Question What if they never pass the 5 step test?

APmama2MAK

New member
I was curious as to what most of you would do if your child never passed the entire 5 step test.

For example, I still dont pass the entire 5 step test and am still under 4'9" (4'8" but over weight limit haha). In this case when would you take them out of a booster?

I know that surprisingly the only thing my dad ever ever did right was keep me in some sort of booster later than other kids I knew (probably not installed correctly and not as long as any kid SHOULD be in a booster plus i was in the front seat in front of an air bag but if you knew the rest of my childhood youd say this was by far the highpoint of safety haha)

By the time I was 5ish I started refusing to use the booster (yes this "flew" in my household lol) because I got made fun of like nobodys business :mad: but aside from that I couldnt see any kid being in a booster at like 15 lol just wondering what most of you would do in this situation?:confused:

Oh and I looked it up on carseat.org I had the Evenflo-Gerry Double Guard pre 1990-1998. The shield was apparently removable but my dad didnt know because I probably would of settled for that, the shield was just so humiliating haha.
 
ADS

skaterbabs

Well-known member
My 12 1/2 yo still doesn't pass in my Suburban (or at least he didn't the last time we used the vehicle.) He will use his sister's Britax frontier (PINK, no less!) in booster mode until he does pass, or he outgrows it. (We don't have head restraints.)
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Bone development is different in adults. For example, an adult who is the same height as my 12.5 year old still gets more protection from just the seat belt than my 12.5 year old. It's the way the hip bones develop - they help prevent submarining in teens and adults.

That said, my 12.5 yo still rides in a backless booster in my vehicle. He can ride in certain other vehicles without one (like my parents' truck) because he meets the 5-Step test very well in those vehicles. But it's still just marginal in my car, so the booster seat stays. He has me re-evaluate about every 6 months or so, because he's anxious to stop using the booster, but he doesn't mind using it all that much, either.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
My 12 year old is in a backless booster in my van, he is taller than my SIL and some of my friends but he really still doesn't fit right.
 

Maedze

New member
I would keep the child in the booster.

If you are only 4'8", evaluate whether or not you pass the five step test. If you don't, I would seriously consider using a backless booster even if you exceed the weight limit.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I think it's a tough call, and at some point, you'll probably have to let them out of the booster. Personally, even at 60 inches, I do not pass the 5 step test in a number of vehicles..but at thrity-*garble* years old, and over 200 pounds, I am not in a booster.
somewhere around 12-13, i would probably be okay with ditching the booster, even if the belt fit were not optimal. that's my comfort zone.... but then again, i haven't been in that situation yet. Perhaps i will feel differently when it's my kid I'm talkign about..lol...
 

APmama2MAK

New member
I wasnt trying to say that I think its wrong to have an older child in a booster, just asking what most peoples cut off age would be. 12 or 13 I could understand, but what about 16 or so?

If any of my children ended up being small like I am the situation would be completely different from my own. Not that I would dismiss the dangers of not using a booster, but I dont know how I would feel about a child that would be driving themselves (14 and 9 months here at least) being put in a booster.
 

APmama2MAK

New member
Yea, I dont know how to state my thoughts without sounding like Id put popularity over safety or that Id let my child decide when they "didnt feel like" being in a booster.

Obviously safety comes first but it would definitely have to be thought about. So far though, DS is huge in comparison to me at his age so hopefully I wont have to deal with the situation at all.

I think it's a tough call, and at some point, you'll probably have to let them out of the booster. Personally, even at 60 inches, I do not pass the 5 step test in a number of vehicles..but at thrity-*garble* years old, and over 200 pounds, I am not in a booster.
somewhere around 12-13, i would probably be okay with ditching the booster, even if the belt fit were not optimal. that's my comfort zone.... but then again, i haven't been in that situation yet. Perhaps i will feel differently when it's my kid I'm talkign about..lol...
 
My nephew is 12 1/2 and is no where near fitting the 5-step test. He occassionally rides in a Graco air booster(wish he would all the time). In my van he rides in a backless regardless of his whining. The seatbelt doesn't fit at all on him.

My sister is 4'10 and the seatbelt doesn't fit her at all either. She uses a backless booster to use(and she is well over the weight limit for it).

Heck, I am 5'4 and the lap portion of my belt in my kia sedona doesn't fit me right(i have a super short torso though).

That said I don't think my 4 year old is ever going to pass the 5-step test(LOL). Not sure what I am going to do about it, we will see when it happens. I am curious too what every one's suggestion is.
 

Qarin

New member
I would really like to see armless, no-weight-maximum, high-age-minimum booster cushions tested and sold; there are plenty of short-statured adults who are inadequately protected by car seatbelts.

I would also really like to see devices which aid in vehicular safety NOT be stigmatized as baby-things. If the seatbelt doesn't fit, it doesn't fit; I think it's poor car design and should be addressed at its source, but even that would do nothing for existing vehicles with extremely limited range of human size that their seatbelts fit properly.
 

APmama2MAK

New member
So would I.:thumbsup: I remember how ridiculous of an idea it was for a first grader to be in a booster then lol let alone a 10 year old. If all parents were educated and all of them used the proper car seats/boosters then a lot of this would be better. :(

I would also really like to see devices which aid in vehicular safety NOT be stigmatized as baby-things. .
 

APmama2MAK

New member
My dad is cracking up at the idea of a booster for me :rolleyes: i told him hes the reason why short people are unsafe in cars and feel too bad to get a booster lol

I would keep the child in the booster.

If you are only 4'8", evaluate whether or not you pass the five step test. If you don't, I would seriously consider using a backless booster even if you exceed the weight limit.
 

Mama Jo

New member
Interesting question... I am 5'7" and 130 lbs (at least that's what my driver's license says LOL). I would say I'm of average size, but short in comparison to the rest of my family... But I've been in vehicles where the seatbelt doesn't fit me at all. My sister has a Trailblazer and I won't ride with her because the seatbelt cuts across my neck and it isn't adjustable. My dad's SUV is the same way, but the seatbelts in the front are adjustable, while the ones in the back are not. My car has adjustable shoulder strap heights, and I have to have it down almost to the lowest point in order for it to fit me at all. I must have a really short torso. It's kind of a pain because when I buy a car I actually have to take that into consideration because I'd never want a car like my sister's where the seatbelt doesn't fit me and I couldn't adjust it. I'd definitely consider using some sort of "booster" to make it fit... provided my booty would fit on the seat! LOL
 

APmama2MAK

New member
haha nice. I might be more willing to consider a booster type getup if I was driving, but as it is I dont have a car AND I ride in the back seat so Michael doesnt have to be alone. Everyone just assumes Im his sister haha. A booster would finish the 'look' and while Im at it I could use a Dora backpack instead of a diaper bag. :p

Also, I want my booster to have cupholders like the Nautilus...
 

APmama2MAK

New member
Maybe I should steal my 4 yr old cousins booster since I can fit in it with moderate effort (turbobooster) and I can buy her a nauti hehe
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I'm actually a hair taller than average (5 ft 8 in) and I've found the seatbelt fit in many vehicles is less than ideal for me, regardless of whether or not the shoulder belt adjusts. Part of the problem is that so many companies are starting to heed complaints about the shoulder belt rubbing on the neck, but they still aren't paying attention to lapbelt fit. The former is merely a comfort issue, the latter is a serious safety issue.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I'm 5'5" and there are times I want a booster! We had a poster whose sister was seriously injured in a crash-- in which she was driving-- because of improper belt fit. I think some adults should definitely use boosters, although for most of us it's probably not as essential once we go through puberty and our bodies are more fully developed. But for really small full grown teenagers/adults, yeah, they could and possibly should still use a backless booster for safety. If I had such a child, I would discuss the safety issues as well as the comfort issues with them and we would make the decision together.
 
U

Unregistered1

Guest
I need a booster in our church van. And I fit in the frontier (both height and weight) in booster mode. Fortunately, we're getting a compartmentalized bus with fold down car seats this year :D

If it were my child... well, I honestly can't say what I'd do in that situation. See, if my mom had wanted to keep me in a booster (ha, yeah right, I was out of one at three) I would have let her, because I'm not one that gets embarassed by things like that and my friend are very accepting. If that weren't the case with my child... it would be something I'd really have to debate over and consider factors like my child's personality, exactly how they five step tested (At some point I wouldn't keep a child in a booster because the shoulder belt rubbed against their neck, but I might if the lap belt didn't fit), my vehicle and what options were avaliable.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
i would say adjustable shoulderbelts should be mandatory in vehicles and for kids/adults where the belt still doesn't fit (or the lapbelt is the issue), they really should put those built in boosters that are becoming more common in vehicles (dodge just added them to their lineup and volvo has had them for years) should be standard in all seating positions.
 

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