Would you/do you let your 2 yr old go on field trips?

ColesMommy0606 · September 2012

DS' daycare is having a field trip to a local farm in October. They get to pick a pumpkin, have snack (popcorn and lemonaid) and do a craft while they are there. I really wasn't prepared for my 2 yr old to go on a field trip! The farm is literally minutes away and they will go by bus (car seats are on the bus). I am just worried about them leaving him behind or choking on popcorn. I thought I was being totally nuts but DH said my anxiety is normal and warranted. Do you/would you let your child go? Should I ask to help out/chaperon? If so, would I drive him myself or let him go with the other kids?

Also posted on the Working Mom board.

mylittlesunshine · September 2012

I would be ok with my 2 year old going especially since it is minutes away from where she is at....I know she would probably love doing something like that. If you are are concerned about the popcorn, maybe ask if they have an alternative snack instead.

mexicolombiana · September 2012

My immediate reaction is NO. Then I realize I'm probably overreacting and would say yes.

Daynaw543 · September 2012

I say no. I think 2 is too young for a field trip. Maybe I'm a nervous mom, but too many things could go wrong.. bus breakdown, choking, not enough supervision, car seat not connected right. I'm nervous just thinking about it.

olechka · September 2012

I have full trust of my daycare providers so it would be fine with me. If you are nervous, see if they let you come along.

stsmlh27 · September 2012

If you are able to, I would suggest you chaperon. That way you aren't worrying and stressing the whole time they are gone and you can spend good time with him! I would let him go with the other kids on the bus, and follow them there. And if you do go, you can bring him a snack yourself, so you don't have to worry about him eating popcorn.

tabaskoa · September 2012

I would let him go. And I would totally volunteer to chaperone!

tabaskoa · September 2012

My DS has not gone yet since they have not planned one since he joined the room, but I know his daycare class has gone on "field trips" in the past, but they require a parent to come along as well. His daycare is on site at my work so this works out pretty well for the parents as far as I can tell.

Angela814 · September 2012

I think 2 is really young to be riding on a school bus, and I'd want to know how the car seats work on the bus. There is research that shows buses are safer without seatbelts, but I would assume that applies to older kids. Most 2 year olds are still so little.

sucredee · September 2012

DD's toddler class started going on field trips this spring and they all loved it (at that point it was kids 18-24 months and DD was probably 22 months). They actually liked the school bus part the best (it is just one of those small buses) and they were all in their car seats (and DD still RF). They loved their little trips to the library and they even went to the zoo once. There were 2 teachers with probably 6-7 kids.

I totally trusted those teachers (DD has since moved up to the preschool room and has not gone on any field trips yet because the second teacher is out on medical leave for a few weeks). One of the moms was not Ok with it and kept her LO at home (was able to do so because her parents were here)

racegrrl714 · September 2012

It'd depend on where they were going and how many teachers were going with them. I'd want them to have more teachers with them than what they normally have in the classroom to wrangle a bunch of two year olds.

pinkcallalily · September 2012

I wouldn't let my son go. If they were ok with it, I would drive him separately. I would be way too nervous letting him ride on a bus. However, I know I am overprotective when it comes to who drives my son. We've been rear-ended twice with him in the car and once he had to be taking to the ER by ambulance. I don't want my son in any carseat other than his, I want him rear-facing, and I don't want a teacher/bus driver driving him until he is older. Actually, even if I was okay with it there is no way my husband would go for it because he doesn't even like it when grandparents drive him in a car.

I also wouldn't be comfortable with the popcorn. I'm really surprised a daycare would give it to 2 year olds.

megann831 · September 2012

I didn't even know popcorn was dangerous for a 2 year old, DDs been eating it for a while. I don't know how comfortable I'd be with her going on a field trip though. I might see if I could take the day off and go with them so she doesn't miss the fun.

Brewtowngrl · September 2012

Yes I would. maybe it is 2nd child syndrome, but I trust my DCP and feel confident that they would make sure he is safe. I know that DS would have a blast that matters to me too,

dragon_chica · September 2012

Yes I would and I already have. DD started preschool a couple weeks before she turned 2 last Sept. Her first field trip was that following October to a farm. Since I was on ML I was able to chaperone and DH joined us. For that trip all chaperones drove their own child and any extra kids that the teachers couldn't fit in their cars. Parents were to leave carseats at the school to be installed in the cars. On another field trip I was able to chaperone and even drove one of DD's classmates with us. Believe me, that was probably the slowest I drove knowing in my mind I would want a parent to drive even more cautious if my DD was in their car. At both field trips the parents present were in charge of their child and the teachers took care of the rest. They always ask for a lot of chaperones or the trip doesn't happen. That way the teachers really only had a handful of kids they had to watch.

OP, aside from the popcorn issue I really don't see anything wrong with it. It's a farm, not a theme park. I'm sure the probability of losing them would be low and if the situation is similar to mine's where the parents watch their own child and the teachers watch the others I can't imagine they would lose any kids.

Ginlyn0 · September 2012

I would let mine go with his current daycare. DS goes to a non-profit daycare that serves the local women's shelters. (I'm probably one of the few parents that pay full price or even pay at all.) The daycare is awesome and they have a bus in which they go every morning and pick up the kids from the shelter and sign them in and then return them to the shelter in the afternoon (so the women can try to work). So I know that they are responsible for transporting and keeping track of children DS's age and even younger everyday. They only employ those bachelor's degrees and above because they work mostly with at risk children. I completely trust them with DS.

Stephanie2167 · September 2012

At our current daycare, yes. She's at an inhome and she already been to the Childrens Museum with them.

Had it been the center where she was before we switched daycares? Heck no. The fact that they had two adults for 14 toddlers was not ok with me and I wouldn't feel comfortable.

ColesMommy0606 · September 2012

I asked some questions yesterday. The normal ratio is 1:4 for the 2 yr olds and for a field trip they would bring an extra assistant. They use a list to keep track of each kid and the children wear big name tags with the name of the daycare so they can be easily identified. They will be on the bus with car seats, the car seats are in the first row. We already provided DS' food due to his food allergies so I don't think bringing a different snack would be a problem. That being said I'm still not 100% comfortable and may just keep him home with me that day and elect to take him myself other day OR chaperon and drive him myself.

mamainseptember · September 2012

Nope, I wouldn't. I've heard horror stories about kids that young wandering off or being left behind. I run an in-home daycare and I know other women who run in-home daycares and they do field trips. I would never drive someone else's child (god forbid there is an accident) or take them outside of my home or within walking distance. I wouldn't let my DS go, I think your being totally normal.

Want a personalized experience?

Would you/do you let your 2 yr old go on field trips?

Re: Would you/do you let your 2 yr old go on field trips?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards