Question Daycare Carseats

LovingMomma

New member
I am opening a daycare and requiring parents to have seats for me to transport their children in.

Do you wonderful men and ladies have recommendations for cheap/safe harnessed seats? I only need to fit two across the backseat of my dodge caravan that are easy to install.

Will sceneras work? Are there better options?

If I have more children they will be transported in other cars (see below)

Are there any seats that people have had trouble installing in a Jeep Cherokee, 2 door Chevy Cobalt, or a 2008 Dodge Caravan.
 
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Maedze

New member
Are you looking for seats for specific children? Without knowing their ages/heights/weights there really aren't good recommendations. Also, keep in mind that forward facing seats need to be in seating positions with top tether anchors, and there is only one in the 3rd row of late-model Caravans.
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
When I did daycare, I chose to supply the car seats, as I honestly didn't trust the parents to supply PROPER car seats for the childs age/size that were SAFE and unrecalled. I found it easier to have a couple of HWH seats that would meet the basic needs of most children. It's a tax write off too, so that helped on the financial side of things.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
IMO, if you require the parents to supply the seats, the only requirement you can have is that they are legal.
 

Cryssy Jane

New member
When I did daycare, I chose to supply the car seats, as I honestly didn't trust the parents to supply PROPER car seats for the childs age/size that were SAFE and unrecalled. I found it easier to have a couple of HWH seats that would meet the basic needs of most children. It's a tax write off too, so that helped on the financial side of things.

This too for me. For my daycare kids, I currently have:
1 keyfit
1 Combi coccoro
1 Britax ma (hopefully finding a new home soon)
1 radian XTSL
2 complete airs.

So right now, 6 seats and 4 kids. It really depends on the general stats of the kids. I mainly do birth to three, and while sceneras would probably be a fine option... I'm also a carseat junkie and my seats change every few months depending on the kiddos (ex. 9 month old 25 lbs kiddo almost outgrown the MA rear facing by height... I can't turn him forward)
 

LovingMomma

New member
I can't afford to purchase the seats right now. I was worried about the carseats of parents which is why I wanted to make specific recommendations. I feel as if I can do that because by licensing law I have to use best practice when it comes to carseats - and we all know best practice is way better than what the law has.

I don't have specific kids yet I am trying to write my contract and have information ready for parents.

If I do purchase the seats - what do you recommend for daycare seats? Seats that are high harness and rear face to at least 35pounds but don't break the bank.

Right now I have a Radian XTSL (my daughters seat) and a True Fit Premiere (on the way as my daughters second seat).

I did not know that about the tether situation. So my tethers are in the middle of the back seat? Where are they with the bench seats? Is there a way to get more tethers for my vehicle?
 

LovingMomma

New member
Okay so my husband has authorized us to purchase three carseats.


I already have a true fit premier, radian XTSL, and snugride 22.

What three other seats will do well? I need one to fit in rear left side, one rear middle (so those two would have to puzzle).

I have a bench in the middle and on the right of that (middle of the car) there needs to be the True Fit or Radian XTSL. (My daughters carseat, and I would prefer her in that position in the vehicle.

The snugride may or may not get used depending on whether it works out for a baby.

What three other seats should I purchase that are high weight/high harness? I don't have specific kids that I want to give measurements for. I just want seats with the best options for transporting a variety of kids from 3months up to five years.

I am hoping for easy install. Interested in hearing about the scenera (as I will definitely have at least one that will fit in this seat), other radians, true fits, complete airs or myrides.

I need help ASAP as we will order seats tomorrow due to diapers.com's 15% off sale. My grandmother just offered to pay for the seats YAY!!!!
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
For buying seats on a budget, I recommend the following:

For a HWH FF seat, I definitely recommend the Evenflo Maestro.
For rf'ing, as much as I personaly dislike Cosco, I'd probably get a Scenera...but for ME, it would be temporary until I knew what kids I would have, had the $$ and I'd be replacing it in a heart beat. It's not that it's unsafe, I just dislike Cosco w/a passion. There are other middle of the road (in terms of budget) seats that would work, I just honestly haven't kept up with all the new seats. My personal choice (due to rf'ing tether and built in lock offs)is Britax or Radian (no built in lock offs, I know) for my own kids, but that's what I've been using for the last 3 years and have been completely happy with.
 

Maedze

New member
What model year of Caravan do you have? What is the age and size of your own child and what seat does she ride in and where is it positioned in the vehicle?
 

Kat_Shoshin

New member
If you have a van and don't need to 3 across - your options are vast. My fav. seat for daycare kids is the TrueFit because I can switch it easily (adjustable harness height) depending on the kids you have... but I have a 3 across and it's a big seat that only puzzles well with certain other seats.

I originally had the Chase - but these days I would recommend the Maestro. Anyone smaller would be fine in a scenera - it's really not all that bad as long as you use a tri-pool noodle rear facing. Then I had a clek booster to use if I had an older child randomly.

I don't have seats supplied because I got some that I had to return and ask to be destroyed (expired, obviously damaged or missing essential parts). Also, I would have been given a backless booster for a 36lbs 3 year old.

Right now I have a Radian 65 FF, a Radian XT RF(for my own), and a Graco HBB. I also have a Truefit in the basement that I swap out on days I have a baby instead of a big kid. This is really all I need - but I had a chase for many years.
 

kattale

New member
I operate a daycare (in Canada), and the seats I have are, 2 Scenaras (for rear-facing to 35), 2 Truefits (so I can easily adjust the shoulder heights) and one (actually now 2) Radians so I can fit 3 across the back in my van.

I am able to get a Scenara, Radian, and Truefit across the back, with the Truefit in the 40 of the 60/40 split, and the radian in the middle.

Any seating position that doesn't have an anchor, you can put a rear-facing seat, with 35 pound limits, you can rear-face your smaller kids, and save the anchor for the largest ones.

I used to have my parents supply (before I got training) and looking back, am appalled at the pieces of OHS/expired junk they supplied me. Now I supply my own. If I ever get a parent who cares enough to disagree with that, they probably won't argue with providing a legal safe seat.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I know you're excited and want to order ASAP, but as someone in child care -- I would consider waiting. There are so many different factors and I own eight seats right now (for seven kids,) and none of them are duplicates -- partially to tailor them to the kids, and partially to fit them in my vehicle.

I don't know what you expect your situation to be, but I don't have very high turnover. I can usually finagle a seat when I get an enrollment, or can borrow mom and dad's for the first few days until I get the seat I want for the kids. My parents pay week-in-advance, so worst case scenario I take the first check I recieve from a family and use it to buy their seat. (BTW, it's OT but I would strongly suggest this if you haven't already considered it... that way you don't have a new family use you for a week and then disappear without payment.)

For babies, I've always found the easiest thing to do is have an extra base to whatever seat they end up using. So if the family uses a SR, you just need a SR base and the seat comes into and out of the house with the child.

If you really want to get some seats now, I would get a Scenera and a Maestro, then wait on the third to see who you get. EFTA might work well, too, for a seat to be shared between children, but it's wide and might not puzzle well with what you have. (Maybe, with the Radian in the second row...) Or wait and get an EFTA with the 40lb RF limit.

One other factor is (unless you have enrollments lined up) that you may not get enrollments right away, which leaves you out the money for the seats without the income to back it up. If Grandma is doing seats as a gift, then that's less of an issue, but if it's as a loan, that may be a problem.

The seats I've ended up with are in my sig. Yes, many of them are expensive seats to use "just" for daycare kids, but I also feel that I have an obligation to keep them *as safe as possible* in my vehicle. (That said, I use a Scenera four days a week and would love to have a Maestro, but I have no real reason to, lol.)
 

iputfiresout

New member
I run a small home daycare and currently I am using Coctco Scenera for both children rear facing. Both of the children in my care are now 1 and I am keeping them rear facing until they reach the 35 lb max on the seat. If at that time I can get something a bit more high end I will rear face longer.

A note on requiring seat to be provided: I tried that with my first client and I found it is much easier for me to have a dedicated seat that I have adjusted and made sure it fits the child. I have built the cost of the seat into my deposit and right now I can get the Scenera at wallmart for 32. I know the mom for the first client means well does not agree with me on how the straps should be and how tight. I just did not want to take the risk and it makes me feel better knowing that if it is wrong it is my own fault and I am not trusting someone else.
 

LovingMomma

New member
Thanks everyone. I went ahead and ordered the seats since Grandma was helping out. I now have 4 radian XTSL's and 2 True Fit Premiers. Hopefully that will do it since I am not taking anyone over 4.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
As long as they puzzle in your vehicle, that should definitely do it. It would do it if you took kids up to six or seven, lol. :)

ETA: I don't know if this is already in your plans, but I would strongly consider having a tech check your seats for you. It is an additional liability, transporting other peoples' children, and at least in my case I had to know it was done properly. For me, it got to the point that I was not only putting in my seats, I was educating the parents and putting in THEIR seats, and I ended up taking the tech course so that I could educate them properly and had some credential behind me.
 

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