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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.

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Original poster

5 yr old or baby in front passenger with car seat

63 replies

lking679 · 08/01/2022 11:11

Hi all,
I have a Citroen c5 so can fit car seats in back or two car seats and adult passenger.
At the moment have a 5 yr old and 2 yr old in the back and I sit in middle as stewardess to various needs for food/drink/cleaning!
Number 3 is coming soon and ultimately all 3 will be in back but until then…. Do I move the 5 yr old front facing in front passenger with airbag on but west pushed back? Or baby in rearward car seat in front passenger with air bag turned off?
I don’t know how to find out what’s theoretically easier.

We go on some longish car journeys and for a smooth and quiet journey I will need to access all three kids! It’s only 5 year old that might be self sufficient enough in front car seat.

Let me know what you’d do or where I could get advice on safest set up until all 3 can go happily in backseat.

Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

xyzandabc · 08/01/2022 16:43

Ours were a similar age when no. 3 came along. I'm afraid I'm going to go with the majority here, you need to get yourself out of the back and your children learn how to behave on car journeys. They really don't need a hostess for an hour or two, if journey is longer than that you'll be stopping with a baby anyway. Put kids music on, sing songs, eye spy, count all the red cars we can see.....all can be done from the front. We put the eldest in the middle and they were able to help the younger ones if required. Eldest is 15 now and still sits in the middle! Being in the middle and able to see out the front might even help the car sickness with your eldest.

How long are these regular journeys that they need food, drink and cleaning?? When they were small we stopped for food, drinks etc and clean them before getting back in the car. With a newborn you won't be going that far without a stop anyways.

A couple of times a year we do 12 hour drives and have done since they were babies, the only time an adult ever sat in the back was when eldest was an only child and was under 2.

gogohm · 08/01/2022 16:56

In all honesty, stop pandering to them whilst driving, kids travel really well without you sitting in the back. Ideally they all travel in the back as it's safer but if not possible rear facing seat with airbag off in front

BertieBotts · 08/01/2022 16:58

Put the baby in the middle inside one of those dog dividers that should be like a wall between them and the other two

Matilda1981 · 08/01/2022 17:00

You actually wouldn’t need 3 car seats in the back - rules are of you don’t have enough space for three then you don’t have to have 3!! Not saying it’s ideal but just a comment to those posters who are saying it’s illegal!!!

Skullycup45 · 08/01/2022 17:04

It is unusual that your kids are so distressed by driving that you still need to sit in the back with a five year old. Most people do not have experience of this and are basing their advice on their kids generally being quite happy at being sat on their own in the back.

Statistically, kids are safer in the back. So this is what most people go for.

How do you manage when you're on your own with them?

CeeceeBloomingdale · 08/01/2022 17:04

@gogohm

This, they need to learn how to behave to allow the driver to safely drive. They can wait for snacks or drinks until a convenient moment. You can stretch you arm behind you. Your 5 yo can learn to help their siblings. My DDs suffer from travel sickness but have always sat in the back, if the worst happens you just pull over.

Shmithecat2 · 08/01/2022 17:08

@MrsHGWells

This is illegal without car seat or booster until the height of 140cm or age 10yrs

In the UK, it's 135cm of 12yo, whatever comes first.

OP - if you have to have a child in the front, it's always safest to put a rearfacing child there, as long as the car seat manufacturer approves that, and that your car manual says you can. And of course, that the airbag can be switched off.

Shmithecat2 · 08/01/2022 17:10

Also, if you do put a child in a forward facing car seat in the front, you don't automatically have to switch the airbag off. Again, refer to the car manual.

OGenkiDesuKa · 08/01/2022 17:14

Do you think you’re the only parent who drives two children around? Teach your kids to behave when driving. How ridiculous that you still sit in the back with them.

Arubaa · 08/01/2022 17:14

Rear facing is safest in the front seat so I'd put the baby there ( or the 5yo in a RF seat which do exist for their age!). Airbag off and pull the seat back as far as you can. It's not really much more dangerous for children in the front than the back if they're RF.

Ozanj · 08/01/2022 17:21

The baby in the front with the airbag off is the safest possible configuration because most the car seat will absorb impact and babies tend to be a bit more able to withstand minor injuries. Just make sure the sunshield (if It has one) is fully covering baby’s face - it can protect the baby’s face from glass too.

Rrrob · 08/01/2022 17:22

I would put the baby in the front with the airbag off. I don’t know your car well enough to know but assume you can’t get 3 car seats in the back.

Ozanj · 08/01/2022 17:23

@Matilda1981

Yes this is true. Which is why so many parents just go to booster seats from 4. Makes me furious.

MrsHGWells · 08/01/2022 17:47

@Changechangychange thanks for link to govt rules.. we reviewed them extensively several yrs ago.

Most 10yr olds reach the height threshold, however, age 12yrs old or 135cm covers every child of necessary safety height for a cross front seat belt without becoming décapitated in an accident.

dandydear · 08/01/2022 19:42

You're having three kids. You can't parent like this and it's significantly safer for them all to be in the back.

It's fine to sit in the back with your PFB, but you need them to get used to you not being in the back with them, so I would start now.

I speak as a mum of three , eldest of whom was four when baby three arrived, and I haven't sat in the back with her since she was a baby in arms. They cope perfectly fine with passing things back and forth and if something happens you pull over (not on a motorway - you pull off at the next junction). This includes if they wee, poo or puke ( all of which has happened).

I would never contemplate putting a five year old in the front seat.

Shmithecat2 · 08/01/2022 20:10

OP, join this group on FB for non judgemental advice, without the unsolicited parenting critique.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 08/01/2022 20:14

In what way does you sitting in the back with the 5yo reduce their travel sickness?

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 08/01/2022 20:18

@SleepingStandingUp

Op can fit three in, she doesn't need a new car. She doesn't want to put three in as they won't behave

So she needs to teach them to behave. This is the real issue, surely? Their behaviour.

Shmithecat2 · 08/01/2022 20:20

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

ODFOD. OP asked for car seat advice, not parenting advice.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 08/01/2022 20:28

But she wouldn’t need car seat advice if she actually addressed the problem.
It takes two adults to be able to take the children out in the car. That can’t be convenient.
The children need to learn how to behave in a car. It’s a basic skill.

QuillBill · 08/01/2022 20:37

The top and bottom of it is that it's safer for them to be in the back so you should have all three in the back.

Putting one of your dc in the front seat when you don't have to and exposing them to more danger is crazy.

Shmithecat2 · 08/01/2022 20:38

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

But she wouldn’t need car seat advice if she actually addressed the problem. It takes two adults to be able to take the children out in the car. That can’t be convenient. The children need to learn how to behave in a car. It’s a basic skill.

Right, well, that takes time. Not using the car until then probably isn't practical. Go to the Parenting forums to make people feel shit about themselves in the shadow of your superior parenting skills there.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 08/01/2022 20:43

My superior parenting? It’s just basic parenting!
Keep them as safe as possible. Teach them basic skills.

I didn’t realise this was super mum territory.

NannyR · 08/01/2022 20:46

One thing to bear in mind if you have the five year old in front with the front seat pushed as far back as possible, is that the car seat fitted behind might have a minimum space requirement in front of it (it usually says in the installation instructions). If you've got a big car, it might not be a problem, but it was something that came up when I had a similar dilemma about car seat positions.

AnxiousWeirdo · 08/01/2022 20:50

If your 5 year old gets car sick I'd put them in the front. My 7 year old gets really sick so she sits in the front with a car seat, the seat pushed back and the airbag off x

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