Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Car seats

Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here. For Mumsnetter-approved essentials, sign up for Mumsnet Swears By emails here.

Flip

Original poster

at what age are dc safe in front with booster are the airbag on?

16 replies

neverlookback · 24/01/2011 11:40

hi i am pg with my 3rd dc, at the moment dd has high back booster in back and ds has maxi cosi 5 point harness chair in back, i have read that when 3 seats wont fit accross the back seat,( which i dont think they will) that a child can sit in the middle with just the seat belt (but id much rather dd be on her booster) So could she sit in the passenger seat on her booster chair and what about the airbag, in my car you have to get it immobilised buy a garage you cant just turn it on and off, when they say dont sit a child in the front with an airbag is that only when they are babies in a rear facing seat? dd will be almost 6 by the time no 3 arrives?
failing all this we are thinking of getting a 7 seater which would solve the problem and i get a new car!!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

BarbieLovesKen · 24/01/2011 11:58

Im having this same problem - we're going to have to get a new car (not new - new to us). We're in Ireland - its illegal for a child under 12 to sit in the front - isnt that the same in (im presuming your in) the UK?

MyrrhyBS · 24/01/2011 12:03

I wouldn't put a child in the front if at all possible, with an airbag that could deploy. I had an accident before Christmas and my mum was in the front and the airbag broke a bone in her hand. I'd hate to think what would have happened if it'd been a child's face!

NickiAndAlex · 24/01/2011 12:04

It's only with the rear facing seats that you can't have the air bag on, because in those seats, their head is too close to the air bag and the impact would be too big.

JBellingham · 24/01/2011 12:16

No rear facing seats in front unless you turn airbag off. As for sitting in front seat without booster it is not age that matters it is height, last time I checked you had to be over 140cm I think.

JBellingham · 24/01/2011 12:18

135 cm accoring to this...

www.childcarseats.org.uk/law/

Butterbur · 24/01/2011 12:22

I think that the force with which air bags deploy can cause problems even for small adults. I wouldn't put a DC in the front with an airbag until they are almost adult size.

Seona1973 · 24/01/2011 12:22

it is not illegal to have your lo in the front and the airbag doesnt have to be turned off. You would need to move the seat back so it is further away from the airbag.

Children aged 3 and above, until they reach EITHER their 12th birthday OR 135cm in height

It also says this:

It is safer to put children, including babies, in the rear of the car. Some parents prefer to put babies in the front so they can keep an eye on them. However, it is very dangerous to put a rearward-facing baby seat in the front if there is an airbag fitted on the passenger side. The baby seat will be very close to the dashboard and if the airbag went off it would strike the baby seat with considerable force.

It is not as dangerous to fit forward-facing seats in the front when there is an airbag present (although it is still better to put them in the rear), but make sure that the car seat is as far back as possible and the child seat is securely held to maximise the distance between the child and the airbag.

Solution
Fit rearward facing baby seats in the rear of the car. If you feel (for medical reasons, for instance) that the baby needs to be constantly monitored, find an adult to sit with the baby.

If you must put a forward-facing seat in the front when there is an airbag present (make sure that the car seat is as far back as possible and the child seat is securely held to maximise the distance between the child and the airbag.

It may be possible to have the passenger airbag de-activated or removed, although this means that any adult passenger sitting in the front will no longer have the extra protection offered by the airbag. Check with the car manufacturer and follow their advice. You should also consult your insurance company before deactivating an airbag.

AuntieMaggie · 24/01/2011 12:22

I wouldn't until they were about 10 - if they can break a mans nose what can they do to a child?

PaisleyLeaf · 24/01/2011 12:25

The multimac looks interesting.
Expensive, but I think I'd rather that than run a massive car.

sazm · 24/01/2011 13:45

what kind of car do you have???is it tiny??
if its a reasonable size you should be able to fit the 3 seats in (you may neeed 3 new seats but cheaper than a new car)

i have had my 3 seats in a corsa/focus/astra/vectra/mgzr/almera and they fit fine.
I have 2 britax hi-liners and a maxicosi cabriofix (now a britax eclipse)

Nospringflower · 24/01/2011 13:57

Well, it says it's safe in the front as long as it's not rear facing and seat is back so that's what I do with my children (6 and 7) sitting in booster seats. I'm not worried as it's been tested and found safe. Broken noses and things must be very rare and unlikely.

sazm · 24/01/2011 14:15

its not actually classed as 'safe' nospringflower.
its a case of if you have to put a child in the front then push the seat as far back as possible,but its not reccommended due to the injuries and airbag can cause a child.

fruitful · 24/01/2011 14:33

The manual for my previous car (Honda CRV) said don't put a child under 12 in the front with the airbag on (booster or no booster).

Original poster

neverlookback · 24/01/2011 15:04

funnily enough my car is a big car bmwx5 but the rear seats curve round at bothsides so the carseats onlt fit in on the flat back so there is wasted space on either side which is really annoying. ill look in the manual and on the link above, thanks for all ur help x

OP posts:

castleonthehill · 25/01/2011 13:47

I have one theas autosafe belts for the child in the middle. It conforms to the car seat standards so it is legal to use them instead of a booster seat. I use it for extra children that come in my car as you can adjust the belt for them so it does it job. It is important that you explain to your child that it is a safety device so without it they still will need a booster seat.

Britax have just bought out a high back booster that has a hair cushion on the side to improve side impact protection for the child and other passages may be worth looking into.

If you put a child in the front you must put the seat back as far as possible. If it is just your car and you don't take other adults may be worth getting the air-bag turned off. One word of caution you then have to check every time it comes back from the garage that they haven't turned it back on. I had a clio and as I was a nanny didn't have the bag turned on I couldn't get my baby in with it on as her seat wouldn't go in the back they kept bringing it back after services saying they had fixed the bag so I had to send it back

JustDoMyLippyThenWeWillGo · 25/01/2011 13:51

Just on quickly, but I think it's to do with weight, for the airbag, rather than height. I don't take my dc in the front unless the airbag switches off.

Flip