How old should my child be to ride in the front seat

When Can a Child Sit in the Front Seat: By Height and Age

Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D. — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA on July 23, 2018

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Birth to age 2

Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible, usually until they’re at least 2 or until they reach the upper weight limit, which is 40 pounds or more.

Shop for a rear-facing car seat here.

This type of car seat cushions a child’s delicate neck and spinal cord. If you start with an infant carrier, change to a convertible car seat when they outgrow it, but leave the car seat rear-facing.

Ages 2 to 8 (or older)

Children should ride in a forward-facing seat for as long as possible until they reach the upper height or weight limit of their seat. Buy one online.

This car seat protects against forward movement should a crash occur. The seat should have the weight and height limits listed. Usually, the maximum weight limit is between 40 and 65 pounds.

Ages 8 to 12

When a child has outgrown the weight and height limits for a forward-facing seat, they’ll need a belt-positioning booster seat. Shop for one now.

This helps a child sit at the safest angle and height to prevent injuries in a car accident.

Children will usually stay in this booster seat until they’re over 4 feet, 9 inches tall. This booster seat ensures the seat belt fits over the strongest parts of a child’s body so they’re less likely to be injured in a crash.

Children older than 13

While teenagers can ride in the front seat, they should always wear their seat belts.

At each stage, a car seat or booster is intended to position a child at the safest and most secure angle to protect them against impact and car accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the lives of 248 children under 5 years old were saved by car seats in 2015.

The bottom line

Even low-impact crashes when a young person is in the front seat can cause significant damage if a child isn’t big or old enough to sit in the front seat. As a result, it’s important for caregivers and parents to practice strict rules for car safety each and every time.

Many local fire departments, hospitals, and other community organizations offer car seat installation and inspection stations. Parents can find these by visiting or calling the following resources:

Call 1-866-SEATCHECK (866-732-8243)
Visit SeatCheck.org from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to register a child’s car seat and receive safety updates. They also offer a map of car seat inspection locations.

In addition, parents should model good driving behavior. Always buckle up so your children will when they start driving on their own.

Last medically reviewed on July 23, 2018

Parenthood
Life

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

AAP updates recommendations on car seats for children. (2018).
aap. org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendations-on-Car-Seats-for-Children.aspx
Air bags: Not for children. (n.d.).
stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=air-bags-and-kids-1-986
Car seats and booster seats. (n.d.).
nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats
Child passenger safety. (2018).
cdc.gov/features/passengersafety/index.html
Durbin DR, et al. (2018). Child passenger safety.
pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/5/e20182460

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Jul 23, 2018

Written By

Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA

Edited By

Nizam Khan (TechSpace)

Medically Reviewed By

Karen Richardson Gill, MD

Share this article

When Can a Child Sit in the Front Seat: By Height and Age

Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. D. — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA on July 23, 2018

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Birth to age 2

Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible, usually until they’re at least 2 or until they reach the upper weight limit, which is 40 pounds or more.

Shop for a rear-facing car seat here.

Ages 2 to 8 (or older)

Children should ride in a forward-facing seat for as long as possible until they reach the upper height or weight limit of their seat. Buy one online.

This car seat protects against forward movement should a crash occur. The seat should have the weight and height limits listed. Usually, the maximum weight limit is between 40 and 65 pounds.

Ages 8 to 12

When a child has outgrown the weight and height limits for a forward-facing seat, they’ll need a belt-positioning booster seat. Shop for one now.

This helps a child sit at the safest angle and height to prevent injuries in a car accident.

Children older than 13

While teenagers can ride in the front seat, they should always wear their seat belts.

At each stage, a car seat or booster is intended to position a child at the safest and most secure angle to protect them against impact and car accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the lives of 248 children under 5 years old were saved by car seats in 2015.

The bottom line

Many local fire departments, hospitals, and other community organizations offer car seat installation and inspection stations. Parents can find these by visiting or calling the following resources:

Call 1-866-SEATCHECK (866-732-8243)
Visit SeatCheck.org from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to register a child’s car seat and receive safety updates. They also offer a map of car seat inspection locations.

In addition, parents should model good driving behavior. Always buckle up so your children will when they start driving on their own.

Last medically reviewed on July 23, 2018

Parenthood
Life

How we reviewed this article:

AAP updates recommendations on car seats for children. (2018).
aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Recommendations-on-Car-Seats-for-Children.aspx
Air bags: Not for children. (n.d.).
stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=air-bags-and-kids-1-986
Car seats and booster seats. (n.d.).
nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats
Child passenger safety. (2018).
cdc.gov/features/passengersafety/index.html
Durbin DR, et al. (2018). Child passenger safety.
pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/5/e20182460

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Jul 23, 2018

Written By

Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA

Edited By

Nizam Khan (TechSpace)

Medically Reviewed By

Karen Richardson Gill, MD

Share this article

At what age can a child be transported in the front seat?

At what age can a child be transported in the front seat?

Many, even experienced drivers, cannot give an exact answer as to whether children are allowed to be transported in a vehicle in the front passenger seat. In this article, we will consider the rules for transporting children in the front seat in accordance with traffic rules. Is it even possible to transport a child in the front seat of a car?

Contrary to the opinion of most motorists who believe that children are only allowed to be transported in the back seat, the SDA states that children are allowed to be transported both in the back and in the front seat. Only the transportation rules themselves depend on the age of the child. The SDA does not provide for a minimum age from which it is allowed to carry children in the front seat, however, if the child is under 12 years old, then a special child car seat is required. Thus, in legal terms, children can be transported in the front seat from the moment they are born.

For better understanding, we will conditionally divide children into two groups - from birth to 3 years old, and children over 3 years old. What are the differences in their transportation? Let's figure it out.

See catalog of group 0+ seats

Children from birth are transported in group 0+ car seats. The installation of a seat of this group on the front seat is carried out only against the direction of travel, fastening is carried out with a regular car seat belt. When transporting newborns in an infant carrier in the front seat mandatory the passenger airbag must be deactivated. This is explained quite simply - in an emergency, when the airbag is triggered, the chair can be thrown towards the passenger compartment and damage the child who is in it.

The second variation of the infant car seat is Group 1, for children from 9 months to 4 years of age. In this case, there are two variations - movement against the course and along the course of the car. As long as the child moves against the direction of travel, the same rules apply as for group 0+, and when the child sits down already in the direction of travel, the airbag can no longer be turned off. One of the best group 1 seats to use in the front seat - Britax-Roemer King II .

Well, in conclusion, let's consider the possibility of installing a car seat for children over 3 years old on the front seat, this is group 2/3.

See the catalog of group 2/3 seats

In the older group 2/3, transporting children in the front seat of a car is quite simple. The child car seat is installed in the direction of travel, and together with the child, it is held by the standard car belt. There is no need to deactivate the passenger airbag during this transportation.

As a result, we can conclude that, if necessary, you can transport your child in the front seat of the car, right from his birth. But, for this, a number of conditions must be observed - your seat must be suitable for such transportation, and when installing the seat against the direction of the vehicle, the passenger airbag must be turned off.

Safe travels!

Carrying children in the front seat of a car

From the first days of life, children become road users. It is not uncommon for a baby to start traveling in a car as soon as they leave the maternity hospital. But how is it? - you ask. - How can such a tiny lump - which is still smiling unconsciously - be a “participant”?

But there is no mistake here: not only the driver, but also passengers and pedestrians - they all participate in the movement (traffic rules tell us about this). This means that children, even newborns, once in a car, take on all the consequences of traffic events. We, the parents, are responsible for ensuring that these consequences are only pleasant.

In this article we will try to understand the most controversial question - is it safe or not to transport children in the front seat? We will talk about small passengers from birth to 11 years old inclusive - it is in these age limits that special instructions of the Russian Traffic Rules apply. Separately, we will discuss what rules for transporting children in the front seat are adopted in Europe.

Let's look at the letter of the law first.

What do the rules of the road in Russia say about transporting children in the front seat?

Let's answer right away - in the traffic rules of our country there is no ban on the transportation of children of any age in the front seat.

Paragraph 22.9 of the 2019 traffic rules says:

Transportation of children under the age of 7 years in a passenger car and truck cab designed for seat belts, or seat belts and an ISOFIX child restraint system, must be carried using child restraint systems (devices) that are appropriate for the weight and growth of the child.

Transportation of children aged 7 to 11 years (inclusive) in a passenger car and in the cab of a truck, which are designed with seat belts or seat belts and an ISOFIX child restraint system, must be carried out using restraint systems (devices) corresponding to the weight and height of the child, or using seat belts, and in the front seat of a car - only using child restraint systems (devices) corresponding to the weight and height of the child.

In other words, baby up to 7 years (inclusive) always travels in a child car seat or infant carrier, wherever he sits in the car. A child from 7 to 11 years old (inclusive) in the back seat can already be fastened with seat belts, but in the front you must put him in a special seat. These rules apply to cars and trucks.

Passenger up to 1.5 years old - what are the features of transportation in the front seat?

Newborns and children under 1.5 years old most often travel next to the driver - mom or dad. So it is calmer for the parent himself - to see, feel, control his baby, if necessary - to calm him down by holding out a pacifier or a rattle.

Infant carriers are used to carry these small passengers. The design of the chair allows you to place the child in a lying or semi-lying position, so as not to harm the emerging skeleton.

If you install the infant carrier in the front seat, remember to:

deactivate the airbag;
Check the tension of the belts: they must not be too tight or, on the contrary, sag.

Also note the position of the infant carrier. On the recommendation of pediatricians - up to 1.5 years, but in practice - plant babies with their backs to the movement as long as possible. The explanation is in the physics of the process. In a frontal collision, the baby's head - still heavy and large in relation to the rest of the body - will move forward by inertia and rest against the back of the car seat. Thus, the load will be distributed throughout the spine and will not lead to injury to weak cervical vertebrae.

Read the article: How to choose the safest infant carrier?

Passenger over 1.5 years old - what is the best seat in the car for him?

It is no coincidence that the SDA took such a cautious approach to the issue of transporting small passengers in the front seat and obliged parents to carry children in car seats almost until adolescence. In fact, this is a kind of call: if you have a choice, choose in favor of the rear seat!

Sad statistics pile up behind these warnings: it is the front right seat in the car that is the most traumatic during accidents. And even a special seat in a frontal collision will not be able to protect the passenger from hitting the front panel and injury due to glass fragments or other objects.

When the baby grows up and begins to actively observe the outside world, it is best to transplant him to the rear sofa of the car. The safest place for a child seat or cradle is the central part of the seat: in the event of side impacts, the baby is least at risk of injury. In addition, a great view opens up from here - to mom and dad, the road ahead. And the legs are comfortable to talk.

Unfortunately, such an arrangement of the chair is not always possible and convenient for parents - it “eats up” too much usable space. In this case, choose a seat behind the driver. During an accident, the driver instinctively takes the danger away from himself, and therefore this part of the car is the safest.

If for some reason you have no choice and you can only carry your child in the front seat, install the carrycot/seat with your back to the car. And do not be embarrassed that the baby's legs have already grown and it may be uncomfortable for him: on the contrary, the Turkish position is convenient and useful for young children.

Read the article: Choosing the most comfortable child car seat

There are three ways to secure the child car seat/carrycot - using the original seat belt, ISOFIX and Latch systems. The most common way is the first, it is also the least secure. ISOFIX and Latch, unfortunately, are extremely rare in the front seats of cars, although they are strong, easy to install and safe child car seat anchorages (you can learn more about these systems from our articles - links here). And this is another reason to weigh the pros and cons when you choose a place to transport your baby.

There are no special rules for installing the carrycot/seat in the front seats. Above, we have already noted the main thing: