Anybody here have teenagers? I have a question.

[megster20185]

I have a son who is turning 9 this week and a daughter who is 7 and am expecting next month. Currently I am driving a GMC Terrain that has only one row in the back. Dd is small for her age and will be riding in a booster seat for a while and she also still needs help buckleing her seatbelt. So ds is going to be sitting in between the two car seats. Currently he has enough room however he is tall for his age and he may only be comfortable in between the 2 car seats for a year or so. Is 10-11 ok to start letting him ride in the front seat or should I start thinking about needing a new car in a year?

[erbear]

Check the law in your state. Most states have a law (and it's 12 or 13). I would not put a 10 year old in the front. I teach middle school and most of my 6th graders are still in the back, but most of my 8th graders are in the front.

[megster20185]

Nov 13, 2018 21:48:29 GMT -5 erbear said:

Check the law in your state. Most states have a law (and it's 12 or 13). I would not put a 10 year old in the front. I teach middle school and most of my 6th graders are still in the back, but most of my 8th graders are in the front.

[br

I did a google search and there isn’t a law in my state only a recommendation of 13. 12 is what is safest because of air bags and that’s kind of what I was thinking as long as he is comfortable until then. If not I guess we will be looking at new cars. Thank you.

[lolalolalola]

I would not purchase a new car for this reason.  Does your vehicle have airbag sensors?  Ours turns off under 100 lbs.

My DD is 11 and rides in the front seat, as do all of her friends.  

Where I live there is no law with respect to age in the front seat.  

[livinitup]

Based on safety recommendations, I had DD’s car seat in the midddle spot of the back seat. If you do that, the 7 and 9 year olds may be more comforting on each side. Even as 8 and 10 year olds.

[penguingrrl]

I occasionally let my 11 year old ride in front, but still need her to be able to safely fit in back when we have all 5 of us in the car. However, a narrow car seat for the baby will accomplish that far cheaper than a new car.

[megster20185]

Nov 17, 2018 11:12:11 GMT -5 livinitup said:

Based on safety recommendations, I had DD’s car seat in the midddle spot of the back seat. If you do that, the 7 and 9 year olds may be more comforting on each side. Even as 8 and 10 year olds.

That’s not an option. I need to be able to open one door to let my older 2 in the car from the other side while I buckle the baby in. My 7 year old is mildly autistic and I don’t trust that she wouldn’t run off if I had to get in first to buckle the baby. Plus I haven’t checked for sure but I don’t think my car has the latch system in the middle seat.

[gastro]

I would think of a few options and try them to see what works best. You could always test drive a few cars and then pull the trigger once baby arrives and it seems too inconvenient to manage. Also, is it the family car? All three kids would have to be in the back if you go someplace with DH?
We are getting a third row SUV soon - it's just too cramped for our family with only one back row.

[megster20185]

Nov 18, 2018 15:49:08 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Nov 18, 2018 14:58:52 GMT -5 megster20185 said:

That’s not an option. I need to be able to open one door to let my older 2 in the car from the other side while I buckle the baby in. My 7 year old is mildly autistic and I don’t trust that she wouldn’t run off if I had to get in first to buckle the baby. Plus I haven’t checked for sure but I don’t think my car has the latch system in the middle seat.

what about placing your 7yo in the middle? Place the baby on the opposite side of the buckle? Your oldest could help her buckle if needed since it will be in his side.

Also not possible because if her seat were in the middle it would cover the buckle on the opposite side so my 9 year old wouldn’t be able to buckle up.

[megster20185]

Nov 18, 2018 20:36:55 GMT -5 gastro said:

I would think of a few options and try them to see what works best. You could always test drive a few cars and then pull the trigger once baby arrives and it seems too inconvenient to manage. Also, is it the family car? All three kids would have to be in the back if you go someplace with DH?
We are getting a third row SUV soon - it's just too cramped for our family with only one back row.

Yes it’s the family car.

[megster20185]

Nov 19, 2018 9:59:27 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Nov 19, 2018 9:41:07 GMT -5 megster20185 said:

Also not possible because if her seat were in the middle it would cover the buckle on the opposite side so my 9 year old wouldn’t be able to buckle up.

I was thinking put older 2 together where the buckles are side by side.
I dont know which side the middle buckle is on but it would be 

Oldest, buckle, buckle, middle, (buckle for infant seat), baby
or
Baby, (buckle for infant seat), Middle, buckle buckle, Oldest 

The buckles should be side by side on one of the spots.


 

  

I realize now that I should have mentioned that we skipped the infant car seat and went straight for the graco 4 ever convertible seat to save on the cost of the infant seat. There is no way to put the baby’s seat and the booster seat next to each other without the booster covering my 9 year olds buckle. So the 9 year old has to sit in the middle.