When do you let your child ride in front seat?

[Scarlett]

Having a discussion with my ds, who will be 9 in March. He weighs 68 pounds and is 56.5 inches tall...and he REALLY wants to ride in the front seat. I drive an old Lincoln towncar, with an airbag in the front/passenger seat that can't be turned off.

 

So I told him we would see how you people do it.

[Laura Corin]

I wish I could find the reference to a study that showed that children, no matter what height or weight, should not sit in the front until they are fifteen, because their skeletons were not strong enough to deal with the stresses of an accident. I couldn't vote in the poll, because we'll be waiting until fifteen.

 

ETA: I think this is it

 

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=10711

 

Laura

Edited October 29, 2008 by Laura in China

[Mama Lynx]

I wish I could find the reference to a study that showed that children, no matter what height or weight, should not sit in the front until they are fifteen, because their skeletons were not strong enough to deal with the stresses of an accident. I couldn't vote in the poll, because we'll be waiting until fifteen.

 

Laura

 

I wish you could find it too. My 12 year old is big for his age - as tall as many 16 year olds - and DH wants him to ride in the front now.

[sagira]

My option is not included. I say 12, which is what the age it says in my car.

[Beth in Central TX]

My oldest son was allowed to ride in the front seat when he turned 12. He's close to me in size at 5'1" and over 100 lbs. He's not overweight, just very, very solid. We do have him push the seat all the way back though. My middle son just turned 11, but he has a smaller frame at 4'8" and 75 lbs. We'll see how much he grows in a year, but he may have to wait a bit longer. My youngest son is very petite; he may be in a booster seat forever...

 

There's really not a lot of opportunity to ride in the front seat since we don't have a lot of scheduled activities outside of the house. In addition, I don't let me son ride in the front seat during rush hour from 5:00 to 6:00PM. Morning rush hour is never a problem since I'm barely awake at that time anyway.

 

HTH!

[periwinkle]

but I figured 13 was pretty close, so I voted for that!;)

[Sunshine State Sue]

I don't have an airbag. I allowed my son to ride in the front seat at 12 since he was nearly as tall as me. He's almost 13 now and now he is taller than me. :ack2:

 

The warning on my car says children 12 and under can be killed. So, technically, we should have waited until 13.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Sue in St Pete

[Deece in MN]

but I figured 13 was pretty close, so I voted for that!;)

 

Me, too. I thought the age was 12 so when my dc turned 12 we allowed them to sit up front. My dc are both big for their age (my dd is as tall as I am and weighs more, so if she can't sit up front I shouldn't either ;)).

[Scarlett]

Me, too. I thought the age was 12 so when my dc turned 12 we allowed them to sit up front. My dc are both big for their age (my dd is as tall as I am and weighs more, so if she can't sit up front I shouldn't either ;)).

 

Yes, my niece is living with us now and she is about 5 foot even...so ds just doesn't get it...why he has to sit in the back seat. Not that he has to 'get' it. I'm just curious as to what others do. I doubt I will make him wait til he is 13...but I can't decide when I should let him.

[Unicorn.]

We're pretty much in the age 12 category too. We did let ds ride in the front at 11, but only in the truck, which has an airbag that can be turned off, and not on the highway. I have an '07 toyata minivan, and the airbag turns on/off based on weight. I don't let my 10yo's ride in front, even though one is probably tall enough and heavy enough. They'll have to wait a couple more yrs.

[Jenny in Florida]

My option is not included. I say 12, which is what the age it says in my car.

 

I voted 13, because that was as close as I could get. But I do the same thing, follow the recommendations in my car(s).

[Scarlett]

I voted 13, because that was as close as I could get. But I do the same thing, follow the recommendations in my car(s).

 

Thanks. All of you who are going with age 12 feel free to vote the AAP choice of age 13.

[Cheryl in NM]

I let my 12 year old sit in the front seat. According to the AAP guidlines he should be in the back seat and would have been in a booster until he was 10. According the the guidlines I would have been in a booster when I started driving. It's completely ridiculous!

 

As far as airbags go, I make sure that the seat is all the way back for ds and as far back as I can safely drive. Still if the airbag deployed it would probably take my head off as I am on 5'1" and I have to use a seatbelt adjuster to keep the belt off my neck.

[Rosy]

We used to let the dc ride up front in their boosters in the car that doesn't have a passenger airbag, but WA law has changed and they won't be able to sit up front until they're 13.

[MicheleinMN]

At least 5' tall and over 100 lbs. and at least 12 years old, but I prefer to have them ride in the back/middle seat.

 

I didn't know about the skeletal strength issue....I may have to revise my standard.

 

Michele

[Lovedtodeath]

I wish I could find the reference to a study that showed that children, no matter what height or weight, should not sit in the front until they are fifteen, because their skeletons were not strong enough to deal with the stresses of an accident. I couldn't vote in the poll, because we'll be waiting until fifteen.

 

ETA: I think this is it

 

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=10711

 

Laura

 

Thank you for the link. It states that the airbag is dangerous to children under 15, but helpful for children over 15.

[StephanieF]

It's strange but here in the UK no one mentions anything about the airbag being on or off. Only in relation to rear facing car seats when the airbag should be off.

Stephanie

[Laura Corin]

I let my 12 year old sit in the front seat. According to the AAP guidlines he should be in the back seat and would have been in a booster until he was 10. According the the guidlines I would have been in a booster when I started driving. It's completely ridiculous!

 

 

Size is one thing - skeletal strength is another. See link above.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

Thank you for the link. It states that the airbag is dangerous to children under 15, but helpful for children over 15.

 

I'd rather use all the safety mechanisms available in the car, and keep my sons in the back.

 

Laura

[Rhonda in WA]

I am to afraid of my kids getting hurt and won't let them till they are at least 16. I just think of safety.

[Pink Fairy]

I wish I could find the reference to a study that showed that children, no matter what height or weight, should not sit in the front until they are fifteen, because their skeletons were not strong enough to deal with the stresses of an accident. I couldn't vote in the poll, because we'll be waiting until fifteen.

 

ETA: I think this is it

 

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=10711

 

Laura

 

This is such a helpful link--my dh lets our tall 11yodd ride in the front seat, and I wish he wouldn't. The article explains very well why it's a bad idea. Thank you!

[In The Great White North]

When they get their permit (which is 15 around here)

 

What AAP?

 

Skeletal strength is the issue.

 

I think they say til 15 because that is when kids start drivers' training and they don't want to admit too loudly that airbags have killed shorter women too.

[Lovedtodeath]

I'd rather use all the safety mechanisms available in the car, and keep my sons in the back.

 

Laura

 

Good point. In my family it is a matter of functioning. DD gets sick in the back. It's the same as taking medication while pregnant, one has to weigh the risk and reward.

[Trivium Academy]

Our rule is 12 years old, but dd8 has ridden in the front of vehicles that airbag can be disabled but I don't condone that practice. I show the kids the sticker on the visor that says they have to be 12, ;) .

[chaik76]

We haven't decided yet. I want the airbag deactivated before we put a child in the front seat...but if our son reaches 12 and we haven't figured out how to do that yet, we'll let him sit in the front then.

 

I believe in keeping kids safe, but I believe America in general has gone to a policy of keeping kids too safe. If we can deactivate the airbag, there are times when we would probably put our baby up front too (in his carseat).

[Scarlett]

We haven't decided yet. I want the airbag deactivated before we put a child in the front seat...but if our son reaches 12 and we haven't figured out how to do that yet, we'll let him sit in the front then.

 

I believe in keeping kids safe, but I believe America in general has gone to a policy of keeping kids too safe. If we can deactivate the airbag, there are times when we would probably put our baby up front too (in his carseat).

 

This is about where I am right now. I mean....where do you/we draw the line? :tongue_smilie:

[Michelle T]

I wish you could find it too. My 12 year old is big for his age - as tall as many 16 year olds - and DH wants him to ride in the front now.

 

My DS is 12, weighs 100 lbs, and is around 5'3". That's bigger than many adult women. He does still usually sit in the back out of habit, but I let him ride in the front if he wants. I make him push the seat as far back as it goes, though.

Michelle T

[Laura Corin]

This is about where I am right now. I mean....where do you/we draw the line? :tongue_smilie:

 

Traffic accidents are a relatively big risk in a child's life, so I look for ways to reduce that risk, especially as the safety features mostly cause me little inconvenience.

 

On the other hand, abduction by a stranger is a fairly rare occurrence (however well a case sells newspapers), and paying too much attention to this small risk would reduce my child's independence, so I don't focus so much on it.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Lovedtodeath]

I believe in keeping kids safe, but I believe America in general has gone to a policy of keeping kids too safe. If we can deactivate the airbag, there are times when we would probably put our baby up front too (in his carseat).

 

I agree. It reminds me of a Reader's Digest article. Crime against kids is as low today as it was in the mid 70s. Kids are safer today than they were in the 80s! I did not find this online, I actually (shock!) read the magazine.

 

On the other hand, abduction by a stranger is a fairly rare occurrence (however well a case sells newspapers), and paying too much attention to this small risk would reduce my child's independence, so I don't focus so much on it.

 

Exactly! The reason we are so paranoid about abduction and the vast majority do not let their kids go outside to play in the neighborhood is simply the proliferation of news stories, and is not based on statistics.

[Scarlett]

Traffic accidents are a relatively big risk in a child's life, so I look for ways to reduce that risk, especially as the safety features mostly cause me little inconvenience.

 

Laura

 

 

Good point.

 

I hope people keep voting....I love seeing how others live.

[Parrothead]

Dd is bigger (five feet tall and over 100 pounds) than my grandmother so I'll let her ride up front around town.

[newbie]

I am scared to drive in front seat, under 110 lbs.

[chaik76]

I did not find this online, I actually (shock!) read the magazine.

 

 

 

:lol:

[sassenach]

Once my dd is 13, possibly older. The exception is in my dh's car, the only way to fit all the kids is if my oldest goes in front with the airbag disabled. We avoid that as much as possible. The only time all the kids are in his car is if mine is at the shop. In the last year, it's only happened once.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Shannon831

[sassenach]

Having a discussion with my ds, who will be 9 in March. He weighs 68 pounds and is 56.5 inches tall...and he REALLY wants to ride in the front seat. I drive an old Lincoln towncar, with an airbag in the front/passenger seat that can't be turned off.

 

So I told him we would see how you people do it.

 

It would kill him. He's too small and too young. In the town we used to live in, a 9yo was killed by an airbag in a relatively minor collision. I'm sure you could find many similar reports online.

[Annie Laurie]

I wait until 12. My 14 year old is 5'9", 125 lbs and he sits in the front and has been for a couple of years. I may rethink the 12 yr old rule though and wait a bit longer, and am going to read Laura's link about skeletal size.

[brinkseven]

I find it interesting that where I grew up I had a permit to drive at 14. My now 19yr. old brother also had a permit at 14 to drive. I am only mentioning this because I couldn't imagine not letting my child sit in the front seat until he was 15. My husband and my boys are very solid. My 9yr. old is 4'11 and 100lbs. They aren't even chubby, just solid and very muscular. My husband at 14 was 6'1 and 210lbs. I am just thinking comparatively to some of the very tiny high-school girls in our neighborhood. A couple girls can barely see over the steering wheel!! I am just thinking out loud really but am curious to see what other state laws are concerning learner's permits if the child isn't suppose to be in the front seat until 15.

[angela in ohio]

I chose 13, but I have large (tall) children. If not, it would be later. It probably will be later, anyway, as they have all their stuff in the back of the van (books, knitting, etc.,) and they keep busy while we drive.

[Laura Corin]

I find it interesting that where I grew up I had a permit to drive at 14. My now 19yr. old brother also had a permit at 14 to drive.......... I am just thinking out loud really but am curious to see what other state laws are concerning learner's permits if the child isn't suppose to be in the front seat until 15.

 

Please don't take offence - I know that different places think differently about these things - but I wouldn't consider letting a child drive at fourteen. A car is a lethal weapon, and I believe fourteen is too young. FWIW the UK age for driving a car is currently 17, with plans to raise it to 18 in order to try to cut accident rates.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Scarlett]

Please don't take offence - I know that different places think differently about these things - but I wouldn't consider letting a child drive at fourteen. A car is a lethal weapon, and I believe fourteen is too young. FWIW the UK age for driving a car is currently 17, with plans to raise it to 18 in order to try to cut accident rates.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

You are correct that different places think differently about this. I can't imagine letting my son drive when he is 14 ....and at the same time I can't imagine my life experience having not included that. Weird huh? The difference is we now live in a city...small though it may be it does include interstate and 5 lanes of traffic (total :)) Dh and I grew up in a very rural small town..It is nearly impossible to manage there without teens driving.

[Elm in NJ]

I voted 13 but my ds rode at age 12 since he was already 5ft 8in.

[brinkseven]

No No offense taken :001_smile: I was just curious really if others had similar experiences. Yes, I am from (originally) a very rural area where I couldn't imagine young teens not driving. However, as a military family moving from city to country to city :001_smile:I couldn't imagine letting my young teen drive!! FWIW my nine year old does not sit in the front seat....but when we go home my dh family and my own don't understand why he can't drive the pick-up on the farm:eek:

[mcconnellboys]

Not until they're at least 5'8". I prefer that they be teens (I have tall boys so I can make that requirement - I know that some never get that tall).....

[JoyfulMama]

I say 13 for now, but then again, all of my kids still fit in the back... I might change that if I end up with a couple more kids in the next few years...

[keptwoman]

DS has just started sitting up front at 14.5

Ideally he would still be in the back but they bicker and argue so much back there that they distract me when I'm driving so it's safer to have him up front with me.

I'm only small and light and the airbags scare the crap out of me.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Scarlett, at VERY least they need to be 5 foot and 100 pounds. Though some women would never get to that, I think it's a perfectly reasonable rule. Kids are ALWAYS safer in the backseat so leave him there as long as possible. Another thought could be, for a smaller child, once they are a teenager.

 

My son met these requirements about the same time so it worked out perfectly for us.

[LaxMom]

I voted "AAP Guidelines" but, in reality, they're not sitting up front until they can drive. And they will sit in a belt-adjusting booster until they are tall enough to have the belt fit them properly. Period. I don't care if they're 20 when that happens. (I actually had to sit on a pillow to see to drive my first car - an MG Midget) My boys are 4 and not quite 40 lbs... I'm trying to convince my husband that a highback booster with a 5 point harness that goes to 80 lbs is a reasonable "next step" in the carseats. (And, frankly, I'm not above installing racing harnesses in the car when they learn to drive)

 

Sorry. We live in a rural area. About 5 kids are killed - or nearly so - in our area every year, generally in single car accidents (read: them versus a tree, versus a ditch, or versus physics in general). The local firehouse will be burying one of their young members this weekend (young driver vs physics in this case). If my kids are not riding in an actual tank (or '77 Lincoln, which is essentially the same thing) they will be as firmly attached to the seats as I can work, for as long as I can work it.

[Crissy]

I don't know what the guidelines are, but now that my teen is taller and heavier than my husband, he is allowed to sit in the front seat.

[jamnkats]

Over 5'4 and 110 pounds. Not even my 14yo is there yet.

 

But regardless of height and weight and age, the front passenger is the "suicide" seat. They simply are not allowed there until they are driving the car themselves. And even driving age, if they were passenger I'd ask them to sit in the back. Just safer.

 

I didn't vote because I didn't see an option for my vote.

[Cindyg]

I wish you could find it too. My 12 year old is big for his age - as tall as many 16 year olds - and DH wants him to ride in the front now.

 

Now see, that should have been a choice in the poll, because my answer would be, "When DH says he can." After that, I'm out-voted.