diff --git a/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/expressions.js b/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/expressions.js
index 36f0485a91..048c5e2adb 100644
--- a/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/expressions.js
+++ b/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/expressions.js
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export function AssignmentPattern(node: Object) {
 export function AssignmentExpression(node: Object, parent: Object) {
   // Somewhere inside a for statement `init` node but doesn't usually
   // needs a paren except for `in` expressions: `for (a in b ? a : b;;)`
-  let parens = this._inForStatementInitCounter && node.operator === "in" &&
+  let parens = this.inForStatementInitCounter && node.operator === "in" &&
                !n.needsParens(node, parent);
 
   if (parens) {
diff --git a/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/statements.js b/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/statements.js
index e4aa15fd50..c3229db035 100644
--- a/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/statements.js
+++ b/packages/babel-generator/src/generators/statements.js
@@ -48,9 +48,9 @@ export function ForStatement(node: Object) {
   this.keyword("for");
   this.token("(");
 
-  this._inForStatementInitCounter++;
+  this.inForStatementInitCounter++;
   this.print(node.init, node);
-  this._inForStatementInitCounter--;
+  this.inForStatementInitCounter--;
   this.token(";");
 
   if (node.test) {
diff --git a/packages/babel-generator/src/index.js b/packages/babel-generator/src/index.js
index 11eb3409c6..d45137d187 100644
--- a/packages/babel-generator/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-generator/src/index.js
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ class Generator extends Printer {
 
     this.opts     = opts;
     this.ast      = ast;
-    this._inForStatementInitCounter = 0;
 
     this._whitespace = tokens.length > 0 ? new Whitespace(tokens) : null;
   }
diff --git a/packages/babel-generator/src/printer.js b/packages/babel-generator/src/printer.js
index e99d9cf8dd..0662eb30ce 100644
--- a/packages/babel-generator/src/printer.js
+++ b/packages/babel-generator/src/printer.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export default class Printer {
     this._printedCommentStarts = {};
     this._parenPushNewlineState = null;
     this._indent = 0;
+    this.inForStatementInitCounter = 0;
   }
 
   _printedCommentStarts: Object;