will Christian be getting his driver's license in 2 years?

Oops, I just noticed your signature. I apologize if Christian is handicapped in some way that would prevent him from driving.

It's okay. Christian is severely mentally handicapped. Although he loves to sit in the drivers seat and look out the window(with supervision), no, he will not be driving. However, i do have a normal DD16 who is learning to drive. Better pray for me

 

[NotUrsula]

This is the American Academy of Pediatrics' guideline:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Older children—seat belts [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Seat belts are made for adults. Your child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age). This means [/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat. [/FONT]
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly. [/FONT]
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Other points to keep in mind when using seat belts include [/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Make sure your child does not tuck the shoulder belt under her arm or behind her back. This leaves the upper body unprotected, putting your child at risk of severe injury in a crash or with sudden braking. [/FONT]
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Never allow anyone to “share” seat belts. All passengers must have their own car safety seats or seat belts.[/FONT]

DS12 is taller than I am, and weighs about the same as I did when I was 20. He's been allowed in the front seat for nearly a year now, based on the above standard. I personally think it makes much more sense to base the decision on a combination of height and weight, not just age. I've known some very tiny 13 yo girls. Of course, with kids that are much bigger than average for their age, I might insist on the back seat for other reasons, such as not unnecessarily distracting the driver.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We just started letting DD 11 - she is 5'4" 122#'s - she is adult size and so we now let her ride in front

That's where my confusion comes in. My DD just turned 11 and is 100# and 5' which is about as big as her MIL. But, I read somewhere that the recommendation of 12 and under was based on the fact that a child's bones aren't strong enough to adequately withstand an impact in the front. Also if they are too small the front air bag can do more harm than good.

 

[Crystal0608]

13 is the magic age at our house. Dh's grandma let my kids before and I had to remind the kids of MY rule (9 & 7).

Backstory: When I was about 7, my mama had a brand new 86 Toyota, no seat belt or front seat laws. Well I usually ALWAYS rode in the front passenger seat, sometimes with a belt, mostly without. One day we went to Food Lion and my mama said that I insisted I sit in the back and the groceries up front. A couple miles down the road, one car stopped to turn left and it turned out to be a seven car pile up, ours the worst. My mama is petite 5ft tall and the whole inner part of the car came in the driver and passenger side and crushed my her ankles and put her in a wheelchair for a long time. The groceries were detroyed. I could have been the groceries. Instead, I ended up with a busted lip in the backseat and could walk away. Long story, but my personal reason my kids sit in the back.

 

[WDWKOOK]

It's okay. Christian is severely mentally handicapped. Although he loves to sit in the drivers seat and look out the window(with supervision), no, he will not be driving. However, i do have a normal DD16 who is learning to drive. Better pray for me

Your plate is certainly full.

Congratulations on your DD's learning to drive! That is such a big step toward independence. To think they just start sitting in the front seat when they're 13 and then they're in the driver's seat a few years later.

 

[Va-bear]

We just started letting DD 11 - she is 5'4" 122#'s - she is adult size and so we now let her ride in front

My DS 10 is about there and we were considering letting him. Logically, weight and height are a better way of deciding these things, than age. Experts tell us ages because it's easier for most of us to remember - but I still recall how my DS's doc pushed me to move him to a 'big-boy' car seat at 9 months, rather than the '1year' number I'd been quoted over and over. Turns out that due to his height we were actually putting him at risk leaving him in the very seat I thought was safest.

I really wish 'they' would give us a bit more info (readily....you can find it for the carseats, but it takes some digging...) to make these desicions with.

Thanks for the thread OP - we've had this on the brain a lot lately (well, DS has!)

 

[maelstrom]

Based on all of these recommendations, I shouldn't be sitting in the front seat. Nevermind that I'm 23 years old and I drive.

 

[Planogirl]

Based on all of these recommendations, I shouldn't be sitting in the front seat. Nevermind that I'm 23 years old and I drive.

Maybe you just need a booster seat.

In our case, DS started riding in the front when he was 11 or 12 or when he was as tall as me.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd was 12, ds was 11 - both were at least 5' tall, and over 100 pounds, though. It sure helps out a lot, since before, if I had all of my kids with me, I couldn't take any more!

 

[LisaR]

Based on all of these recommendations, I shouldn't be sitting in the front seat. Nevermind that I'm 23 years old and I drive.

Well, if you weight less than about 85 pounds and you are well under 5 feet, than it actually isn't the safest place for you to be. My DH spent many years in the crash test department of a major car manufacturer. Small people in the front seat + a brick wall at even a slow speed, does not equal a pretty picture in the end.

 

[WDWKOOK]

My DS 10 is about there and we were considering letting him. Logically, weight and height are a better way of deciding these things, than age. Experts tell us ages because it's easier for most of us to remember - but I still recall how my DS's doc pushed me to move him to a 'big-boy' car seat at 9 months, rather than the '1year' number I'd been quoted over and over. Turns out that due to his height we were actually putting him at risk leaving him in the very seat I thought was safest.

I really wish 'they' would give us a bit more info (readily....you can find it for the carseats, but it takes some digging...) to make these desicions with.

Thanks for the thread OP - we've had this on the brain a lot lately (well, DS has!)

And, thanks for everyone's thoughtful responses.

I understand what you mean about your DS. DD keeps asking and I've always answered with, "You need to be 13." We have a 2-door sports car that is rather difficult for her to get in and out of the back when we occasionally take it (it's DH's daily driver), so the question came up again yesterday and I told her, "I'll post it to the DIS." I'm a BIG rule follower so I feel compelled to stick with 13 (bones too brittle at 11 and 12), but I find it hard not to take into consideration height and weight when deciding, but I can't find any "medical authority" referencing it.

 

[laughinplace199]

I feel like my DD will never be able to ride in the front seat. She is 10 and only 4 ft, 3 in and 59 lbs. Some of her friends ride in the front seat and none of her friends still use boosters. Then there's DD - in her booster in the back seat.