Children grow in all shapes and sizes, so the adult seat belt
fits children at different stages of their lives. So, your child
may fit into a seat belt properly before your child's classmate.
Typically, seat belts fit right when children are at least 4'9"
tall, about 80 pounds, and around 8 years old.
To find out if your child is big enough to move from his booster
seat to an adult seat belt, you need to look at how the seat belt
fits his body.
Take the Fit Test* below and find out if your child is ready
for a seat belt.
1. Does your child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
Yes
No
2. Do your child's knees bend with ease at the edge of the auto
seat without slouching?
Yes
No
3. Does the lap belt fit snug across the top of the thighs,
not up on the tummy?
Yes
No
4. Does the shoulder belt come across the center of the shoulder
and chest?
Yes
No
5. Can your child ride comfortably in the adult seat belt without
putting the shoulder belt under her arm or behind her back?
Yes
No
6. Can your child sit like this without changing position for
the whole trip?
Yes
No
If you answered "No"
to ANY of these questions, your child still needs to stay in his
booster seat to keep the seat belt fitting right.
If you answered "Yes" to ALL of the
questions, your child can safely use the adult seat belt.
For information about choosing a booster seat, click here.
