Can my child sit in the front seat once they are forward facing?

This is possibly one of the most commonly asked questions that we get here at Good Egg HQ, and we are unable to give a straight yes or no answer.

When it comes to children sitting in the front when forward facing, the airbag requirements are different with each vehicle.  The only way you can find the answer to keep your child safe is to check your vehicle manual.

Not all vehicles allow children to sit in the front.

If your car does allow you to sit a child forward facing in the front, the manual may state to push the front vehicle seat as far back as possible.  There are two things to take into account when doing this:

1) Children in the back - make sure they have plenty of room for their legs, if the front seat is too close, they will be at increased risk of leg and head injuries.

2) When pushing the seat back, make sure the fit of the restraint is not compromised.  The seat belt needs to be pulling the seat back, not situated forward of the seat belt routing point.

When the front seat is in its forward position, it provides a good fit for a child restraint:

The seat belt pulls the child restraint back into the vehicle seat at all points:

When the front seat is pushed back as far as it can go, it causes the seat belt to sit forward of the restraint.  This causes an unstable fitment and is not safe:

Stay in the back

Lots of parents allow their children to sit up front as a treat - however children are in much more danger when in the front.  There is not only danger from the airbag, but also from side airbags and anything penetrating the car in an impact.  Children are also then closer to the force of a frontal impact, which is the most dangerous type.