to not want DS to go on a nursery trip in a coach with adult seatbelts?

Just saw a mention of minibuses and car seats.
My school has 3 minibuses and has to have a stock of booster seats and a couple of car seats for the little ones to go out on the bus.That came in with the new laws (although some used them before anyway)

A booster will not fit on the seat. Well, I suppose you could force it on, but it wouldn't be safe. Coach seats are neither wide nor long enough to accomodate boosters.

The DVLA are aware of this as well.

A booster won't really help on a lap belt only.

Am I the only mum wondering to send a booster on the coach? If we all said what we felt then these things could be dealt with. One lonely voice wont go anywhere.

Question, if your child requires a booster seat in a car for an adult belt, shouldnt it be the same for a coach or similar?

I do all the school trips, else my ds wouldnt go and I did consider taking the booster but refrained in case he felt like a freak!

Safe versus Freak, which is it to be?

earring s

Just to say I'll be on the trip tomorrow, not sure if you are........we should have a secret code, how about "niceearringtheymustbeTiffany"

I got a consent form to fill in last week which was the first I heard about the change and no-one actually said anything, the form just came home when my DP did the pick up. There is one other mum from our group who was asked to come. I'm sure your group must be coming too as they told me the family park was working out at £17 per child which they felt was too expensive. Therefore I can't imagine they'd continue at the family park with less children

I guess you could just ask whether the trip is still on and ask if they need helpers.

Otherwise, you can tie a yellow balloon to your DS and I will be sure I stick like glue to him all day

I was apprehensive when my dd had a school trip at 5 to a farm 30 miles away. This was before the rules came in about booster seats were necessary for children up to a certain height or age 11 so the children just wore the adult belts even though my dd still sat in a booster seat in our family cars. I threatened my two charges with death and destruction if they attempted to take their belts off before being instructed to and it was ok but for a 2-year old on a coach, I'd be much more apprehensive. If in doubt don't let him go - the nursery may mock your caution but he's your child at the end of the day.

dd and her class had their first school trip on Friday (reception) and had SUCH a good time, I am so glad I let her go. she was so excited she got dressed at 4am, lol!

teachers and assistants took them, parents weren't allowed - the seat belts were described as "age-appropriate".

suppose it depends if you trust the school staff going - i did/do.

I'm very late to this thread but have decided after witnessing something in our local farm that I would not let a child of mine who is pre-school age go unaccompanied, regardless of the seating arrangements on the coach. I took DS to the playground up the road last week and the kindergarten from the local prep school were there. When we arrived there were about 25 children and 2 adults, the rest had buggered off for a cup of coffee. There is a big unfenced pond not far from the play area which is fenced but the catch is broken at the moment. The gate was wide open and I really don't think the two women would have had a clue if one of the children had wandered out of the play area as they were both watching children on the big climbing frame bit and couldn't see what the rest were up to.

After about 15 minutes the rest of the staff, about another 5, came back with coffee. Finally someone did something to sort out the gate and the children were properly supervised.

SL, just to update you, our trip is the zoo and I have been asked if I will accompany the group I'm mulling it. Now, let me think, a big pile of children, some being potty trained, at the zoo, giving up my free day, paying for it......... Is your trip now the zoo? Will you go? I might if you might.......

Let me tell you a little story or two.

Being an over protective mum myself, I will not let my ds go on any trips by coach unless I am assisting.

The last three trips I have witnessed, coach pulling on to hard shoulder of motorway whilst his mate following catches up!

The rear emergency door (no teachers at the back of the coach) opening twice as we are travelling up the motorway!

Seat belts that didnt work,thankfully we didnt have a full coach so they all got a seat belt that worked!

So think on when you let your kids get ferried off into the sunset. Nobody looks after then the way that you would.

Can't understand the logic of taking tiny children (under 2's) on coach trips anyway. What do they gain from it?

DS2's pre-school trip will require an adult to accompany him. As I will have to take DD (20 months)with me, I'll be driving us in our car. I will explain to the nursery manager what I'm doing, and try not to care if people think I'm neurotic.

I know this thread is from ages ago but I have only just read it and it is like a converstaion I had with a friend of mine last week. Our DC's are at different school nurseries and her nursery were taking the children out for a trip and nobody (apart from me) could understand why she was not letting them go, if I was not going with DD on her summer trip she would not be going wither and she is just over 3 and half.
She did go on a coach with the class 4 miles up the road to the fire station but the other trip is farther away and on a main very bad road there is no way she would be going without me.

I see your point about litle ones being able to climb out easily and agree that it isn't safe. But it isn't so much the fact that some coaches use lapbelts that make them unsuitable for booster or carseats. It's the actual size of the seats on the buses themselves - they're not wide enough to accomodate most booster/carseats.

I know that some nurseries take little ones (babies even) out on trips regularly and use booster or carseats. I don't know how they do it safely though as I can assure you they don't fit. The guy from the DVLA was well aware of this as well.

It's not illegal for children to travel in a minibus or coach without a booster or carseat. In fact, if they did travel on a minibus/coach in a booster/carseat it would proably be a lot more dangerous as they simply do not fit properly.

I actually queried this with the DVLA (I own a nursery. We were taking the children on a trip and could not get the booster seats to fit onto the seats of the coach), and was told that yes, it is a problem - car/booster seats are not designed for use on a coach or minibus and do not fit. Because of this, it is not illegal for children to travel on a coach or minibus without them.

Hi snowleopard, what did you decide? Has your trip been changed? Ours now seems to be the zoo........

I've not really heard of nursery children of that age going on daytrips a long coach drive away before.

I would only let my dc go if you were able to take his car seat.