Does she 5-step?

[mom2juliarose]

I am going to admit that I still don't fully understand lap belt fit in terms of 5-stepping and where it should be, so I thought I'd ask here.

She's 10.5, around 90 pounds, and 4'10" tall, possibly taller?

Her feet are flat on the ground in DH's '97 CRV, she has head support from the headrest (which can be raised, too), and the shoulder belt seems OK but I'm not sure about the lap belt.

The first two pics she is sitting on the seat, the second two pics she is sitting on her Incognito.

Thanks in advance!

 

[thepote]

The incognito makes a big difference here IMO. Look at where the lap belt is on the sides of her hips. Nice and low where the bones are with the incognito, up higher with nothing. She's so close, and I'd probably not fight that battle if it came down to embarrassing her in front of friends on occasion, but for regular use I'd still use the incognito.

 

[murphydog77]

Boy, I don't know. It's really tough at this stage, isn't it? I see a difference between the first and second pics even though she probably only moved her arms. My criteria is--does the bottom of the lap belt touch the thighs? If so, I'm OK with it. When it's touching the top of the thighs, you'll be able to feel for the tops of her hip bones and they'll be up high.

We need to remember that we don't want the lap belt to rest flat on the thighs either. There's a zone. With my dd, when she was at that stage, I told her she had to grow an inch before we'd revisit the issue, but I have deeper seats. It's up to you.

 

[StillThankful]

Pretty!! I would think she 5 steps. I'm not a tech though. There are plenty of 4'10-11" adults out here and I personally wouldn't booster her any longer. That "belt fits here versus there" gets confusing to me.

 

[Baylor]

If she was my child, That would be okay and there would be no booster. It may not be the same in every car but at this point I think it is splitting hairs.

 

[joolsplus3]

Yeah, wow, tough.
I've seen so many atrocious lapbelt fits on so many teens and full sized adults that I just hope the shoulderbelt is doing enough work to spread the forces out and minimize risks to the abdomen should the lapbelt not be low enough on the hips in a crash.
I might keep using it a little longer, because, hey, can't hurt, might help...

 

[mom2juliarose]

Thanks everyone! She doesn't mind the Incognito but I was curious where she stood. It's funny in DH's 1st generation CRV she is soooo close, but in my 2nd generation she still gets a pretty poor belt fit on her lap.

 

[mommabritt]

I will be the odd man out and say unless we know where her hip bones are, a picture like this can be deceiving (for me).

My 9yo 5-steps in our '13 Dodge Journey middle row center seat. At first glance, you'd think the belt was riding up but when I put my finger on the top of his hip bones they are plenty far enough above the lap belt.

All I'm saying is pictures can be deceiving.