Front seat?

[Anonymous]

At what age do kids start sitting in the front seat?

[Anonymous]

13. The back seats are a lot safer, no need to rush it

[Anonymous]

My son just turned 10 and he feels he is the only one not allowed in the front seat. At car pool I’m shocked with how young/short some of the kids are that are allowed in front seat.

[Anonymous]

I have wondered whether newer cars are safer for this? I also see a lot of it at carpool. My 11 yo is not allowed yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have wondered whether newer cars are safer for this? I also see a lot of it at carpool. My 11 yo is not allowed yet.

The reason for 13 is about the force of the airbags when deployed. So that risk is still there even if the car does have better safety features.

[Anonymous]

The official recommendation is I think 12. My 9 year old still has never done it and I don’t think his friends have either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The official recommendation is I think 12. My 9 year old still has never done it and I don’t think his friends have either.

This is what I heard from a pediatrician and so this is what I did.

By the time my oldest was sitting in the front seat she was taller than me because I'm super short and she's quite tall for her age. But physically her frame is a lot weaker. She had some friends who were already sitting in the front, but it was by no means universal.

[Anonymous]

When they hit 4’9” and 80 lbs. I’m pretty sure it was before they were 13 but I don’t totally remember. Definitely by 6th grade. It’s because of the force of the airbags.

[Anonymous]

This is knowable information.

The CDC, AAP, and NHTSA all say 13.

[Anonymous]

I still don't let my smaller 13yo sit up front, in spite of requests. Also surprised to see families with younger/smaller kids allow it.

[Anonymous]

I let my older kids sit up front at 13. I notice most of my 5th grader’s friends sit up front. I don’t allow it despite the complaints.
The 4’9” and 80lbs means they can sit without a booster seat, not sit up front. Airbags are actually designed with an adult 150 lbs and over 5 ft in mind. The air bags will turn off in my car when it detects a kid or smaller weight sitting there, but I don’t think it makes it safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I let my older kids sit up front at 13. I notice most of my 5th grader’s friends sit up front. I don’t allow it despite the complaints.
The 4’9” and 80lbs means they can sit without a booster seat, not sit up front. Airbags are actually designed with an adult 150 lbs and over 5 ft in mind. The air bags will turn off in my car when it detects a kid or smaller weight sitting there, but I don’t think it makes it safer.

I mean, 150 lbs and over 5' isn't always realistic. I'm under 5' and 100 lbs and I can't sit in the back and drive...should my parents have prevented me from sitting up front until I absolutely had to get into that driver's seat?

[Anonymous]

My kids are tiny, short, lightweights.

They understood why they had to be in the backseat longer than their peers. This was just a continuation of having to use boosters longer than their peers.

When they entered high school at 14, they had finally reached a minimum height and weight that did not trigger the "airbag not deployed" sign in my car.

Safety over socials, OP. Always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I let my older kids sit up front at 13. I notice most of my 5th grader’s friends sit up front. I don’t allow it despite the complaints.
The 4’9” and 80lbs means they can sit without a booster seat, not sit up front. Airbags are actually designed with an adult 150 lbs and over 5 ft in mind. The air bags will turn off in my car when it detects a kid or smaller weight sitting there, but I don’t think it makes it safer.

I mean, 150 lbs and over 5' isn't always realistic. I'm under 5' and 100 lbs and I can't sit in the back and drive...should my parents have prevented me from sitting up front until I absolutely had to get into that driver's seat?

No, I don’t even weigh 150 lbs nor does my teenager , I was just saying that’s what it’s tested and designed for. Everyone is safer in the backseat, I would at least wait until 13.

[Anonymous]

My giant 9 year old sits up front all the time