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

[Lisa loves Pooh]

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!)

We had this issue with my son.I had to move him out of his infant seat at 5 months b/c he had exceeded at least one or both limitations for height and weight. (I know that his shoulders went higher than the highest position of the straps which made him too tall to safely ride in that seat. So what we had to do was buy a convertible seat that had higher limits for rear facing. This way, we didn't have to buy a 3rd forward facing seat later. But when I realiezd he was too big--I was wondering what I was supposed to do since clearly 5 months old was too young for a "big kid" car seat that was only forward facing.

I hope that your doctor didn't have you turn him around at 9 months. I know he is fine at age 10. But I do know that they sold convertible seats at that time as well and he could have rode reverse still.

(I'm not criticizing you--I just had a similar predicament at a younger age.)

He's 2.5 now and he is almost big enough for a booster-but I don't feel that he is old enough. I moved both of my girls at age 4 b/c that is when they were tall enough and then all the safety experts saying to keep kids in 5 pts longer. I just cannot see moving him early. But he is indeed a very big boy.

 

[LisaR]

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.

My son rode in a booster seat until he was over 11. I actually got eaten alive on the Dis for this because I was going to scar him for life and because his friends were going to tease him endlessly. Apparently I was suppose to put his safety ahead of his potentially ruined reputation.

I am happy to report that he not only survived but he never got teased by anyone. A few kids did ask and he simply told them he wasn't big enough. His friends were huge compared to him so it wasn't hard for them to see the difference. Over six months, he grew like crazy and is now 5' 4" and 82-ish pounds. Unfortunately, he still doesn't weigh enough to sit in the front seat.

 

[mom2travel]

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.

Our DDs must be twins - mine is almost 10, 4' 3" and about 56 lbs. She also has friends whose parents have decided they are big enough to sit up front. Mine is hoping to be out of her booster before middle school in 2 years (we'll see...). Thankfully she is very good about "safety first" and accepting that in a booster in the back is the safest place for her. She has a couple of friends who also still use boosters, but a few are starting to resist because they are "getting to old for this!"

DS has always been tall for his age, but thin. We let him ride up front once he hit 100 lbs - was over 5' too

 

[maelstrom]

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.

I am 4'11" and weigh 93 pounds currently. I've never been even 100 pounds, and when I started taking adderall, I went down to as low as 82 pounds. My car doesn't have the sensor to turn the airbag on and off, but my mom's does, and sometimes it doesn't register that I'm there and turns the airbag off. It's kind of imperative that I drive, so, hopefully I won't get into an accident.

 

[DISNEY1975]

It really depends on the size of the child. I have an 18 year old who got his license 2 years ago. When I was testing him about info in the manual, I saw that a child 5 - 12 should be in a booster seat! We all laughed as my younger son was 12 and he was 6 feet tall, 170lbs! (Yes, I have monster children).

My giant boys were out of boosters around age 6 1/2 ish.. I think they were in front by age 11 or 12...and ever since, I cant walk to the car with them without hearing "I call shotgun"

 

[Va-bear]

We had this issue with my son.I had to move him out of his infant seat at 5 months b/c he had exceeded at least one or both limitations for height and weight. (I know that his shoulders went higher than the highest position of the straps which made him too tall to safely ride in that seat. So what we had to do was buy a convertible seat that had higher limits for rear facing. This way, we didn't have to buy a 3rd forward facing seat later. But when I realiezd he was too big--I was wondering what I was supposed to do since clearly 5 months old was too young for a "big kid" car seat that was only forward facing.

I hope that your doctor didn't have you turn him around at 9 months. I know he is fine at age 10. But I do know that they sold convertible seats at that time as well and he could have rode reverse still.

(I'm not criticizing you--I just had a similar predicament at a younger age.)

He's 2.5 now and he is almost big enough for a booster-but I don't feel that he is old enough. I moved both of my girls at age 4 b/c that is when they were tall enough and then all the safety experts saying to keep kids in 5 pts longer. I just cannot see moving him early. But he is indeed a very big boy.

No worries - as you said, he's a strong, tall 10 year old now, and no offense taken.... I'm always curious too. We were instructed, and I did the follow-up reading needed to convince me, to put him forward facing early because his legs were (are) VERY (read freakishly) long. In any/all rear facing seats his legs had to lean up the back of the car seat - his doc said this was VERY undesireable in an accident(the legs wold snap backwards w/ a rear impact) and that the good forward facing seat would be fine w/ his size and body strength at 9 months.

We too used 5 points as long as possible and even as tall as my son is he was in a booster WAY longer than most of his friends....'poor' thing!
As another poster said 'safety first' (and they know not to argue - I am a biosafety engineer! They can win no arguments there!)

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

I never let the girls in the front seat since I think they are safer in the back. Maybe when they are in high school lol..but then again I like being able to have my purse in the passenger seat so maybe we can just pretend I am their chauffeur until they get their own car?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

DD16 started sitting in the front seat last year when she finally hit 5'. DS (5'8") wouldn't sit in the front until this year. He is 14 and this was his choice. He didn't feel safe.

Good thing DD grew those last 2"s (she's 5'1") and that the seats in the newer cars tilt up and forward....

 

[PrincessKsMom]

12 years old. Seat back as far as possible if you have airbags.

 

[taximomfor4]

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.

My bff lost her very dear cousin (like a sister to bff) in a car accident 2 yrs ago -- cousin was the driver. She was 4ft 11 inches tall. The airbag killed her. I think about her whenever my younger kids ask to sit up front "just for short trips." NO! (Even my 11yo).

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

My bff lost her very dear cousin (like a sister to bff) in a car accident 2 yrs ago -- cousin was the driver. She was 4ft 11 inches tall. The airbag killed her. I think about her whenever my younger kids ask to sit up front "just for short trips." NO! (Even my 11yo).

OK, that is scary... I am 4ft 11, currently 113 pounds. For many of my early driving years I was under 100 pounds. Cars, furniture, you name it, is all built for normal size men. What can I do about it? I was terrified to drive while pregnant because I have to put the seat almost all the way up or I can't reach the pedals. I literally had an inch between the steering wheel and my pregnant stomach. I tried to move the seat back but not too far that I couldn't reach. Let's just say I didn't drive much at the end.

I made my DD11 sit in the back until this summer when she graduated elementary school. I was going to not let her sit there until she was 12 but my DH pointed out that she is taller and heavier than I am.

My DS 9 is about 65 pounds and 4 ft 6. He is still in a booster seat but keeps asking me when he can get out. I tell him he has to be 4 ft 9 and to eat more protein! Occasionally a friend will say something but we just say he is not yet tall enough for a regular seat belt. Once the friend goes home I tell DS any parent who takes their kid out of a booster seat too early is putting their kid in danger and I his safety is my priority; I don't care what the other kids say. So there!

 

[NHdisneylover]

DD started riding in front the summer she was 10. We had a fresh air fund child visiting and with his booster and DS's booster in the back that left very little space for her to squeeze in between (Ford Focus). So, I called DBiL who designs air bags for a living (mostly for aircraft--but he started out on cars and I feel he is a good authority) and aksed him if HE would put his hcild in front in such a situation if the child was 5'3" and a bit over 100 pounds. He said he absolutely would. She still did not ride up there regularly until about a year later.

She is now 12 (nearly 13) and does ride in front when no second adult is in the car. At 5'5" and 110 pounds she is taller than I am and about as heavy.

DS, on the other hand, is a string bean. He will be 11 next month but stil has not hit 60 pounds. He was in a booster until last winter. We debated on keeping him in one longer or not--he is tall so the seatbelt hits him in teh right places--but skinny. We have gotten conflicting advice from pediatricians on that I doubt he will be ready for the front seat at 13.

 

[golfgal]

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.

It's kind of hard to drive from the back seat though.

Our kids have been in the front seat for several years. They were in the front seat before the new guidelines came out. DS14 is our lightest at 105 lbs and the air bag doesn't turn on when he is in the front seat. He is 5' 7" tall though. We have adjustable height seats and seatbelts in the front seats which puts the seatbelts and the seats at the proper height for the airbags. Our twins will be getting their permits in a a few months and again, it is kind of hard to drive from the back seat.

 

[taximomfor4]

OK, that is scary... I am 4ft 11, currently 113 pounds. For many of my early driving years I was under 100 pounds. Cars, furniture, you name it, is all built for normal size men. What can I do about it? I was terrified to drive while pregnant because I have to put the seat almost all the way up or I can't reach the pedals. I literally had an inch between the steering wheel and my pregnant stomach. I tried to move the seat back but not too far that I couldn't reach. Let's just say I didn't drive much at the end.

It is very scary. I will say, this cousin had short legs- drove with the seat waaaaaaay forward. The impact from the airbag had to be very strong. When the accident report came back, we were so shocked. It wasn't that bad an accident, they said. My oldest dd (16) is 5'6, but not 100 lbs yet. I let her in the front seat. The airbags DO turn on, but I am confident she is tall enough to take the airbag where it was designed to hit. She doesn't have the seat pulled forward. I think the safety advice for airbags is to have your seat back as far as possible to still be able to reach the pedals safely.

As for boosters, gonna get raked over the coals for this but my 6th grader is out of her booster as of this school year. She started getting picked on and bullied incessantly after 3rd grade...by her BEST FRIENDS (her Brownie troop)! They all found out on girl scout trip. It was bad, really bad. We got her a backless booster after that, so the kids could not see it through the window of our van. Her bottom got too wide for it by about september of this year, so now we let her out of it. Our Korean-made van's 3rd row bench seat is where she sits, and the belt hits her fine! (longer torso, shorter legs) even though she is only 4ft2.

In dh's little Korean-made car, the middle belt fits her fine but the ones by the windows seem a little tall still.

 

[LisaR]

It's kind of hard to drive from the back seat though.

Our kids have been in the front seat for several years. They were in the front seat before the new guidelines came out. DS14 is our lightest at 105 lbs and the air bag doesn't turn on when he is in the front seat. He is 5' 7" tall though. We have adjustable height seats and seatbelts in the front seats which puts the seatbelts and the seats at the proper height for the airbags. Our twins will be getting their permits in a a few months and again, it is kind of hard to drive from the back seat.

And I don't recall saying you should drive from the back seat. I simply posted a fact. The research data shows that those that are short and underweight do not do well in front end collisions. You have to do what you have to do but it doesn't change the data.

 

[Mom21]

I never let the girls in the front seat since I think they are safer in the back. Maybe when they are in high school lol..but then again I like being able to have my purse in the passenger seat so maybe we can just pretend I am their chauffeur until they get their own car?

I'm with you. My dd is 12, 5'3" and about 110 lbs. I want her in the back. I like my stuff in my passenger seat. She only sits up there if we have to put the seats down to haul something in the back. I just don't want her up there with me......LOL. Actually it really is for her safety. Too easy to turn around and smack her fresh mouth if she's in the front. At least that's what I tell her.

 

[NotUrsula]

For the short-legged petite driver, it is possible to buy pedal extensions. They bolt on and extend the pedals up for the shorter-legged driver.

You can get them made for your car make or aftermarket, which is usually a bit cheaper. Here's one dealer: http://www.auto-handcontrols.com/page2.htm


The problem I have is my seatbelt. Even with the adjustment all the way down, it still hits me across the face. I'm using a breakaway clip at the moment, but I'm researching having the mount moved.

 

[golfgal]

For the short-legged petite driver, it is possible to buy pedal extensions. They bolt on and extend the pedals up for the shorter-legged driver.

You can get them made for your car make or aftermarket, which is usually a bit cheaper. Here's one dealer: http://www.auto-handcontrols.com/page2.htm


The problem I have is my seatbelt. Even with the adjustment all the way down, it still hits me across the face. I'm using a breakaway clip at the moment, but I'm researching having the mount moved.

There are pillows you can buy that will boost you up too. Probably a lot less expensive than moving the mounting. I am only 5' 4" so I will only buy cars that have adjustable height drivers seats.

 

[NotUrsula]

Less expensive, yes, but but not as safe if what you are worried about is getting struck too hard by the airbag or getting jammed up against the steering wheel. A pillow is going to put you even closer to the steering wheel.

I can adjust the height of my seat, but if I put it as high as it will go I can't reach the pedals properly, though the seatbelt still isn't quite right.

I'm 5' 3.5", and I don't have issues with reaching the pedals correctly with my seat adjusted for good vision, but I am rather close to the wheel normally. I used rubber-covered blocks taped to the pedals when I was in the third trimester; it was a good-enough temporary fix for only 6 weeks or so. I wouldn't do that permanently, however, because I'm sure they would start to get loose fairly quickly with regular use.

 

[BelleRocks]

I actually read (and of course cannot find it now) that the age restriction also has to do with bone density and development. That's why its based on age rather than height/weight. (My daughter is tall but thin)

That said, I have an 11 year old who gets viciously car-sick. I made the decision to move her to the front seat about a month ago when I told her we had to go to Walmart and she burst into tears. I move the seat back as far as it goes, and she has to sit perfectly straight, no leaning or wiggling.

We don't have a sensor on the airbag - is there any other way to know if it is "reading" her?