Daycare Bus with Built-in 5-point Harness

flick37 · Jan 13, 2009

Hi,

DD's daycare is going to gymnastics on Friday, and they are renting a preschool bus that has 5-point harnesses built into the seats. Daycare provider, knowing my feelings about carseats, etc, ran this by me. DD has been on a regular bus with daycare before, with no restraints at all. I am not even really comfortable with that, but lots of people use the bus, so got over it.
anyway, just hoping to get some opinions about these buses with built-in 5-point harnesses.

Otherwise, I would make other arrangements for her.

Thanks!

trinity991 · Jan 13, 2009

My son gets driven to preschool in a van with built in 5 point carseats. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. He used to get driven by a different driver who didn't have built in carseats and I would install it every morning and than a different driver would drive him home and he had car seat installation knowledge and I checked his installs and he would have to install the seat everyday for the drive home. The built in is less hassle for me everyday but I too am interested in what others have to say.

flick37 · Jan 15, 2009

Well, my husband won't drive DD to and from gymnastics tomorrow, so she will be riding in the bus with these built in 5-point harnesses. Perhaps I should take time from work to do it myself.

QuassEE · Jan 15, 2009

Sorry..Maybe it would help us if you defined "bus" a bit better--there are many types, and some people even describe the larger passenger vans as being a "bus".. And also define the 5-pt harness--what type of restraint is this, was it retro-fitted to an existing thin low-back bus seat or is it a newer bus with the more plush seats and higher backs?

Canadian techs don't really have much experience in the way of bus safety as compared to the Americans.. I did take the US course and have that segment, as well as a seminar at Lifesavers so I can at least tell you what I know from that...which isn't much.

-Nicole.

flick37 · Jan 15, 2009

I am not really sure. I think it is a mini-bus that an organization owns that is used for pre-schools/daycares to transport kids around. It is available for renting out on Fridays. I have never seen it, so am at a loss for what the seats are like. My guess is that it comes already made with the 5-point harnesses, but that is really just an uneducated guess. I suppose that if it is used to transport children for daycares/preschools, then it must meet some sort of safety requirements??

QuassEE · Jan 15, 2009

As far as I know, over a certain weight limit they're exempt from a lot of things!

Can you contact the company for more information? How many kids are in the preschool? My concern is that it will be a large van and not a bus... The big yellow school buses are actually the safest vehicles on the road--even without seatbelts and carseats.

-Nicole.

flick37 · Jan 15, 2009

Found out that it is actually a yellow school bus (a mini one), so that makes me feel better.

QuassEE · Jan 15, 2009

So really the question is whether or not the 5-pt restraints are appropriate. The only concern I have with using buses is generally around the behaviour of the children and it's impact on compartmentalization.. (hanging off the edge of the seat, standing, sitting sideways..) Obviously behaviour isn't an issue if the children are restrained.

It's probably okay, if it's a newer bus that is specifically designed for this type of transport. Chances are that the bus DRIVER will be trained in the use of the restraints, but again--you might want to quickly confirm with the company.

The lil yellow "short bus" in of itself is a great mode of transportation.

-Nicole.

Daycare Bus with Built-in 5-point Harness

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