Driving with HDC Kids

[Britishmum]

Just wondering how many of you drive to activities/meet ups with your daycare kids? We are looking at getting a new car before I start my HDC business and ideally I didn't want to get a van but I'm not sure how many/what age kids I will have and how much I will need to drive. The only things with have within walking distance are a park/playground and a shoppers/grocery store.
Thanks!!

[babydom]

I have everything within walking distance. Playgroups, friends, shops, malls, library, restruants so I never have to drive we always walk. But I know a lot of providers that do drive, including to me for play dates :). They all have vans. Some drive 3 kids while others have the full 5 in there :)

[Lee-Bee]

What info are you looking for? Are you looking for car seat info, vehicle info...or just wonder what everyone does?

I didn't drive when I was running at full capacity. I have NO interest in getting 5 young kids in and out of the car to go anywhere! But now that I am down to just working with 2 kids at a time we do use the car. It is a pain but we have the system down pat. We don't wear coats in the car so we pop those off and the kids wear a fleece sweater in the car seat. I also pop boots off as they get in (keeps the car clean). We Exit on one side. I unbuckle them and they come out the one door popping their coats and boots back on.

When we are going to be outside and need full gear (winter or rain gear) I pop the trunk and stand them in the trunk while I layer them up and delayer them. It keeps them clean and dry and contained and out of the parking lot, and they love it because they get to be in the trunk lol.

Anyways...if you plan to have more than 3 kids you would obviously need a van. Even most cars won't hold 3 car seats without buying specific seats and mixing forward and rear facing.

With our 2 car seats we bought the slimmest of seats out there and have them on back passenger side and in the middle...freeing up the rear drivers side for me to kneel to do buckles and such.

I see many caregivers out with 5 kids. I give them credit as it is a big job to pull off!!! But they seem to do it smoothly and have fun on outings so it can be well worth it.

[mickyc]

I only go on outings when I have 2 or 3 kids so it isn't very often-a few times a year. If you want to go out more then get a van, if not then buy whatever vehicle you like and go out only on days your numbers allow for it

[5 Little Monkeys]

We bought a new vehicle a few years ago and I was so torn between a van or a crossover/SUV. We decided since we didn't have kids of our own, we weren't ready for a van lol. We are now ready!! We have a 7 seater journey and I can fit all 4 in it but it's a pia to get to the 3rd row. If I wasn't so cheap and didn't mind paying the high fuel costs for a SUV, I'd go that route before a van but our next vehicle will most likely be a van.

We only have playgrounds, a bakery and a summer restaurant near us so I love being able to go out in the car. It keeps me sane even though it can be a chore to get them in and out. Two of mine can get in themselves and buckle up so that's made it easier!!! When I have little ones I probably won't go out as much and that makes me sad lol. We go out 1-3x a week right now. It will cut down on my field trip expenses though so that will be good!

I supply all the car seats for my car. My husband puts them in for me because of my back issues and there's no way I could get them as tight as he does. We leave them in unless we need the room for passengers. He would never put them in daily for me lol so that's why I chose to supply them. It also ensures that my car seats are safe and clean....some of the seats I've seen are so gross!! Haha. We have leather seats so cleanup is a breeze and my husband put cardboard under the seats to protect the seats from getting damaged or imprinted.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Just wondering how many of you drive to activities/meet ups with your daycare kids? We are looking at getting a new car before I start my HDC business and ideally I didn't want to get a van but I'm not sure how many/what age kids I will have and how much I will need to drive. The only things with have within walking distance are a park/playground and a shoppers/grocery store.
Thanks!!

I not drive children in my car but my friend with dayhome just bought Nissan Pathfinder. She find it better for dayhome children.

[bright sparks]

I had an eight seater Honda Odyssey. I also don't have an issue with driving them and getting five kids in and out becomes a sinch when you do it so often. Just about 2-3 minutes max for the whole group. My issue is what if my own kids are sick and need collecting from school and I don't have the ability to fit all the dckids plus my own two in the car??

I've also managed without but should anything happen where I need to go out, I'm not sure what else I'd do.