Stupid question about air bags

[DontBelongHere]

Hi

Sorry if this is a really stupid question!

I've always known that in the front passenger seat the air bag must be turned off for a rear facing seat/infant seat as that is drummed into you when you buy it. I just wondered whether this still applies for older children in car seats?

Once a week my sister gives my DC a lift and one of them goes in the front passenger seat (in a FF belted car seat). I've been looking at upgrading our spare seat to a Britax and on John Lewis website it says 'under no circumstances should a car seat be used in the passenger seat where there is an air bag'. Do they mean car seats for older children?

Ps I'm looking for a seat with easy(!!!) isofix fittings suitable for tall/heavy 2.5y and 4.5y to both use occasionally if anyone can recommend one. Any budget if it will last.

Yes air bags should be off when a child is in the front, and the seat back as far as it can go.

Do you want to keep them in a harness? As at two years old this would be better and if you get a 25kg harness seat the four year old could use it too so you don’t have to keep switching between booster mode and 5 point harness mode.

There are many RF but they’re not isofix. The forward facing options are:
Joie bold
Cosy n safe Excalibur
Cosy n safe Hudson
Baby auto Dupla which can also RF to 18kg

Thanks. I'll check with my sister that she knows this - I'm not sure that she does.

Thanks for the list I'll take a look. We have the Excalibur for my 4yo so that he can stay in a harness for as long as possible. The ideal would be one that can RF for the 2yo, FF for the 4yo, but is easy and lightweight to get in and out as it's a 20 minute journey once a week.

Well actually in some cars you keep the airbags on for a forward facing child. But always seat as far back as it will go.

For a rear facing seat (any age) it's always airbags off, because they are too close to the airbag inflation point so it can be deadly.

Check the car's manual - sometimes they don't allow child seats in the front at all. But I wouldn't go by what John Lewis say, I would check the car and car seat's manual directly.

BabyAuto Dupla might fit your bill - I don't know that it's lightweight though. I don't think you'll get one which does all three.

I did some research into this when we wanted to be able to transport DC in the front seat of his Dad's small car. He was in a high backed booster style seat as slightly older than your eldest at the time. There seems to be no definitive answer for forward facing seats, particularly for older children, so I concluded that the safest option is to leave the airbags on with the seat as far back as it will go.