Booster or Harness for Daycare Van

My DD turned 5 at the end of June and is starting Kindergarten, but still only weighs 36 pounds. I kept thinking she would grow a little more this summer, but she is still small. She is 3' 6", and will be picked up after school by a daycare van. It is not a bus, but a van. They provide boosters, but I just think she is too small still for a booster. Am I crazy to want to install my carseat in their van? We have a Nautilus that was her sisters and still has 2 years left before it expires, in perfect condition, so I have been planning on installing this in their van. Am I crazy to do this? I was planning to install with harness since she is used to harness and can do them easily but has a hard time with seatbelts when she is playing and tries them. I don't want to purchase another seat, so it is either use their boosters or install my Nautilus as a booster with the back, or as a harness. I am meeting with them Saturday with my carseat if that is what we decided to do. I will have to make sure they will leave it installed as well because I don't want them taking it in and out since I am sure the drivers don't always know how to install them properly!

If she has only ever used a harness, the daycare van isn't the place to try a booster for the first time. I would start by explaining that since she's under 40lbs, you don't feel comfortable with her in a booster and ask if they'll leave the seat installed. And definitely point out that she can totally buckle herself in the Nautilus, but will need help in a booster. If that doesn't go well, then look at your booster options. But I would definitely start with leaving the Nautilus installed.

Keeanh said:

If she has only ever used a harness, the daycare van isn't the place to try a booster for the first time. I would start by explaining that since she's under 40lbs, you don't feel comfortable with her in a booster and ask if they'll leave the seat installed. And definitely point out that she can totally buckle herself in the Nautilus, but will need help in a booster. If that doesn't go well, then look at your booster options. But I would definitely start with leaving the Nautilus installed.

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I agree. A daycare van with a bunch of other kids as distractions is not where I'd want my child riding in a booster for the first time.

If I was in this situation, I would booster train my daughter quick and let them use a booster. A child was left in a harnessed seat in a daycare van right near me not long ago, and a 5 year old was left on a bus just yesterday in my city.

I'd go with harness. Even a practiced booster rider is unlikely to sit properly in a van with a bunch of other kiddos in boosters, most of whom will probably be bouncing around as much as their seatbelts allow them to.

I drove my friend's boostered 6 y.o. a little while back, and it was maddening. I lost count of the number of times I needed to tell him to stop spinning nearly 180* in his seat in order to talk to DS in the 3rd row. And to take the %&*#@ shoulder belt out from under his arm. And when I corrected him, he looked at me like I was insane. He obviously had no concept whatsoever of why he needed to sit properly in order to stay safe.

OTOH, after the first few times DS started getting in on the act, "Mom! He's not sitting right again!!"

I would use the nautilus if it will stay installed, by me. If they can not guarantee that, I would feel better using a booster. I would also explain to my child where the belts go..."see these red things?"...and hope for the best. I would feel better about someone else putting a booster seat in without me than installing a harnessed seat properly. However, I don't even let my husband mess with my car seats.

We were in the same boat this year for kindergarden, but my DD is a couple of pounds heavier and a few months older (6 in october). We started booster training a couple of weeks before school started, we bought a turbo booster with safety surround and it fit her like a dream. I gave the booster to the daycare because I didn't trust the history/belt fit on the ones they were providing. The deciding factor for me was the fact that the daycare had more than one van, several actually, so I could see her seat not being installed in the van they planned on using that day etc. It's worked very well so far, she still rides harnessed in all other vehicles.

Any vans at that age I did booster. We had an issue where the camp used one for a field trip. My son was 5 at the time. The other kids all rode in nothing but a seatbelt!

It's hard to know if they will really leave the seat installed, or buckle properly, etc. The booster just seemed like a better option for us, if it's a kind that doesn't require headrests. (The van we had used didn't have them).

How many vans does the daycare have? My son's daycare has several vans, and who knows which one will be used for pick up. I would train your DD to ride in a booster, because I would be concerned they may drive a van that didn't have her seat in it, or that it was removed and not installed correctly.