transporting kids - anxious mum

[sky44]

Hi! I am probably just being over anxious and want someone to give me some reasurrance really.....I have signed up to a lovely childminder, great Ofsted, well recommended for my 1 year old little boy. She is everything we are looking for, and like the friendly comforting approach a childminder can offer as there is only one adult to get to know. The "but" is that she transports the kids around in a minibus on the school run and around and about, I keep worrying how safe that is...are they as safe as cars? Oftsted praised her for everything including safety in the car type policy. I guess it is about balancing risks and I would rather my boy be with a childminder than in a nursery with there being more people to get to know, who may move on etc....I am being neurotic re minibuses?

sorry last line shuld be 'am I being neurotic?'

Why don't you look up the safety info on her make of bus? Most mini buses are probably more solid than cars. Speak to your CM. I'm sure she'll be happy to put your mind at ease.

I've always thought the worry with minibuses was that they weren't always fitted with seat belts?

Will he be in a car seat? (and if so you know that rear facing is safest don't you?)

If it were me I'd be neurotic do a bit of research before agreeing to anything. IMO there's no such thing as being too careful with your child's safety especially when travelling

I am not sure it is possible to say if a certain type of vehicle is safer than another type of vehicle. The safety of vehicle type:car varies between the various manufacturers and even models. See Euro NCAP for test results of various cars.

Looking at MinibusWebsite it mentions Driver CPC, which is training. However if the childminder has to do that training may be tricky to work out - they may be driving the minibus on their D1, D1E or a PCV license. More about driving licences can be found in this PDF (DVLA INF28 Driving A Minibus)

I feel you are best off asking the childminder about it. Tell them you are concerned and let them reassure you. The vehicle may well be quite new, well maintained, have well fitting carseats - all sorts of things are possible. Have a look at the vehicle yourself - are you happy for your child to be transported in it?

Hi,I'm a childminder and I drive a minibus.I can transport 12 people including myself.I pay nearly £1000 a year in insurance and all the seats have full seat belts.Its 21 years old, but is maintained extremely well and has never failed an MOT.The children all use age appropriate car seats.i think they are actually safer in a minibus than a normal car as it is higher than most cars so-God forbid!-if anything did ever hit us it is possible that any injuries would be less severe.
I do understand your concerns and so will your childminder,so please speak to her about it-she won't think you're neurotic!

By the way,Childminders don't normally need a PSV licence-its a bit of a grey area because,although the passengers don't pay a fare for using the vehicle,they do pay fees to the childminder for their care-so if the minibus is used during their care,it could be seen as a fare.IYSWIM!!

Hi sky, she sounds a fantastic cm, there's no guarantees in this world as you could be in an accident just as much as your cm. it's the deal and that's life.( and neither of you will)

Your cm will have insurance and I know as an ex cm I was extra careful with my mindees.

I agree with Nannynick, have a look at the Ncap ratings of the vehicle. Im a childminder and I'm about to change my car and the ncap rating was one of the first things I looked at.

Also, my car seats are always 'child specific' which means they always have their own and they only use that one, oh and they are always under 4 years old. If your worried about car seats, provide one for your CM. Which is exactly what my latest parent has done, oh and no you are not neurotic! Ive had one parent come out with me to see how I drive! Which was utterly fine.

Hi, thanks for all the replies and it was reasurring to hear from childminders too on this thread. I am not sure what minibus it is, but will find out and look it up online. From what I know NCAP is only for cars and people carriers but not minibuses which is a pity. I had thought of offering to supply a car sear but then felt silly, but I feel more confident now to try broach the subject!

oh and I know about rear facing, that is another debate! I think I would just get a regular Britax forward facing seat if childminder happy for me to get one, but am considering getting a forward facing Kiddy Guardian with the brace thingy for my car.

One of the seats in my care is a Kiddy. I would not suggest it for an under 3 year old. The pad I find is ok for some children and not others... it seems to depend on their size, some children seem to slip a bit - I've tried it with a nearly 2 year old and she was not fitting snugly.
I would use a 5-point harness seat for an under 3 year old, and depending on their size use until age 4. As with alll carseats, follow the manufaturers instructions regarding height, weight and child's age.