I’ve been patiently waiting, just like other parents, for my oldest child to grow up—he’s 10 and a half now (born New Year’s Eve, 1999, and yes,
we had our bathtub filled with water—did you?). I know, I know. They’re only little once, I should appreciate him being small while he is, yada yada yada. Small is not a word I’ve ever associated with my ds. He was big from the get-go and only got bigger, lol. Since I’ve been a child passenger safety technician for most of my ds’s life, I’ve had a keen interest in how he fits in carseats and vehicles. Now that he’s 4’11.5”, he’s tall enough to be riding in just an adult seatbelt, right?
You’d think so. When he’s walking around in his shoes, he’s definitely 5’ tall, little bugger. He’s catching up to me 😉 and is taller than some women already. Generally the only kids taller than him in his class at school are the girls. So why is he still in his backless booster when he’s clearly over 4’9” and close to 80 lbs., which is what NHTSA tells us is the safe height for kids to move out of boosters? Even the Ad Council has these great ads educating us about 4’9”. Twenty states have laws based on 4’9” and of those twenty, five states have added provisions about 80 lbs.: children must ride in boosters or some other form of child restraint until they meet the height and/or weight criteria before moving to an adult seatbelt. Only two states, Wyoming and Tennessee*, have laws requiring kids to ride in boosters to age 8.
In my vehicles, he simply doesn’t fit. “What? What’s that?” you say. How could he not fit? He fits the criteria. Ah, but not the tried and true SafetyBeltSafe USA 5-Step seatbelt fit criteria that is very much more accurate than a height and weight fit criteria. First, what does every parent know? That every child is shaped differently. Child A may have longer legs than child B; child B’s torso is longer than child A’s. This completely affects the way carseats fit these children and also the way the seatbelt will fit these children. My ds would pass the 5-step test but for the length of his thighs. Yep, it’s hard to believe that a kid whose feet fit in my shoes and whose t-shirts get mixed up in the laundry with my workout t-shirts doesn’t fit in our vehicles because of the length of his thighs. Poor itty bitty guy, lol.
Let’s review the 5-step test:
- Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
- Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
- Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
- Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
- Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
So my kid passes all of the 5-step test in my vehicles except for #2. When he sits all the way back against the vehicle seat, his knees won’t bend at the edge of the vehicle seat; his thighs are about an inch too short. He passes the 5-step test in smaller backseats, like sedans, but not in my van or SUV.
Here are pics of my kids, two kids who are presumably old enough and one who is technically big enough to ride without boosters. Ds is 4’11.5″, weighs 77 lbs. and is in the 97th percentile for height. Dd is 8, 52″, 51 lbs., and is in the 75th percentile for height. Both are “tall” kids, right? Like I mentioned before, ds passes all of the 5-step test except for his knees bending at the edge of the vehicle seat in our cars. Dd only passes steps 3 and 5. Her picture is deceiving because of the lighting, but her feet are not touching the floor of the van.
We keep trying to come up with something snappy and cute for parents to remember, but I don’t think it’s particularly safe for booster-aged kids. These kids aren’t going to fit into a cute jingle; how they fit onto a vehicle seat is as individual as how their feet fit into athletic shoes and yet we spend more time buying them shoes that fit every year than we do finding a booster seat that fits them. It’s nice that parents are starting to become more educated about boosters and that the booster use rate is going up, but we need to work harder on getting the proper message out, not just some message. It doesn’t do anyone a favor if we don’t do it right.
*Information on state laws can be found on the IIHS Child Restraint Laws web page.
I have an almost 9-year-old who is 160+lbs and over 57″ tall. I have a car with no headrests in the back seat. He does not pass the 5-Step Test. Can you recommend a seat for him?
Hi Theo, unfortunately, there aren’t any highback boosters that can accommodate a child over 160 lbs. so there isn’t anything that you can do (besides getting a different vehicle) about the lack of head restraints in the back seat. Can you explain which parts of the 5-Step Test he isn’t passing? If we have more info we might be able to make some recommendations.
Mine pointed out to me the other day that I don’t 5 step in a seat belt either. I’m at a loss on what to say to that. My 8 year old meets some of the criteria but not all. The biggest problem we have is he’s getting teased about the booster relentlessly at school. To the point that he doesn’t want me to drive him anywhere. I don’t know what to do. Let him buckle the 4 blocks to school and use the booster for other trips? Any suggestions?
Summer, are you in a small town? I think there’s probably more teasing in small towns than in big cities because it’s more acceptable in cities to use boosters because of availability. I’m sorry your son is being teased 🙁 . It’s really hard as a parent when your kid comes to you with that news because your first instinct is to do the mama bear thing and fight back. I think in this case, the best rebuttal is education. Keep teaching your son how safe he is in his booster, perhaps even switching to the Safety 1st Incognito: https://carseatblog.com/24482/ellies-safety-1st-incognito-kid-positioner-review/ . Then teach the rest of the students about safe riding in vehicles. Is there a Safe Kids coalition nearby? They often will already have something set up with the schools where they can come in and teach a program on boosters in an assembly. Perhaps a local technician would be willing to? Or the school might partner with a tech/police department to do a booster giveaway?
Dude, it’s true that many women don’t pass this test. The Safety 1st Incognito is a good solution for them: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLXBHIU/?tag=carseatblog-20 .
I have to say it was fun reading back through this blog again. My ds is 4 years older now and 5’11”. Definitely no need for a booster! My dd is about 5’1″ and just started riding without a booster at the start of the school year.
By this test, my 42 year old wife needs a booster seat… she fails #2 and her feet do not touch the floor..
@Rebecca, since CA says that your dd must be 4’9″ before she can be out of a restraint, she’ll still have to ride in a booster until then or later. The seat belt really does need to fit her like it fits us as adults–as in, she must pass the 5-step test: http://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm . Until then, the lap belt will sit too high on her and in a crash, will cause internal injuries. The shoulder belt may sit too close to her neck, which may cause her to put it behind her shoulder or under her arm, effectively turning the seat belt into a lap-only belt. I know it’s tough having a slow grower. I have one too!
I am in CA and I have been confused about their new car seat regulation that came into effect in 2012. It states that children must ride in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old and 4’9″ tall. And I will quote directly from the CHP website as follows: “Children who are 8 years and over shall be properly secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint system or safety belt.”
My dilemma is that my daughter is 10 years old, so she is well over the age requirement. But, she is only 4’6″ (and she is growing very slowly!). Although the CA car seat law does not say anything about weight right now, she weights about 65lbs.
I do not know if she still needs a booster seat or not??!!?? She keeps asking to get out of it because all of her friends are out, but I won’t let her out. I feel safer with her in it. However, I grew concerned that what if there is a point that children really are too old and too big for a booster seat and it no longer helps them and in fact may harm them??? Is that possible?? Does anyone know how to interpret the quote that I have above from the CHP website? I want to know if the child has to be BOTH 8 years old AND 4’9″ tall to be out of the booster or either 8 years old or 4’9″? And since CA doesn’t say anything about weight I am assuming that the 80 lbs doesn’t apply, but if it does, then does she have to be over 8, and over 4’9″ tall and over 80 lbs to get out of the seat or can she just be any one of them? Like she is, at 10 years old??? Please help me I’m going crazy!
Lol Suzanne,
I have the same problem. In my first car I had pedal extenders and a pillow behind me and a pillow under me just to be able to drive. I’m 4’11 by the way. I’m starting to think about getting a newer car since I’ve learned that the car I’m driving right now will most likely decapitate me in the event of a crash due to my distance from the steering wheel when I drive. My cousin is 4’9. She said she almost cried when they announced this new booster seat regulation in Illinois. Lets hope they never make that a rule to get behind the steering wheel or in the front seat. Otherwise my poor cousin will be even more out of luck. My cousin and I do not pass the safe to sit in regular seats guidelines and get made fun of for our needed adjustments to drive. I don’t think either of us would ever by one. We already drive knowing the risk of a crash.
Suzanne – you and your 8YO might want to check out the Frontier 85 (carseatblog review here: https://carseatblog.com/5751/britax-frontier-85-review-its-all-new-is-it-for-you/) – it has the tallest harness slots of seats currently available in the US market, and is also well regarded by techs for how well it positions the seat belt in booster mode and how tall it adjusts in booster mode
Heather – thanks for the great post, another useful link to forward to my almost-9YO DDs’ teachers before the beginning of field trip season 🙂
I am from Ontario Canada. Today I called Transport Canada, regarding the booster law. We have something similar, 8yrs old, or 4’9″ or 80 lbs. I asked about the weight and learned something very interesting. Weight is very important, not just the fit of the seat belts. Children who are below 80lbs do not have enough weight, or bulk, when thrown against the seat belt restraint, and this can cause a delay in the locking mechanism of the seat belt, during an accident. Because of this, the children can slide underneath the car seat. I was told that weight is very very important. Just thought I would share this. I was told seat belts were optimally designed for adults over 100lbs and work okay, for children over 80lbs. If you want more info, the people at Transport Canada, are very helpful and might be able to explain it in a better way.
Regards,
Lisa
Great post!!! My 10 1/2 yr old son is only 4’6″ and 64 lbs. He has been in his backless booster for yrs and will continue to be until he passes the 5 step test. I don’t care what people IRL say to me. His safety is not an option and never has been. I just recently learned about the 5 step test. I have always kept him in his booster simply based on my gut instincts. He just did not look right or safe without it.
We tried again a couple of weeks ago to see if he passed the test and he still does not. We went to a car seat check event and the CPST saw my sons booster seat and told me that he no longer needed to be in his booster! I was very upset by that! He is clearly not 4’9″ and 80 lbs. I showed the CPST how my son fit with and without the booster and he said it was up to me but he thought he was fine. Of course my son will continue to be in his booster until he passes the test. He actually prefers the booster and immediately said he was uncomfortable without it. 🙂 My 15 month old daughter will also be rear facing in her Radian XTSL for many yrs to come! 🙂
oops! I should have written that to Suzanne~
Heather,
My son out grew the Radian for height last year at age 8 but only 47lbs. He is now 9yrs old, 52 inches & 54lbs. I have him in a Graco Nautilus. It’s not as slender a the radian but he still has another inch or so before he outgrows the 5 pt harness. I will eventually have to put him in a booster but the longer we can wait the better! BTW the Nautilus, like the Radian has a metal frame.
Jennifer – I don’t fit in my seat either, by the standards mentioned here! I’m 5’2″ — the same height now as I was at the end of 5th grade! My 1st car didn’t have adjustable seats, so I used a cushion when driving back in the day.
Heather — great post! It’s rare in my circle that parents speak up for extended use of safety restrains beyond stated minimums. As for my kiddies, we’ve been using Radians since ’07, when #2 @ age 2 needed a new seat. She was little & I liked the idea of keeping her rear facing until she complained. 🙂 It worked for us. #2 is 5 now & still little — no booster for her for a looong time to come.
Now we’re on to a new stage, however. #1 is at max shoulder height on his Radian! Time for a booster, right? I mean, he is almost 8, so technically he’s about ready to “age out” of that even! But… We were in a serious crash last summer, and were told at the ER that #1 would likely not have survived being hit had he been in a traditional booster. (Thanks be for our 5pt Radians!) So, frankly, neither he nor I are super excited for the move to a booster now — Big Kid or not! And I don’t foresee flack about not using one as time goes by. Surviving what would otherwise have killed you gives perspective, even to children, I guess.
So he & I both want better than a booster. Are there not “universal” 5pt harnesses that work in conjunction with most boosters & the lab/shoulder belt?!? I mean, NASCAR uses 5pts to help drivers brace for crash-ups… Um, aside from fitting our my Escape with race car equipment, where are the 5 pt harnesses for big kids who want to be safe kids, too?
Thanks for the clarification on the state laws! I think when I wrote it, I meant a general 8. We’re going to try to add a 4’9″ provision to our state law this upcoming legislative session and I fully expect it to die. Even though it would bring us hundreds of thousands of NHTSA $, many of my legislators no doubt feel it would impart too much of a financial burden on otherwise financially stressed people. Um, I bought a booster at Wal-Mart a couple of months ago for $13. Eh, I’m not bitter or disillusioned ;).
My son was born Dec 28, 1999. He’s 4’7″ and between 75-80lbs. He’s not thrilled to still be in a booster and really, really hoping to outgrow it by middle school next year. Great article.
Great post! I am already planting the seed in my girls’ brains that they will be in boosters for MANY years to come. They are both tiny and I imagine they will be to puberty before they can sit in a regular seatbelt correctly. I talk all the time about how it is safe and a good healthy choice so they will be able to not feel out of place for being in a booster. Already she has asked for just a high-back and not her 5-point because some of her friends are in highback or backless boosters…they just turned 4!! And none of them meet the size guidelines or 5-step tests or anything! But I try not to be too preachy, just make sure my girls are good.
Plus if I really think about it, *I* don’t pass the 5-step test in my Sequoia! I pass them all except the belt — it never rides where it should and is always creeping up to my neck. It fits correctly if I raise the seat but I can’t properly control the pedals because my knees get in the way of the dash area. I must be weirdly proportioned, I have an incredibly short waist (finding pants is a PITA too!).
Great post, Heather! Just wanted to add, that NY state is now in a booster up to age 8, so any child under age 8, or until their 8th birthday, must be in a booster. Not sure if you meant through age 8, or until age 9, in your only 2 states have boosters to age 8 laws.
I don’t know about Tennessee, but Wyoming’s law goes through 8, not to 8 (all children under 9 years old must be properly restrained). Prior to that (before 2005 I think) it was 8 and 80#. They got rid of the weight limit, because weight really doesn’t make a child fit a seat belt properly. The same reason goes for why they chose not to put 4’9″ in the law (we actual gave up federal $$$ for not putting that in).
Great post!! Washington’s restraint law is an 8 or 4’9″ state. But our seatbelt law states that it must be *an appropriately fitting* seatbelt, or a restraint must be used. It’s the best law I’ve ever seen. 🙂
A great post, Heather! I always make it a point to teach parents of booster-aged kids the 5 step test and to note that just because they pass in one vehicle, doesn’t mean they will in all vehicles. (Heck, there are plenty of vehicles out there where I don’t pass the 5 step test! 🙁 )
Do you use a booster in the cars you don’t pass in?
Great blog post!
My daughter is 4’10” and 85 pounds now, at just 9 years, 2 months old. She’s obviously at/above the top of the growth charts for her age, a head taller than friends her age, but she’s been the only one still in a booster for at least a year now (probably longer, in most cases).
Even though she has outgrown most highback boosters by height (and some boosters by weight) at this point, she still does not pass the 5 step test…not even in my Ford Focus. The lap portion of the belt still rides too high for safety. Until she gets a bit closer to puberty and her hip bones develop a bit more, she’ll need to stay in a booster.
Luckily she seems to understand the reasons, and doesn’t fuss too much about it. We give questioning friends very matter-of-fact answers regarding why she still uses a booster: without it, the lapbelt rides too high, and it can cause injury in a crash. She’s better protected sitting in the booster for now.
Until she passes the 5 step test and the seatbelt fit is actually BETTER without the booster than with the booster, there’s no reason to stop using it.
it’s all about the vehicle and the child… now of course, if it’s borderline, like with your son (where it’s something that isn’t about seatbelt fit)… sometimes I would say the maturity of the child factors in (some kids could sit like that for hours and not complain or slouch… though none of them live in MY house)
But like you, I’d keep him in that booster until he outgrows it.
My oldest was able to fit the seatbelt in all our cars at 8 (he’s over the 100th percentile and was already 4’9″ and then some… and 100lbs)… but my younger son is 4’6″ at 9 (he’s 90lbs) and he’ll stay in his backless boosters until he outgrows them.
what about… boost them up till it fits?
Thanks, Heather! With the new IIHS Booster Ratings, there is a lot of bad information going around the news media regarding when kids no longer need a booster. Hopefully some of them will take notice for the next time the IIHS updates their ratings.