OT: need help/have ? about seating child in front seat of car

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I think it's great that you're so safety minded and thinking ahead!

I let my friend pick up my kids for a playdate from school with her daughter, and when I came to pick them up my younger one (six) bounced up to me and said "Mommy, we got to ride in Mrs. X's minivan standing up with NO seatbelts!"

My jaw dropping, I said, "that's a good joke, honey! I'm sure Mrs. X would ALWAYS make you wear your seatbelts!" Whereupon Mrs. X says "well, I'm just a mile from the school, I thought it would be ok."

I could have smacked her right then and there. Needless to say, Mrs. X is not entrusted with my kids anymore. And the fool keeps asking me if she can pick them up at the school again. Since she has a PhD in microbiology, you'd think she'd have a thread of common sense. Evidently not.

Man, it just boils my shorts everytime I think about the risk she took with BOTH of my kids

 

[kathi29]

If I am allowing someone to take my DD, I always ask them if they have a spare booster seat or if I need to leave hers. It opens the door for a discussion on what exactly my standards are for my child's safety.

 

[laughinplace199]

The problem is that the youngest two need to be in a car seat, so the nearly 11 year old cannot fit into the back seat. She is 5'3" already! (same height and shoe size as me...oy!)

Are you sure she won't fit in the back? I used to have an Accord and I could fit (I"m also 5'3") in between my kids' two carseats. It was a little tight, but doable.

I would first see if she could fit in the back. If she can't, then let her sit in the front.

 

[KCMiller]

I always worry when I hear people saying things like 'well, it's only a short drive' or 'just this once'. I was in a head on collision a number of years ago, not 4 blocks from my house. The kids were not hurt, because they were in the back seat - my DD, 2 at the time, was in a properly installed car seat and my DS, 4 at the time, was in a properly installed booster seat. He had asked to sit in the front, because sometimes I allowed it, but for some reason (angel whispering in my ear, no doubt), I put him in his booster in the back. The paramedics who came to pry me out of the front seat told me that if he had been in the front seat, he would have been dead.

My kids, from then on, have always been in age appropriate seating in cars, and my now almost 20 year old DS and almost 18 year old DD never drive anywhere without seat belts on everyone in the car. When my youngest gets his permit next year, same rules will apply. He has never known any different.

Buckle up, people.

KC

 

[barkley]

If I am allowing someone to take my DD, I always ask them if they have a spare booster seat or if I need to leave hers. It opens the door for a discussion on what exactly my standards are for my child's safety.

if either of my kids are going on a field trip (parent and teacher drivers) i write in big letter on the permission slips 'X IS NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE SEATED IN THE FRONT SEAT OF ANY VEHICAL'.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Anyone know where I can find out the laws about this? I live in NJ but travel a lot in PA and NY as well.


OP - your niece is bigger than me! I'm sure she will be fine but as others have said, we should all really know the laws of each state.

Regarding all of these kids that are much younger than me and by far bigger than me, what the heck are these kids eating? Fertilizer? I'm still waiting for my growth spurt.

 

[ceecee]

Anyone know where I can find out the laws about this? I live in NJ but travel a lot in PA and NY as well.


OP - your niece is bigger than me! I'm sure she will be fine but as others have said, we should all really know the laws of each state.

Regarding all of these kids that are much younger than me and by far bigger than me, what the heck are these kids eating? Fertilizer? I'm still waiting for my growth spurt.

Me too! I'm 5'4" and DD is 11 and the same height. The pediatrician said it is all the hormones is the foods today (especially milk and chicken). Don't know if that's true, but kids are bigger today than when I was a kid.

 

[disneymom3]

I have a 2005 Honda Accord and can easily fit between 2 car seats in the back. I am about 5'3" and weigh 120 lbs. I would much prefer to put a child in the back like that a little tight. It is also nice to rest your head on the carseat. There is about 10, maybe 12 inches of room in between seats.

You should have the sensor in the front though, and as others have said, have the seat back as far as possible if that is the option that has to be used.

You must have thin hips or something. Lucky you! DD is not comfortable in between her brothers booster seats in the back of DHs Accord. She can do it, but I don't think we'd make it for 2 hours. She can't really move her arms either when she is there.

 

[jessica52877]

I think it also depends on what the seats are. The seats I sit inbetween are not boosters, but regular, not on a base, but do sit forward from the seat at the bottom with the metal going back to the seat, so that helps probably.

 

[luvsgrumpy]

Understand that the warnings aren't just based on size, but on body development. The bone structure in a child isn't the same as that of an adult, even if they are the same height. So an 11-year-old is still a child in that sense.

That said, I agree with the others. Put her in the front seat, slide it back as far as it goes, make sure she is wearing her seatbelt and drive carefully.

I have heard this same piece of advice (DS hates it but oh well). I only let him sit in the front when space necessitates it although that will be changing soon since he just turned 13 and is 5'7''. I also agree that as long as it is legally allowable, it would be better for an 11 yr old that a car seat in the front.

Thanks for being concerned!

 

[bigbabyblues]

My MIL has a 2003 Accord, and she has 3 carseats (1 infant seat, one harnessed booster and one regular booster) across the backseat. It's tight, but they're all snug and secure. You could probably put the 11-yo in the back with the two carseats if you need to, depending on her size.

 

[jakoky]

Wow, not quite 11 and 5 ' 3" ..she is very tall...my youngest dd is almost 12 and only 4' 10"....she is not allowed in the front but i would definately think at 5 ' 3 " it is fine as my son (almost 14) sits in the front all the time and he is just over 5 ' 3"...I think u are good to go... I actually thought 12 or 5 feet was how it worked....
sharon

 

[DisneyPhD]

My DD and her friends have all been riding in the front since 11 if not sooner. When they got bigger than me I didn't worry about it. Everyone on my street has allowed their kids in the front from about 11 on. Your niece is 3 inches taller than me and probably weighs more and I'm sure she won't have the seat all the way up either!

I am the same way. When my niece and nephew hit the same size as me, they can sit in the front. (I am 5 feet tall.) Of course it isn't like I am letting a 8 year old ride in the front seat, because I know some 8 year olds that are my height.

I think the 11 in front and the others in back should be your best option.

 

[HomeschoolMama]

I'm in Austin-ish too! My oldest DD is 10, 5'2", and 100lbs. I have wondered if it was okay for her to ride in the front in Texas. I couldn't find any info online aboutt he laws and wether it was size or age or what. Since we have a Suburban, it's not an issue, but I was curious for my MIL's car (smae situation- 2 cars seats in back). Her airbag won't turn off. She was told by two police officers that she knows it's okay for her to ride up front.

All that being said, if the airbag will turn off, it's perfectly safe and legal in Texas for her to ride up front.