Need Advice: Booster seat on short bus for field trip

Hi there, I'm hoping you can help me with a dilemma.

My Pre-K daughter, 4 and a half, is going on a field trip in a couple of weeks with her class. They use short white buses to transport the children and I've confirmed there are NO shoulder belts on the bus. The teacher and head of school are asking that we provide a booster seat for the bus. Most parents provide a high backed booster.

My problem is two-fold:
1) My daughter is petite. 38 inches and 31.5 lb so she falls short of meeting the requirements for most boosters... right? Unless there is one out there that is best?

2) I've read on this forum that a booster seat on a bus without shoulder belts may not be a wise thing. Is she better off without a booster at all?

Any advice you can give on both counts... the best booster for her AND information about her safety in a booster w/o shoulder belts on a bus would be much appreciated. I really don't want to have to single her out and make her different from her friends by not allowing her to ride the bus.

Thanks so much!

If there are no shoulder belts, then there are no booster seats that can be legally used on there. All boosters require a shoulder belt.
Can you call the school director or the transportation company? I'd be comfortable letting her ride on a full size bus but not a short one.

Stelvis said:

If there are no shoulder belts, then there are no booster seats that can be legally used on there. All boosters require a shoulder belt.
Can you call the school director or the transportation company? I'd be comfortable letting her ride on a full size bus but not a short one.

Click to expand...

We had this presented at MDO when my boss wanted to use the bus for field trips with the 4yo class. Many are in boosters. They would either have to ride in nothing but the lap belt or ride in a harness.

I agree with the above. Boosters CANNOT be used with lap belt only.

I would see if there is a local CPST who can talk with the preK director and/or transportation director with you.

I would also send her harness seat or get a second seat to be used as a back up. An $80 Evenflo maestro is lightweight and compact. It would make a great spare seat for others' vehicles as needed. The $100 Harmony Defender is also lightweight, but would need to be assembled first.

Hi all, Thanks SO much for your responses.

The short buses are owned by the school, so there is no transportation company to contact. If by harness, you mean a 5-point harness car seat, they have explicitly said that car seats are not permitted on the bus. There is nowhere for them to attach. Or do you mean some type of harness w/o a seat that goes under the arms and around the back of the bus seat? I've seen those talked about on this forum, but am not sure how to get my hands on one in a hurry. They don't seem to be sold in stores, right?

Are you saying that it's safest for my daughter to ride without anything... just the lap belt on the bus... as opposed to riding in a booster without a shoulder belt present? Just clarifying. If there is a link you can post to anything I can purchase that can be here by the end of next week, I'd much appreciate it.

Also, any links you can post with information about how boosters on buses without shoulder belts are not safe/not legal/not approved, it would be great to have fodder to provide the head of the early childhood at the school.

Thank you so much!

I just wrote this whole long response and the internets ate it.

Try this link:
http://www.saferidenews.com/srndnn/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zG65jnIYgec=&tabid=280
If there are lap belts, a car seat can be installed. Top tethers are highly recommended but not mandatory unless you are in Canada.

Sorry - I've gotta go!

Argh! Bummed the internets ate your response! Please re-post when you have some spare time.

That link is super helpful - thanks! But it doesn't address what to do with just lap belts on a short bus. Is it safest to have the child just strapped into the seat, then, with no booster? That would seem to be the case since boosters on buses seem to be a no no. But the article just says boosters are not good with shoulder/lap belts on buses since they are adjustable... but doesn't address just lap belts on buses.

Did I read it right that it's illegal as of Oct 2011 to only have lap belts on buses? I'm guessing that doesn't apply to short buses. Sorry to keep hounding on this. I'm just trying to figure out the best thing to do. I don;t want to cause a stink at the school, but I'm concerned about ALL the kids in boosters on a bus... not just my petite daughter... thank you again for all your posts!

Vans / short buses made after 2011 have to have shoulder belts, but the law does not require the retrofit of older buses.

I do know the 'compartmentalization' benefits of a full size bus begin around 40lbs for children. So even in a full size bus, your tiny little one without a restraint wouldn't be as safe as a larger child next to her.

Is there a reason a child restraint cannot be installed on the van? A top tether would be safer, but a lap belt only install of a 5-point harness would be better than lap belt only on a child.

The car seat lady talks a little about lap belts only here:
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats_8.html
This study (http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/child_restraints/summary.html) found " lower injury risks among children restrained in belt-positioning booster seats with lap belts compared with children restrained in lap belts alone."

Maybe the school can consider something like this in the future:
http://ewss.org/product/besi-over-the-shoulder-harness-for-children.html

I would see if you can take an opportunity to see if you can install a car seat with the lap belt. I'm not 100% familiar with those small buses/ large vans. I don't understand why they are saying an install can't be done.

Good luck!
Cheers to you for doing research.
Try http://cert.safekids.org/ and click on the right to find a tech. Hopefully there's someone near you who can give you community support.