Question 5 stepping

mping

New member
We are at the auto show and my almost 8 year old just climbed in the third row of a Volvo XC90 and 5 steps! Is this even legal??? We don't own a Volvo and probably never will but I was just wondering. :)
 
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Keeyamah

Active member
Legality depends on the booster law in your state. Around here, it's until the 7th birthday, which is the plan my SIL followed, so my 8.5 year old niece has been in nothing since then. So yeah, not the best thing in the world, but if it's a state like this, it's better than not 5-stepping and being booster less.
 

YinzerMama

New member
I sprung my oldest from his booster at 8 and really always thought he fit just fine. But he has always been crazy tall. I don't see my girls following the same pattern. I think it is very kid/car dependent.
 

mping

New member
So, for the sake of conversation, would this be safe? She's 7 years 11 months, almost 60 lbs and about 4'3". Could she sit in these vehicles w/o a booster?
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
My understanding (not a tech) is that if she 5 steps she is safe. In my state, it would still be illegal for another month, though. And since it is unlikely that she will 5 step in every vehicle, she'd still have to go back into a booster from time to time, which she may find more annoying than if you just kept her in a booster until she could reliably 5 step in a variety of vehicles and positions.

Hard to tell if she REALLY 5 steps, though, since that whole bit about being able to stay in position for the entire ride is hard to judge from an auto show.
 

Keeyamah

Active member
So, for the sake of conversation, would this be safe? She's 7 years 11 months, almost 60 lbs and about 4'3". Could she sit in these vehicles w/o a booster?

There are those here who feel she should be in an Incognito until she fits better without it than with it, but before that came out, that would have been a last ditch effort when she fits better without a booster than with, if that makes sense.
 

MommyShannon

New member
There was a long thread about this recently that got rather heated. Basically, if a booster still provided a good fit there even though she 5 steps, it would be safer than without because the hip bones aren't as developed to catch the lap belt in an accident. In that thread, other boosters made the fit worse. It's possible any booster would work in this case, the Incognito is just the last one.
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Third rows in mid-size SUVs are often built smaller for smaller passengers because there's not enough room to make them comfortable for adults; you have to fit them on top of gas tanks, exhaust systems, etc. So yes, it's very possible for a younger child to 5-step in a 3rd row of a mid-size SUV. My dd was about 8, IIRC, when she 5-stepped in my MDX 3rd row and I still have her in an Incognito at age 11.5 in the 2nd row.

There's a point of diminishing returns when adding a booster makes the belt fit worse on a child. Just like always checking the fit of a harness before each ride, you should always check the fit of a booster or seat belt on a child before each ride since kids grow so fast. It's a matter of knowing how the seat belt should fit on a child: http://carseatblog.com/3966/the-5-step-test/
 

cookie123

New member
Third rows usually are smaller so I'm not too surprised.

I was surprised to find Brett (he's 9) fit outboard in my Prius. Then yesterday, Hannah (she's a little 11) wanted to check. She wasn't quite there outboard, but she did pass in the middle. That is going to make my life a lot easier and it's a rare occurrence these days that they ride with me. That may be changing because now their mom and I have the same weekend off starting this weekend!
 

mping

New member
Thanks everyone. She is in an affix in my Ody and will be for at least a few more years but it was interesting to see how she fit in different cars. She wants to go backless so that's our next step!
 

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