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  1. #1
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    Driving field trips but car is too small :(

    I noticed that there are various opinions about field trips, some don't go at all, other just do neighbourhood, and some take public transport. Wow lots of variety!

    I think field trips would be great - especially in the winter. The only thing is I only have enough room for 3 kids including my own child and I'd like a 'full house', 6 kids plus my own = 7. I hesitate to take public transit, for both the amount of work involved and the time crunch factor. Do people rent vans for the day? Is it possible to do that and get insurance just for the day? Or would it be possible to have a volunteer or assistant drive a second car. Obviously they would have insurance and a police clearance, but what else would you require of them for liability reasons? Or is it just not possible. I thought about having a parent help/drive as well, but then would they need a police check...what else?

    I guess what I am asking is, beside transit how do you take kids for driving distance field trips when you don't have the car space.

  2. #2
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    I don't drive kids anywhere .....I don't want the extra liability .... I wouldn't trust someone else to drive either.... Generally when you rent a vehicle your personal vehicle insurance covers it .... It would cost a lot of money to rent a large enough van to get 7 cars seats in as a regular van would not accommodate them. While you could probably write it off at tax time I would think by the time you put out the money for the van the gas and any admission to where you are going you wouldn't make any money that week, and that's assuming your not paying an assistant . I wouldn't want to go anywhere in public with 7 children under 4 ....yikes

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  4. #3
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    I can only fit 3 carseats in my truck so i only go out on days when i have 3 kids, the other days If i can't walk there i just hang out around the house. I also don't feel comfortable driving too far with the kids. I def wouldn't ask another parent to drive unless they are driving their own child and maybe mine.

  5. #4
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    I can fit 4 carseats and maybe one booster in my car but I only have 3 carseats (I supply them) so I only go out with 3 or less children. From my experience, parents LOVE that we go on field trips and they are all perfectly fine with short notice trips as well. In the summer we do a lot of walking field trips as I am close to 5 playgrounds, a splash park and an ice cream store/summer diner.

    I have thought about taking the public transit as well but like you, I am hesitant. I know lots of daycare centres use the public transit but I just don't feel it's that safe. Plus I have never been on one myself so I admit, I am hesitant because I don't know how they work (as in which bus goes where lol)!!

  6. #5
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    I use my van (3 carseats, 2 boosters) when we go anywhere. I personally worry about public transit ( I think that the bus safety videos they showed me as a kid in school scarred me for life. Lol.). I do take the kids on the occasional trip to the local nature trails but only when numbers are down. If I plan bigger trip (I do a couple of times a year) for everyone, I plan it for a day when I know that a mom I trust is available to come with us,drive her own kids and to help supervise.

  7. #6
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    I can only fit 2 carseats and a booster seat in my car or 3 carseats in my truck. Usually my husband leaves me the truck.

    I very rarely go out on outings and if I do all parents supply their own carseats. I give 12 hours notice and usually only go out if I have 2 or 3 kids which is usually very rare.

    I am always hesitant to go out. Before I was doing daycare and I worked out of the home one of my coworkers got the dreaded call that her daycare provider had been in a car accident and all the kids and provider were on their way to the hospital in the ambulance. They were all fine but it was so scary for her and I always remember the sinking feeling we all felt waiting to hear if all was ok.

  8. #7
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    I also only go on field trips by car when I only have a small group, usually when it happens to be only 1 plus my own two. I have enough space in my suv for everyone, but not enough car seats and it is too much work to take all of them somewhere by myself. I have extra liability insurance on my car insurance and only very occasionally go by car for field trips. It is easy to do around the neighbour field trips where you can just walk, which the kids are just as happy to do.

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