Booster in front seat? Is it ever ok?

[NicaG]

I am having another baby next month, and I am trying to figure out who will watch my kids while I'm in labor.  My closest friend has two kids and owns a Honda Accord.  If I leave my kids with her, they probably will not need to drive anywhere with all 4 kids in the car.  But if they do....is it ok to put a booster (or a harnessed seat) in the front seat?  I know the "best practice" is for all the kids to ride in the back, but I'm trying to figure out if having one kid in the front is an option. 

[jenniferlynne]

I live in Europe and, because the cars are generally much smaller than in the U.S., it's extremely common to see kids and babies riding in the front seat. One of the biggest dangers for kids in the front seat is the airbag, and the sensors aren't thought to be as reliable as a switch that manually turns it off. My understanding is that if you can turn the airbag off manually, it's a relatively safe (though not ideal) arrangement.  In my car, there's a place where you insert the key and switch the airbag off.   

In your situation, I probably would be okay with the possibility of my child riding in the front seat since it doesn't sound likely that it would be necessary.  Might be worth asking your friend about the airbag switch, though.

HTH!

[DahliaRW]

It's not ideal, but yes, you can.  Put the oldest harnessed child and put the front seat all the way back.

[MacKinnon]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

It's not ideal, but yes, you can.  Put the oldest harnessed child and put the front seat all the way back.

The boostered child can travel further forward and into the air bag deployment zone. So, like Dahlia said, it's oldest forward facing, harnessed child, with the seat moved as far back as possible.