Does baby really need to ride in the passenger seat?

mrsberries

Hi

7 weeks to my due date and trying to get everything ready. We have our carseat purchased and my husband has been in contact with our mechanic regarding getting the airbag in the passenger seat deactivated. However the car is old and it looks like a) there are some complications with getting this done as car is old and b) there could be some insurance issues if we do this.

So my question is how necessary is it that our newborn travels in the front seat? I dont drive much and if I did it would be only short 10 minute journeys as I live very close to anything I might need to get to. However I dont want to take any risks, any advice please?

Yawns

Erm not at all. In fact if it's a rear-facing seat it would prob be safer in the back. If you are doing some journeys and feel you want to be able to check on the baby at all times, have your partner sit in the back or buy a small mirror for the back that would allow you to see into the baby seat.

LashingLady

The safest place for baby to travel is actually in the back seat. Not sure where you got the information that they should travel in the front??? If you have a passenger airbag then the adivce is NOT to deactivate the airbag and for the baby NOT to travel in the front seat.

You might want to get a little mirror so that you can see baby in the back seat from your rear-view mirror.

Hope this helps. Good luck with baby's arrival!

mrsberries

Thanks for your responses I was told by friends to do this and took it as gospel! Of course spent the night fretting about it - Im at the stage you cant sleep and worry about everything

james098

Most people use the front for covenience the back really is safer

cbyrd

I found on longer journey's it was better to put him in the front, that way if he started wailing i knew what was wrong without having to pull over every 5 minutes. I can deactivate my airbag with the ignition key and the car seat fits the front as well as the back...Once they are rear-facing they're as safe in the back or the front without an airbag. It's front facing that becomes the safety issue

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/roads_and_safety/seatbelts_when_motoring_in_ireland.html

Children and seatbelts

0-3 years

Babies and children under 3 may not travel in a car or goods vehicle (other than a taxi) unless restrained in an appropriate child restraint. This requirement applies to all of the vehicles listed above, irrespective of when they were registered - as long as they are equipped with safety belts. (Again, a child restraint is a device designed for use by a child weighing 36 kg or less). The restraint is fitted directly to a suitable belt or is held in place by the action of a safety belt, which in turn restrains movement in the event of an accident or incident. An appropriate child restraint is one appropriate to the weight of the child. The weight range is indicated on the child restraint.

Rear facing child restraints must not be used in seats protected by an active frontal air-bag and child restraints must be in accordance with EU or UN standards.

implausible

Some of this is news to me - I thought having the seat in the front was an absolute no no! In fact, I'm pretty sure I told my hubbie that it was illegal:eek:

borderlinemeath

While it isn't illegal to have the rear facing infant carrier in the front seat- it is the most dangerous place to put it.

The airbag may have been deactivated but in the event of an impact can still go off if there is a spark in the engine bay due to a collision.

If you tell your insurance company that you are deactivating a safety feature on your car they may either up your premium or decide not to cover you. Certainly if you have an accident and have it disabled without telling them then you will almost certainly forfeit your cover.
*Check the small print!

Even if you have older children and cannot fit all seats in the back the RSA states that the safest thing to do is put the eldest child in the front on the appropriate seat, moving the seat as far back and as high up as possible to avoid the airbag in case of an impact.

Das Kitty

As well as all that I know I would be distracted if I had my baby in the front. I always had our lad in his rear facing seat in the back with no mirror to keep an eye.