bus with small kid question

[chrismom2005]

my ds will be six when we go if we get on a bus that is stand room only is it possible for him to sit on the floor or would he get stepped on i just cant see a six year standing on a bus while its moving he would prob fall over

 

[Lisa Anne Colling]

Sorry no one can sit on the floor for the saftey of the other guests standing. We have been on a bus that is full with three small kids, once when my daughter was an infant in arms, I had to stand. Scarey ride and totally not safe. We now wait for a bus we know our kids will be able to sit in. They are 7, 4 and 3 now. Sometimes that means staying later, but safety is more important. The only park we take the bus to is Magic Kingdom. We find it more convenient to drive to the rest of the parks.
Good Luck!

 

[wearegoingtoDisney]

I think if it is so crowded that he needs to stand he will just bump up against other people and be ok. Stand close to him and help him hold on and he should be fine.

 

[hannahsmomma]

dd was 6 last year when we went and she loves standing on the bus. We just stand next to her and tell her to hold on tight. I think your ds would be fine standing with adult supervision.

 

[NotUrsula]

Kids who try to sit on the floor get stepped on -- it's guaranteed, and broken fingers are no fun. It isn't safe for the standing passengers, either.

The safest way to stand with a child is to try to find a floor-to-ceiling pole if at all possible. Have your child hold on with both hands facing the pole, then stand behind the child and hold the same pole in a position above the child's head. That way he can brace forward against the pole and backward against your body.

The most important thing to do is to get him used to the idea of sitting next to strangers. If a seat opens near your position, put him in it while you stand next to him. (And I don't care if I start a flame war -- little kids are safer in seats and should not be standing to give their seats to adults. While it is polite and kind to give up a seat so that a disabled adult can sit, the person who gives up the seat should be an adult, not a child.)

 

[all4fun]

my ds will be six when we go if we get on a bus that is stand room only is it possible for him to sit on the floor or would he get stepped on i just cant see a six year standing on a bus while its moving he would prob fall over

I think you've gotten great advice so far. Another option is if the bus is so crowded you have to stand, you can always wait for the next one. When it's very busy, the are usually running pretty close together so you shouldn't have to wait more than a few minutes for another bus to come along.

Hth and have a great trip!

 

[chrismom2005]

thanks for the advice i had the idea that sitting would be a no no.

 

[awaldo]

Agreed, wouldn't let them sit on the floor. AND NOW, my 2 cents - the people sitting down on said bus better offer to get up and stand, unless they are all women, children, or older. We rode with our DD1.75 in January, and nearly always people offered to let my wife sit with her. And vice-versa, I always offered a needed seat. Please be courteous!!!

 

[ohiominnie]

Do NOT expect anyone to stand up for you just because you have a child. I've been on SO many buses at WDW and have been horrified at what our society is like anymore. Young teens and young adults stay sitting while elderly people try to balance on a moving bus. Moms allow their one and two year olds to have their own bus seat when there are people standing. Disney gift bags are piled on an otherwise empty seat. UGH.

TRUE STORY. My ds was about 3 1/2 yrs old when we were leaving a park one evening. He fell asleep as I carried him to the bus. The bus was pretty full and it ended up being standing room only. NO ONE offered me a seat. I stood (unable to hold onto a pole b/c I had both hands holding my son up) attempted to balance on a moving, turning, braking bus. Several times I nearly fell into the person's lap who was sitting next to me and that person gave me a dirty look!! HELLO!!!! UGH! Now, it'd have been one thing if every seat on that bus was filled with someone handicapped or elderly, but it was filled with able bodied (albeit tired) people.

I was VERY impressed on this last trip to Disney when a bus driver was packing people into his bus (the line was still VERY VERY long) He made announcements like "if you are standing facing the side of the bus, you are taking up TOO much room, turn so you are facing the front of the bus and then move back." Another was "I am not moving this bus until we get more people on." And my personal favorite "There is a woman coming on the bus right now holding a small child. I expect someone to do the right thing and offer her your seat. If you do not offer her a seat, I will pick someone to GIVE her their seat!"

 

[mericletwins]

Kids who try to sit on the floor get stepped on -- it's guaranteed, and broken fingers are no fun. It isn't safe for the standing passengers, either.

The safest way to stand with a child is to try to find a floor-to-ceiling pole if at all possible. Have your child hold on with both hands facing the pole, then stand behind the child and hold the same pole in a position above the child's head. That way he can brace forward against the pole and backward against your body.

The most important thing to do is to get him used to the idea of sitting next to strangers. If a seat opens near your position, put him in it while you stand next to him. (And I don't care if I start a flame war -- little kids are safer in seats and should not be standing to give their seats to adults. While it is polite and kind to give up a seat so that a disabled adult can sit, the person who gives up the seat should be an adult, not a child.)

We have done the busses many times with little kids. This is our 6th trip comming and our oldest two will be 7. They have stood many times and have held to the iron bars. I made sure that they used both hand s and we stood right next to them. I did also find that more than half the time an adult offered their seat to the kids.

BTW.....my kids would choose to stand and hold the bar over sitting, even when the bus was virtually empty!

 

[MSSANDRA]

We are just back from Pop where there is excelent bus service and I saw a lot of bus politics. Many times people would offer a child a seat but not all the time. We always did if it was a child that really was too young to stand or a parent holding a young child. Many times we had parent decline and say no that they choose to ride a full bus and that the child was fine to stand. The thing is that many times this trip the driver would announce at some point in the boarding that it was now standing room only and that anyone boarding at this point should expect to stand. Now with this info it is up to everyone to decide to stand or wait.

We saw VERY few men give up seats to ANY women though some including my DS & DH would for an older women. I had a very much older man (maybe 80) insist that he give me his seat. Of course I declined and he wanted to hold my bags but I assured him I was fine. He was supper sweet.
There was one lady that asked if her daughter could sit on someones lap on the bus. ( DS gave her his seat), and I offered to let a child sat on my lap after the mother and I had taked in the line. This might be too touchy for some but this little girl and I had a great talk with mom standing near by.

My issues with kids and buses this trip was parents letting toddlers and really little children take up a seat when they could have sit on thier parents lap. I held DS till he was as big as me!!! Also seen parents letting a child lie on the seats taking up two or more while people stood. Also saw people giving up seats to children to have the child standing in the seat and climbing in and out of it instead of sitting down. One mom "asked" that some one give her child a seat and a man did just that to have the child climbing in and out the whole trip.


Lots of sides to every issue.

 

[MeMom]

I agree with the gripe about parents letting small children take up seats while older folks stand. I always wish silently that the bus driver would announce, "Please put small children in your laps, if at all possible, to make room for others". I really don't think that would be rude, and it might wake some parents up to the fact that they should've already done so. I've seen people who are just totally oblivious to the fact that an elderly woman is fighting to stand up while their two or three year old takes up a seat.

 

[snugglepeas]

Do NOT expect anyone to stand up for you just because you have a child. I've been on SO many buses at WDW and have been horrified at what our society is like anymore. Young teens and young adults stay sitting while elderly people try to balance on a moving bus. Moms allow their one and two year olds to have their own bus seat when there are people standing. Disney gift bags are piled on an otherwise empty seat. UGH.

TRUE STORY. My ds was about 3 1/2 yrs old when we were leaving a park one evening. He fell asleep as I carried him to the bus. The bus was pretty full and it ended up being standing room only. NO ONE offered me a seat. I stood (unable to hold onto a pole b/c I had both hands holding my son up) attempted to balance on a moving, turning, braking bus. Several times I nearly fell into the person's lap who was sitting next to me and that person gave me a dirty look!! HELLO!!!! UGH! Now, it'd have been one thing if every seat on that bus was filled with someone handicapped or elderly, but it was filled with able bodied (albeit tired) people.

I was VERY impressed on this last trip to Disney when a bus driver was packing people into his bus (the line was still VERY VERY long) He made announcements like "if you are standing facing the side of the bus, you are taking up TOO much room, turn so you are facing the front of the bus and then move back." Another was "I am not moving this bus until we get more people on." And my personal favorite "There is a woman coming on the bus right now holding a small child. I expect someone to do the right thing and offer her your seat. If you do not offer her a seat, I will pick someone to GIVE her their seat!"

im sorry but why should someone that has been waiting in line longer than you have to give up there seat so that you can sit with your sleeping child if you didnt want to stand on the bus then it's very simple DONT GET ON THAT BUS wait for the next one. On my next trip to disney world i will be bringing my 10 month old and I WILL NOT expect someone to give up there seat for me, if I dont want to stand i will just wait for the next bus, i have done it before and i will do it again if i have to

 

[alicenwonder99]

My ds has been giving his seat on the buses to women since he was 5. He is totally capable of standing for a few minutes. He likes being a "gentlemen". I always wondered if the men on the bus who didn't give up their seat for the women felt ashamed that a 5 year old did it.

Anyway, on our last trip, my oldest dd (while holding her baby), always had someone give up a seat for her. No one gave up a seat for me! I guess being younger and cuter gets you a seat on a Disney bus...lol.

 

[taximomfor4]

I agree with the gripe about parents letting small children take up seats while older folks stand. I always wish silently that the bus driver would announce, "Please put small children in your laps, if at all possible, to make room for others". I really don't think that would be rude, and it might wake some parents up to the fact that they should've already done so. I've seen people who are just totally oblivious to the fact that an elderly woman is fighting to stand up while their two or three year old takes up a seat.

S

Several cities I travelled in the past few years had rules on their public transport that ANY CHILD CAPABLE OF SITTING UPRIGHT IN A SEAT MUST HAVE THEIR OWN SEAT. THis was for safety.

I have posted on these threads several times in the past, why my young kids (even my youngest when she was 2 1/2) are in their own seats. We wait, sometimes for quite a while, for a bus with available seats to come along. Then we plant the kids' butts into seats. DH and oldest dd often stand if the bus fills, so do I at times.

I cannot even fathom looking at a little 3yo in a bus seat, and feeling envy, disapproval, whatever. Geez. Most parents are making the decisions they feel are best for their families, especially their children. That is how I began making the choice to put my younger kids into seats.

Beth

 

[ohiominnie]

im sorry but why should someone that has been waiting in line longer than you have to give up there seat so that you can sit with your sleeping child if you didnt want to stand on the bus then it's very simple DONT GET ON THAT BUS wait for the next one. On my next trip to disney world i will be bringing my 10 month old and I WILL NOT expect someone to give up there seat for me, if I dont want to stand i will just wait for the next bus, i have done it before and i will do it again if i have to

When you're carrying a 40 pound child who is completely and totally dead weight, you get on a full bus hoping that someone will offer to let you sit down. At that point I do remember thinking I'd rather spend the 20 minutes getting back to the resort (possibly standing) than another 20-30 minutes waiting for the next bus to get there and then an additional 20 minutes back to the resort. I also had in the back of my mind that once I got OFF the bus I'd be schleping my son from the bus stop up to the room.

I do not think I said in my post that I EXPECTED someone to give up their seat. I was hopeful that someone would, but like I warned others here on the DIS,....do not EXPECT it.

I'm happy you will only have a 10 month old on your trip. They don't weigh nearly as much as a 3 1/2 yr old! In 3 years, if you find yourself in the position I was in, I also hope someone offers you a seat and you think of me.

 

[taximomfor4]

When you're carrying a 40 pound child who is completely and totally dead weight, you get on a full bus hoping that someone will offer to let you sit down. At that point I do remember thinking I'd rather spend the 20 minutes getting back to the resort (possibly standing) than another 20-30 minutes waiting for the next bus to get there and then an additional 20 minutes back to the resort. I also had in the back of my mind that once I got OFF the bus I'd be schleping my son from the bus stop up to the room.

I do not think I said in my post that I EXPECTED someone to give up their seat. I was hopeful that someone would, but like I warned others here on the DIS,....do not EXPECT it.

I'm happy you will only have a 10 month old on your trip. They don't weigh nearly as much as a 3 1/2 yr old! In 3 years, if you find yourself in the position I was in, I also hope someone offers you a seat and you think of me.

That is true, it gets tricky when the child is bigger, and sleeping. We ended up getting a taxi out of EPCOT because of that once. Best few $ I ever spent!!

Beth

 

[ohiominnie]

I cannot even fathom looking at a little 3yo in a bus seat, and feeling envy, disapproval, whatever. Geez. Most parents are making the decisions they feel are best for their families, especially their children. That is how I began making the choice to put my younger kids into seats.

Beth

It's not the 3 yr olds that are the problem. I'm talking about the 18 month olds who aren't even sitting in the seat, they are climbing around, standing up on the seat, up and down off the seat. Hey, I have no problem with it when there is plenty of room on the bus. But when there are people standing, it'd be nice if those extra seats were available. Besides, if people can sit down, that means the standers can move back and more people could get on.

 

[MeMom]

taximomfor4-I guess we view it differently. No harm done. I have nothing against the child. If there were seat belts, maybe I could see it, but I guess I don't see it being any safer for a small child in a seat alone than I do if they were being held by a parent. As a matter of fact, I guess I feel they'd be safer in my arms. I can't fathom letting my small child sit in a seat alone while an elderly lady tried to keep her balance. Didn't mean to get you upset, and I certainly have no ill feelings toward your child. I am a school teacher. Kids are my business. I raised three kids and now have a granddaughter. Personally, I would hold her and let an elderly person, or almost any person, sit. We all view things differently.

 

[ohiominnie]

My ds has been giving his seat on the buses to women since he was 5. He is totally capable of standing for a few minutes. He likes being a "gentlemen". I always wondered if the men on the bus who didn't give up their seat for the women felt ashamed that a 5 year old did it.

Hee hee!! What a little gentleman!!! Very cute!