Our Fieldtrip

scoutingbear

New member
Just wanted to share about my driving experience for a 4 year old preschool class on our field trip.

First, I was able to get 3 seats across in my 05 Highlander: Radian 65, MA, GN all seatbelt installs. After sweating to get them in, I had a teacher ask if they could borrow one of my seats for another car since the tiniest kid in the whole class brought only a backless and she wasn't comfortable with that. Moved that seat...

Was happy to see a lot of harnessed seats left for other kids. I had to convince the 33 pounder that I put in my MA that really, he was like a race car driver since I wasn't going to let him ride in a booster in my car. There were a few seats with bad fits (i.e. straps on lowest slot for a tall 4 year old, or kids waaaay too small or rowdy to be safe in their boosters) and a lot of boosters and 3 in 1 boosters. Glad I brought seats for the 2 kids I was transporting...plus the spare!

Funny, but most of the parents who offered to drive were those that still had their 4 year olds in harnessed seats :cool:
 
ADS

zeo2ski

Well-known member
Glad it was good overall! I guess you never know what you'll see in that type of situation. That's great that the teacher was informed on the matter enough to not want the little one in a NBB.
 

The Bjorns

New member
We've got a preschool field trip coming up and most of the kids in DD class are having their parents drive them. I'll offer to drive, but there is no way I'm sending DD off in another car without me. I just know her and know that while it would be fine to have a new friend in the car with us, she would not be relaxed in someone else's car (even if I installed the seat). Guess it's pretty standard protocol to have the parents go with the kids on all the field trips. I think some kids are carpooling, but they tend to been friends for several years in school. I've been pleasantly surprised with the car seat usage I've seen. I've tried not to look very much because I don't want to be appalled, but overall, it's really pretty good. Lots of harnessed seats.

Anecdote about 4 1/2 yr old wanting to be nice and tight:
When little sister first made the move from her SnugRide to the MA, she would frequently cry as I buckled her in. In order to get the straps tight, you have to do a ratcheting pull. Trying to distract the little one and not have the older one upset about the crying, I would do a sing-song voice of "Ratchet, ratchet, ratchet 'till your eyes bug out!" Big sister thought it was funny and it explained why I had to keep pulling on the strap unlike hers. Well, now she always insists on being so tight that her "eyes bug out" too. Then I get to "push" her eyes back in and give her a kiss.
 

Melanie

New member
I know I'm hijacking a bit so sorry in advance.

DD2 recently started preschool & I LOVE how they handle field trips. They don't do anything off of school grounds. Instead, they have the field trips come to them. Things like the zoo brings in animals, snow day & puppet theater. It makes their (and my) life much more simple & safer.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I'm fretting over the field trip we have on Monday... I'm already planning to bring the fisher price booster from dh's car because I know it fits small riders better and I've seen a lot of backless boosters for the 4yr olds... sorry, unless they want to prove to me they are 40lbs, the smallest one is going in the highback if they've got backless boosters.

I'm planning to "forget" one of my headrests at home... hehe... sneaky sneaky, I know.

But also, it fits better than any other booster in my third row... so I'm going to put it back there next to the Radian.

I looked at the numbers and, with 12 kids in the class, it's me with 5 seatbelts, then 3 moms with 3 seatbelts each... (well, in the backseat... so unless someone has a laponly belt and no harnessed kid, I should only have to put 4 kids in...

I'm going to put Ruthie in the Radian in the third row middle so that there is room for if I get other harnessed kids, but also so there is room for plenty of boosters that aren't narrow. I've seen a lot of turboboosters and Evenflo Big kids... turbos don't do well in my third row and Big Kids are too wide to fit next to even the Radian...

but it will also give me an excuse to check everyone for a snug seatbelt and make sure everyone knows the straps stay on their shoulders.

I'm actually tempted to put the Radian in and leave Ruthie in her Nautilus in the captain's chair... and try to stick the smallest kid in the Radian... any thoughts on this?

I'm just not a confrontational person and most of the kids I see in boosters are big enough to use them... and they are 4.
 

scoutingbear

New member
I told the teachers up front that I would be providing the seats for whoever was going to ride in my car. My A, aside from one other boy, is the tallest in his class and I knew weight wasn't going to be a problem. I just told the teachers that it was easier for me to get all the seats in myself before arriving at school. I figured if the tallest kid was assigned to my car, I would use the Nauti as a HBB if he didn't fit in the slots. The teachers didn't have a problem since they knew the harnesses were better than boosters to get a bunch of 4 year olds sitting with their friends and high on energy to be safe.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I've already decided I'll just leave the Nautilus in there. Ruthie loves that seat so much and unless someone wants to sit in the Radian, I'll make like it's for a kid who is in my car often... and offer it up for someone to use.

And, if anyone gives me trouble in their boosters, I'll use that as the consequence.

I checked out the drive... we're going to be driving almost completely across town (for those who are interested, it will take about 30min to get there.), but we won't have to take insterstate... so without interstate, I'm not going to pressure as much, but I will bring the fisher price booster and use the Radian... I know that combo can fit with my Nautilus in the third row if nothing else fits and I have to put 3 across, so I want to be prepared.

I think I may leave Jeffrey's Monterey in there, too... I don't like how big it looks for small booster riders, but I love the huge amount of side protection for a crash.

but I can also uninstall it and store it pretty quickly, so if no one needs it, then I'll put it in the back.
 

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