Question School drop off and booster training

Dorothy

New member
DD will be in K next school year. As I understand it, pu and do are drive-thru style. She currently rides center in a TF. Since DS is still rfing in a MR outboard, we will need to do some rearranging.

For those that have experience with this, can she stay in her TF? She can buckle herself, but it takes a while. She cannot unbuckle. Will the teachers helping with do/pu help with this? I can always reach back to help, but will this be a "problem" as it will slow the flow a bit?

DD is still a big, floppy car sleeper. She has been getting a bit better lately, though. She has also dropped down below 40# again. She will be 5.75 when school starts. Who knows what weight or slipping style and frequency will be come August?

Do you think booster training on short trips this summer is something we shield be thinking about? Will a booster be any easier than the TF? If you answer yes to either of those, what booster would you recommend?

I am still in my '05 Silverado crew cab. DD is currently about 42-43" tall.
 
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Athena

Well-known member
Can you just reach back and unbuckle her? That's what I do in the dropoff line.

I was thinking the same thing. I can reach and unbuckle the FR85 that's passenger outboard in my car and that's what I'd do if we had to do the line. We don't do the line, but it doesn't appear to move that quickly at our school, at least not so much that these extra seconds would be a problem. On the other hand, I heard that parents are not allowed to get out to help their kids, but it's possible that, given your school expects such young kids to do the line, they would have different rules or help out more. Can you call and ask?

My soon to be Kindergartener sleeps a lot in the car too and is definitely not ready to booster, so I understand. Maybe things will change in the next few months, but if not, you know your kid best and I'm sure you can make the harness work if that's whats best for her. Good luck!
 

Dorothy

New member
I would think so, but I've never tried.

ETA: Perhaps I will email the school and ask some more questions about do/pu procedure to get a better idea of how it will work.
 

Stelvis

New member
I'd just try turning around and unbuckling/buckling as needed. It's pretty fast. Usually around here, teachers will unbuckle, but not buckle, due to liability.
 

MommyShannon

New member
My DD was often harnessed at drop off and pick up. Drop off wasn't so rushed and at pick up I just pulled forward and let her finish buckle. I made sure she was sitting down before I moved at all. There were so many cars, that any "crash" would be VERY low speed. She could buckle and unbuckle herself.
 

Athena

Well-known member
I'd just try turning around and unbuckling/buckling as needed. It's pretty fast.

:yeahthat: I only recently realized how easily I can do it. :eek: Now I'm loving it!

.. and it turns out that I can tighten them both from the front seat too (although not quickly enough for a pickup line) and after they both buckle themselves. All those days standing out there in the rain, snow, freezing temps, how did I not figure this out sooner?
 
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Dorothy

New member
We don't loosen and tighten very time, especially with the TF (due to the continuous harness). So, as long as I can help her buckle and unbuckle easily, we should be okay. Great! :)
 

Dorothy

New member
I am reviving this thread to ask another question.

I realized that moving DD outboard bext month means DS will be rfing in the center. So, there's no way ill be able to reach DD to help her buckle. She is booster teaining right now, but she cant buckle. My buckle stalks are short, stiff, and have to be pulled forward from the recess for buckling. Most adults have trouble with them, so I wasnt expecting her to be able to buckle. Anyway, help me brainstorm setups, please.
*I can try to put DS behind the driver's seat. He's currently rfing in a Radian 80SL with AA behind the passenger seat.
*We could flip DS, but I'd like to wait until next spring when hes 4 yo.
*Since we have DS to pass it down to, I'd be open to getting DD a new combo seat. Which ones seem easiest to buckle? (She can buckle the TF, Maestro and MR with old buckle most of the time but cannot do the Radian. She cannot unbuckle at all.)

Additional info: I had pulled the TF and MR out for a thorough cleaning after a road trip. Since they are nearly outgrown anyway, I was thinking of passing them on to someone else. Although, they both expire in 2015, and that would make the Maestro our only spare.

Im open to any and all suggestions!

PS, please forgive all the typos. I have a new phone and haven't gotten the hang of its version of Autocorrect yet.
 

MommyShannon

New member
My kids find the Frontier easy and I believe it's the same as the TF buckles. It's pretty wide though so I'm not sure it the Radian would fit beside it or not. I kept DD harnessed for pick ups until she could buckle herself in a booster. It worked well.
 

bnsnyde

New member
I can't reach back and unbuckle due to shoulder surgery (bad shoulder) but my son undid his Radian easily in grade K. If he had gloves and needed help, the teacher did it.

We are not fast at the carline but there was no reason a booster would have made anything different. A lot of kids hop out from being totally unbuckled. So, good for you for being safe!
 

Dorothy

New member
My kids find the Frontier easy and I believe it's the same as the TF buckles. It's pretty wide though so I'm not sure it the Radian would fit beside it or not. I kept DD harnessed for pick ups until she could buckle herself in a booster. It worked well.
Thanks. :)
I can't reach back and unbuckle due to shoulder surgery (bad shoulder) but my son undid his Radian easily in grade K. If he had gloves and needed help, the teacher did it.

We are not fast at the carline but there was no reason a booster would have made anything different. A lot of kids hop out from being totally unbuckled. So good for you for being safe!
We don't have Open House until two days before school starts, so I haven't had a chance to ask if the teachers can/will help unbuckle/buckle. She will definitely either be harnessed or boostered, whichever is easiest for everyone. If only I could figure out what that is. ;)
 

DMS721

New member
At my school the principal and a teacher do the valet line. We can open the car door, but we are not allowed to buckle or unbuckle any seatbelts. On occasion a few kids ride in boosters, but I've yet to see any student in a car seat. It shocks me as many students are required to be in boosters based on the laws. It is a K-5 school FWIW.
 

Dorothy

New member
At my school the principal and a teacher do the valet line. We can open the car door, but we are not allowed to buckle or unbuckle any seatbelts. On occasion a few kids ride in boosters, but I've yet to see any student in a car seat. It shocks me as many students are required to be in boosters based on the laws. It is a K-5 school FWIW.

Thats what I'm afraid of. I guess we'll see...
 

Dorothy

New member
Okay, a rfing Radian cannit go behind the driver's seat. I sit pretty upright, and I had to move the seat too far forward. My knee was on the trailer brake. There's no way DH could stand this. So, I'm down to finding a seat DD can for sure buckle independently every time or turning DS before we'd planned. I'm pursuing the first option, of course. ;)
 

Dorothy

New member
I hope you get it figured out. Is there really no parking option?

They told us at enrollment there was no parking. I am just going to try calling to see if they can explain it all to me prior to the open house. Surely they can. I hope!
 

Athena

Well-known member
They told us at enrollment there was no parking. I am just going to try calling to see if they can explain it all to me prior to the open house. Surely they can. I hope!

They should be able to at least explain it and hopefully they will be helpful.

I'm baffled by the lack of parking and find myself wondering what do parents do when they need to come into the school (e.g. to volunteer)?
 

Dorothy

New member
They should be able to at least explain it and hopefully they will be helpful.

I'm baffled by the lack of parking and find myself wondering what do parents do when they need to come into the school (e.g. to volunteer)?

There is minimal parking for that, but they said specifically it's not for do/pu.
 

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