My husband and I travel a couple times / year with our now 15-month old daughter. We have purchased her a seat and used her infant car seat on past trips, but she has now outgrown that and is in a larger carseat that I HATE to carry thru an airport. I recently read about a new restraint system designed just for aircrafts called CARES. It is a strap system that converts the lap belt into a 5-point harness. It is approved by the FAA and recommended by American Airlines on their website. I was wondering if anyone has used it and what your opinion is? Is it easy to use? It seems so much better than lugging a full car-seat thru the airport (we do have a bag that has wheels on it for the car seat, but it is still a pain).
thanks for all the input so far...since we travel quite frequently, I think we will buy one of these for our daughter. I like the idea that this will make her feel more comfortable since it will be similar feel to her carseat with the 5-point harness.
As far as a carseat for once we get there, we took our daughter as a lap baby on one trip and checked her carseat (we bought a special bag designed to carry carseats - we got it at Target.com). The car seat came thru the trip just fine. You can also rent them from car rental agencies if you don't want to deal with the hassle of checking the car seat.
In response to Linda's question - yes, we will check her carseat again next time. Good question about the cost - when we did it the first time, it was treated as just a 2nd bag (it is within the standard weight and size constraints) and they weren't charging for the 2nd bag yet. I guess now we will be charged the standard rate for a 2nd bag, depending on the airline.
I have never used anything on the plane other than what the plane provides, and my son has been just fine.
I have not even heard of it, but maybe check with someone in your area who does the carseat safety checks. They may have information for you. Good Luck and happy travels!!
I have not used one of these but am also considering getting them for my 2 and 3 year olds for an upcoming trip. I did find a person who rents them through ebay (maybe if you don't want to make the investment if you aren't a frequent traveler) http://cgi.ebay.com/Rent-a-CARES-Kids-Fly-Safe-Airplane-H...
Just wanted to pass that along.
How do others who have used this dealt with the need for a car seat once you reach your destination? Rentals?
We have one and I love it. We have used it for three flights, but I forgot it this last time and we had to use the car seat. The car seat looked to be a bit more comfortable for my 3 year old while he was sleeping on the plane, but it was a pain to lug through the airport. I would suggest getting one of those neck supports for napping while flying (you know, the U shaped padded things- they make them in toddler sizes) or else their little heads don't have support. Aside from all of that I still would recommend it.
Make sure you carry all of the FAA approval papers with you. I had to to prove to one flight attendant that I could use it (but this was almost 2 years ago), on one flight they didn't say anything, and on another flight, the attendants all came back to check it out.
Good Luck and Happy Travels!
Yes, we had the CARES restraint. (We accidentally left it on the plane!) I really like the concept, but my only complaint was that I found it to be large for my daugher who was 2.5 years old. The chest strap did not adjust enough and so it was up around her neck. This was last year, so it is possible that they have changed the strap. It was definitely easier than carrying the carseat, but I would think your 15 month old would be to small for the restraint. Again, maybe they have changed the sizing. Good luck and safe travels.
M.
Hi R.,
I definitely recommend getting one. We bought one about 18 months ago and have used it probably 10 times with our son (now 2.5). At first most of the flight attendants hadn't seen it but some had heard of it. They were mostly curious about how it worked; only once were we asked to show the card that states it is FAA approved. The card comes with the CARES and we just keep it in the little bag. I am going to be buying a second one for our 8 month old soon!
I had read about and purchased a CARES restraint for our family vacation to FL this past February. It was wonderful, very easy to put on the seat and my son who was 2 1/2 at the time sat very nicely the whole time. I believe he thought he was in his car seat at the harness has very similar straps. I was worried at first about buying it and using it as there were a few stories going around that the flight crew would not allow the use of it as they were not familiar with it. We flew on United and had no issues at all. The flight staff was very patient with us double checked that he was strapped in securely as the harness was almost un-noticeable when he had a blanket on his lap. I had looked at finding a used one; however I felt better getting a new one even with the cost. My husband refused to carry a car seat along with us as he said it would not make for much of a vacation for him to have to haul it through airports along with any carry-ons we had along with keeping track of our son.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who is traveling with a small child that is too big for an infant seat. The CARES harness comes in a small bag and weighs about a pound; it is made out of the same material as seatbelts so it is very strong. It was so nice to not have to carry a big, heavy, bulky car seat with us while traveling through airports and feel comfortable on a plane knowing that he was not going anywhere.
I recently purchased this CARES system for my 15 month old son. It is pretty easy to use but I made the mistake of buckling my son in to it too soon before take off. It was a large plane for a long overseas flight and so the wait was pretty long. When it was time for take off he was ready to be on my lap - HA! I should add I wanted to have it ready to use for take off, landing, and if we hit any bad turbulence. I'll also say it would be helpful to have a favorite toy, book, etc. handy to use as a distraction while strapping them in to make it easier. I think it will work better next time we use it because he will be a bit older. It was definitely better than dragging a car seat thru the airport, customs, etc.
I know a blogger friend, who is a stewardess, who used it and said it was great, and let us know that most stewardesses don't know about them yet, so you need to know how it works on your own. A commentor said that they liked it but that it had some trouble coming down low enough on the seat of one particular airline. Can't remember which one.
I haven't heard anyone not liking it.
Just throwing another option out there for you. The Go-Go Babyz Travelmate is great. It's a wheel base that attaches to your carseat. It works great, manuevers like a stroller and is your child can ride in the carseat while your getting through the airport. I love mine.
No, I haven't even heard of it, but I may have another solution. Go to www.onestepahead.com and they have some travel solutions for you...the one I had in mind is the Gogo Kidz Travelmate...Ever maneuver through a busy airport with a child, car seat, luggage, and tickets? Then you'll appreciate the genius of this remarkable invention! Travelmate turns your car seat into an airport stroller that you can push with one hand. Not only can your child fly secure in his car seat (as recommended by the FAA), you'll have your own car seat with you once you arrive. Weighs just five lbs; stores in the airplane's overhead bin. Fits down standard airplane aisles (if your car seat fits, Travelmate will, too.)
It's got a 4 1/2 star rating and is just $89.95 for one. They also have pictures of it.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Hi R. -- Does that mean you'd be checking the carseat? What would that cost?
Bon voyage! L.
