>The 5-Step Test – Your Way to Know if a Child Can Ride Safely Without a Booster
>Are you curious if your child is ready to ride safely without a booster?
Are you curious if the booster makes the seat belt fit properly?
The 5-Step Test is a simple way to see if the vehicle’s seat belt fits the child properly.
Kids who can answer “yes” to all 5 questions can ride safely without a booster (most kids are close to 5 feet tall before they pass).
For kids who still need a booster to ride safely, make sure you can answer “yes” to questions #3-5 with the child sitting in the booster (if you can’t, try a different booster).
The 5-Step Test ©SafetyBeltSafe USA
- 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? (For squirmy kids, try switching the seatbelt into the locking mode – click here for more info)
If you answer “no” to any of these questions, your child STILL needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right and to keep them safest.
>Thanks for the guide! I have been keeping my 6yo in the Sunshine Kids Radian seat. Is that really safer than a booster and, if so, how much safer? Our baby will move into a Radian after she gets out of the infant carrier, and I'm contemplating buying a booster for the 6yo (7 by the time we buy it) instead of a 4th Radian…