We’ve all seen it before. I’m talking about the information in pamphlets and flyers regarding kids and booster seats. Most read like this: Kids should remain in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are 4’9″ tall.
Excuse me? I don’t know where this age 8 came from but where I live we don’t see too many kids who are almost 5 feet tall at 8 years or younger. I’m sure they’re out there but seriously, most 2nd and 3rd Graders are NOT the size of small adults. So what gives?
Honestly, I have no idea why it’s so common to see age 8 listed as the magic number when kids can graduate to the adult seatbelt. Yes, I realize that it often says “at least 8” but trust me when I say that it’s not the “at least” part that most parents remember. Most don’t even remember the 4’9″ part of the message. So where does that magic #8 come from? They sure aren’t referencing the CDC growth charts!
Maybe it’s a social change thing. We’re still getting a lot of parents used to the idea that their 6 and 7 year olds need a booster. Perhaps we’re worried that we’ll turn them off completely and they’ll think we’re all nuts if we tell them the truth. And age 8 seems like a reasonable number for most parents to ditch the booster seat, right?
Wrong.
Most 8 year old kids do not fit safely in the adult seatbelt of most vehicles. Sure, there are always exceptions, like some 3rd row seats which are clearly designed with smaller people in mind. But generally speaking, most kids do not actually pass the 5-Step Test until they are at least 57″ (4’9″ tall). For many kids even 57″ tall isn’t tall enough to get optimal belt fit.
Now, let’s have a look at those handy-dandy CDC growth charts. An 8 year old boy who measures in the 95th percentile for both weight and height is 35kg (77 lbs) and 54″ tall. And an 8 year old boy who measures in the 50th percentile for weight and height is 25kg (55 lbs) and 50″ tall. According to the growth charts – a boy who measures in the 95th percentile for height won’t hit 4’9″ (57″) until he is 9 years old. That kid in the 50th percentile won’t get there until he’s 11. And a kid in the 10th percentile for height will be 13 before they reach 4’9″.
So I’d like to know where they grow these huge 8 year olds that everyone seems to be talking about? Our dearly departed mascot, Marvin, would have said it sounds a little fishy.
My 98th percentile son was 4’9″ at 8… but he’s the extreme… and has a long torso. (btw, I’m sure he’s no longer at the 98th, but I told them not to tell me anymore percentages when he hit it at 7… he has been climbing them since he was born… maybe he decided since he wasn’t on the chart yet, he’d try to go past it… I don’t know)
Now, this is the child who is taller than the 4th and fifth graders at his old and new bus stops.
He gets stares from people when I refer to “my 8yr old” and they assume it’s his little brother (who is 7 and tall for his age, but only in the 75th-80th percentiles), and I point to the boy who is at my shoulder (I’m 5’7&1/2″… heck, he’s almost over my shoulder… if I don’t stand totally straight, he is)
I honestly will never get sick of or tire of hearing just how amazed they are, simply because it’s a great jumping off point for booster talks.
I’m always answering those awed statements with… “Yeah, we were lucky to make it to age 8 in his booster. His brother will fit his longer.” It always starts the talks of when boosters are outgrown and the 5-step test.
There aren’t many boosters rated past 100 lbs., though…
I would love it if they just made it 4’9 across the board. Get rid of the weight and the age (there are some REALLY small kids out there and some really wide ones!). 4’9, the magic height! Easy and easy to test for too! Measuring tapes are smaller than scales! LOL!
I agree, age shouldn’t be a factor, the law should be 4’9″ or 100 lbs. or passes the 5-step test in the seat they’re in.
well said!
GREAT blog, this is an issue that frustrates me so much! Our state booster law (Oregon) allows kids to legally sit in only a seatbelt at age 8 *or* 4’9″. My 97th percentile daughter won’t even be 4’9″ on her 8th birthday. Given the fact that my very big-for-her-age child will need a booster until age 9-10, it’s safe to say most kids need a booster until they are older than 10. The age shouldn’t even be factored into it, IMHO, but parents tend to freak out at the thought of a child in a booster seat until they hit puberty (though the very same idea is the norm in many European countries, and residents of those countries freak out over our tiny US children riding around in just a seatbelt).
My son is one of the 10th percentile kids, so he won’t hit 4’9″ until he’s probably 13 – plus, he’s leggy (i.e. short-torsoed) so the seat belt still might not fit him well then. Heck, I’m 5’3″ and the seat belt in the captain’s chair of an Odyssey is too high for me.
The really scary thing is that in my state (Michigan), my son could have legally ridden with just the seat belt from age 4-7.5, when the law was changed to 8 yrs or 4’9″. We never event tried it, but I can’t imagine how he would have fit.
I have some comparison shots of my son in a seat belt and hbb/backless boosters on my blog at http://bookmama.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/why-your-4-8-year-old-needs-a-booster-seat/. Very eye-opening.
(I assume it’s OK to include that link here, since my blog is included here on the info page. If not, feel free to delete. 🙂 )