DO YOU PUT YOUR CHILD IN THE FRONT SEAT?

[sheepgirl]

My ds is almost 9mths old and I drop him off to the CM's every morning on my way to work and then pick him up inb the evening. The CM lives around the corner from me. My ds hates sitting in the car seat and will scream the house down. However, I have noticed that if he is sitting in his car seat in the front passenger seat he is fine. So the 5 min journey there and back could be much more pleasurable. However, is it a total health and safety no no to have your baby in the front seat?

sorry, X-posted quite a lot there.

Spidermama, that's all very well but the accident statistics speak for themselves if you look at the number of children killed in road accidents now, compared to the 70's/80's when seatbelts weren't compulsary.

Also, the number of babies dying from SIDS has declined dramatically (three quarters fewer iirc) since the introduction of the Back to Sleep/ Safe Sleeping initiatives.

Yes, there are lots of things that we are over cautious about these days but you can't ignore the statistics that show that some of the extra caution does actually make our children safer.

You have a point about risk-aversion generally, Spidermama, but the airbag thing is not about health and safety gone mad, it's a sensible and important rule to avoid children being killed. The impact of an exploding airbag is not funny. Completely different to arguments about allowing children to collect a few bumps and scrapes while playing. Being hit by an airbag is not going to teach a baby anything helpful about exploring their environment, it is going to kill them.

I think RoSPA have a line about making children's evironments 'as safe as necessary' rather than 'as safe as possible' to make the point that they do need some freedom to explore without being over-cossetted, btw. But that does not extend to the very real, specific risk of a baby hit by a front-seat airbag.

I've always hated airbags. Luckily my car's too old to have one.

You NEVER put a child in the car seat with an active air bag

If you crash (or even have a tiny bump that sets of air bag) you will probably kill your baby.

It is also illegal to put rear facing car seats in a front seat with an active air bag BECAUSE IT KILLS BABIES

Spidermama, there weren't as many cars on the roads in the '70s - wonder what the accident rates were, comparably? Also, the seatbelt laws were lax to say the least, again, I wonder what the accident rates were?

Be interesting to see.

Does anyone have any links to studies about the relative risks of airbags to an older, taller child e.g. age 8/ 135 cm. Is the risk related to weight or size or what?

Last week, in an unexpected situation I had to bring 4 children home from school and was in a complete dilemma about where to sit them. In the end I did this:

• youngest child (not my child)(4) in high-backed booster
• small 7 year old (not my child) in other high-backed booster
• my 5 yr old (same size as 7 year old) in middle of back seat, but with lap belt only
• tall nearly 8 year old (not my child) in front seat, pushed back (but airbag still active)

My dilemma was that it was the small 7 year old who I normally bring home with DS, and the 4 and tall 8 year old were the unexpected guests, but I tried to make everyone as safe as possible, whilst taking a slight risk with my own DS..

Have to put a dampener on this - my dh works in A&E and has actually seen a dead baby carried in because it wasn't restrained properly in a car.

BABIES DO DIE hence the advice/law telling you not to do these things

FWIW I do not let any of my kids in the front and they range from 9months to 6 years. I bought a new car (ok not brand new) 2 weeks before having dd3 so I could safely transport them all in the appropriate restraints in the rear.

Sorry but I think this is an important issue

NannyL has said it all

It is ILLEGAL to put a rear facing seat in the front with a functioning airbag.

If you want to put a forward facing seat their it's you choice - but even without an airbag it is the least safe place for you child to sit.

DTDs (6) do sit in the front in DPs car. But only cos he can't fit 3 seats in the back. BUT they rarely go in his car and it is only ever short 5 min journeys.

In my car they always go in the back - unless I am carrying more that 3 children in which case 1 obv has to go in teh front.

Back middle is safest (as long as it has a 3point harness or suitably fitted carseat)
followed by behind passenger, then behind driver and finally front passenger.

Interesting site with FAQ

gameboy if you have to use the front seat you should put it as far back as possible - but don't know who would be safest there I'm afraid.

Including two questions about lap belts

Sorry Sheepgirl I have only just come back to this thread. If your car does not have a button to disable the airbag then you need to take it to Ford dealer. I have never heard that it is illegal to disable an airbag. I know that the Volkswagon garage were happy to do it for us. I would however check with your insurance company to see what their position is.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE everyone. DO NOT place a baby in a rear facing car seat in a passenger seat with an airbag. The force with which the airbag is ejected can crush a baby's skull. I'm sorry to upset people by saying that but if it makes people realise how dangerous it is then that can only be good. You can put a forward facing childseat in a passenger seat with an airbag. This is not illegal but does still carry with it a risk. The safest place for a child's car seat is on the back seat.

fair enough spidermama... but still no reason to put a baby in the front seat with an air bag (that will kill then even if you have a small bump) when their is space in the back. end of

would you ratehr a grumpy baby OR

a DEAD baby ?

years ago there also wenrt airbags to explode onto babies and kill them as airbags hadnt been invented either

Sorry - have cross posted with a few of you!

Rospa recommends

"Never put a rearward-facing baby seat in the front if there is a passenger airbag.

Do not put a forward-facing child seat in the front, unless there is no other choice. In this case, make sure the car seat is as far back as possible, the child seat is securely fitted and the child is securely held by the seat belt or child seat harness, keeping the child as far as possible from the dashboard. Ask the vehicle manufacturer how far the airbag comes out as it deploys and whether it is safe to use a child seat."

It is not illegal to disconnet the airbag. More info from Rospa on air bags

"Disconnecting or switching off an airbag should be a last resort. It means that the protection offered by the airbag is lost. If there is no other option, contact the vehicle manufacturer, and consult your insurance company beforehand.

Some cars have a cut-off switch which allows an airbag to be switched on or off. The disadvantage is that you may forget to switch it back on when a different passenger is in the seat. And there may be the possibility that an airbag may go off in a crash anyway.

Some manufacturers may be prepared to disconnect an airbag or install a cut-off switch if they believe the airbag is causing an appreciable risk to the driver or passenger. They would probably require the vehicle owner to accept responsibility for the disconnection and for any effect it may have on other drivers or passengers. They may need to replace the steering wheel and/or seat belt, if they have been specifically designed and approved for use with the airbag."

Honda wouldn't turn our airbag off when we enquired idly about it - we weren't going to do it, just wondered if it was possible. They said there was no guarantee it wouldn't go off in the event of a crash, even if they did.

there is no law that says you cannot put a forward facing child seat in the front if you have an airbag, it is not illegal to not have the airbag disabled www.childcarseats.org.uk/faqs/index.htm#front RoSPA recomends it is better not to, but if you have to then make sure it is pushed back as far as possible

That's a bit scarey Hunker.

opps x-posts skribble

For five minutes? No.

Or any time if it comes to that. Why take the risk? I know it is a pain and we have just had to buy a new car to fit all three across the back.

if it's not got a front passenge airbag, then it's do-able.

crayon, some people cannot afford a car that fits three across the back.

in fact, they're lucky to have a car at all and it's vital to some families to get to work.

we'd love to, but it's not going to happen for us, so it's the eldest in front - no air bag, the two younger in the back seats at either window and me in the middle.

Sorry, why is it unadvisable to put a child in a forward facing car seat in the front?

I've done this on occasion with ds (3) as a treat. I thought it was ok so long as they weren't in a rear facing seat.

Expat: I know, I was just saying what we have done. I meant why take the risk if you have a choice.