Help decide if my DD can sit in this position in the truck

MomToEliEm

Moderator
My oldest daughter, age 10, sits without a booster in the back of our truck (2003 Tundra). It has a small seat, and she fits well without the booster there. She still uses a booster in my 01 Camry though as her legs aren't long enough yet.

This morning she keeps asking me if she can sit in the front seat of the truck. It has a key switch to turn off the airbag for the passenger seat. I told her no, but then decided that I would ask the experts here what they recommended. Her knees don't exactly bend at the end of the seat, but since the floorboard distance is so short, her knees probably won't ever just bend at the end of the seat. The lapbelt seemed pretty low and I could feel her hipbone above the lapbelt.

Here are some pictures of her sitting in the front seat of the truck.
E1-1.jpg

E5.jpg


So what do you think? Keep her in the backseat, or let her ride up front with the airbag disabled?
 
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Kat_Momof3

New member
she fits just fine, imo... her knees are just raised because she doesn't want to put her feet forward, or her knees would bend naturally.

The thing is, though, that the back seat is still so much safer... I would tell her she has to ride in back.
 

Pixels

New member
She five-steps, but I would keep her in back because there is a large safety difference.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I agree. The belt fits her fine, but I would keep her in back anyway unless you have the back seat full of other (younger) children.
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
Thanks for all the advice. I told her she still needed to be in back for at least a couple more years. At least I know she fits well in that seat.
 

4boysmom

New member
I too think the fit is fine but the visor labels give 12 as a better "first ride" reccomendation that you could point to (even if it is in a newer vehicle) as a "goal"/graduation point.
 

babyherder

Well-known member
I agree. The belt fits her fine, but I would keep her in back anyway unless you have the back seat full of other (younger) children.

Actually with the key to turn off the airbag switch I'd put the oldest rf up front and the boosterless kid in the back. Unless there's some ban on car seats in that position in that vehicle I don't know about.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I agree... I'd put a rf child in the front before an ff one simply because there just isn't as much risk of windshield in the eyes/mouth that there is when facing it in a crash. Obviously I wouldn't do that if the airbag couldn't be disabled, but it can, so an rf seat there would be fine if the backseat were full or couldn't accomodate the rf seat.
 

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