CARES Child Restraint Device

I've used this for my daughter and it was a breeze to use! I highly recommend it. :) Happy travels!

I just bought one for my 16 month old for a 5 hour trip to Hawaii. We did not buy her a seat, but I am bringing it hoping there will be an extra seat. It looks really sturdy (thick seat belt material). It is also approved by the FAA and my sister (flight attendant)has seen people use it. The $75 is worth it to me to not have to carry around a clunky carseat. If I end up actually getting to use it I will post again. In regards to the person saying you can't use the CARES system on take off or landing. I just checked numerous sites (American Airlines and FAA) and both say you can use the CARES system on all phases of flight. I think that it is so new that many flight attendants have never seen or used it. My sister is a flight attendant and confirmed this and said she rarely sees them.

I highly recommend it, absolutely love it, cannot say enough good things about it. :) I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 2 year old. It was easy to take both kids by myself to visit my family in so cal. You'll need to put down the tray in the back of the seat, slide the CARES over the top tighten it just above the child's shoulder level, then return the tray to the stored position. I try to do all that before anyone sits in the seat behind. Then slide the plane's seatbelt through the harness loops. Buckle the harness, buckle the seatbelt and you're good to go. The CARES system has been out long enough now that I don't get questioned by the attendants anymore but I still carry the paperwork with me that proves its FAA approved. I really appreciate that with your child in CARES, they can reach and use the tray table. Just try to get the triangle color crayons so they don't roll off. :D

I hear that they can't be used any longer.
T

Hi C.,

We have used the CARES device several times for our son who is now almost 4. It works great and is very easy to use. It's definitely worth the $75, and much easier than lugging the car seat along. The only minor complaint that I have is that most airplane seats are not flat, so the strap that secures CARES to the seat back does not sit flush against the seat, so as my son slides down in his seat (there is no crotch strap either) that back strap sometimes rubs his neck. Using CARES also eliminated my son's ability to reach the seat in front of him with his feet. That in itself made it worth the money because I didn't have to spend the entire flight telling him not to kick the seat in front of him!!

Good Luck!

I have used it recently on four flights and it was good. I especially did not want to have to carry the car seat through the connection airport. If I were taking just one flight I might still prefer to use the car seat, especially if I need it at my destination, because I think it's more comfortable for the child. I agree with other posters who mention the lack of a strap between the legs makes it easy for the child to slump down in the seat. But my daughter is a very small 2 year old and I think when she gets bigger the whole thing will be much more comfortable for her. Well worth the $75!
I am curious as to where the poster below heard you can't use them anymore...I had no problem and just flew at the end of June.

Hi! I used CARES last month for our trip to Ireland. It's easy to use. I will also vouch with the PPs about the lack of a crotch strap. My son (now 23 months old) is very wriggly and could slip out from under the belt. We bought him a seat and the CARES unit was good when he needed to be belted for turbulence while he was sleeping. However, for take off & landing, since he is still under 2, he was still required to sit on my lap.

hth

~H.

Hi C.,
Yes. it is great! We used it for our 2 year old in March of this year. We had eight flights in all (two tranatlantic lasting ten hours each) and the restraint was wondeful. It took a little while for my hubby and me to work it out(we practiced at home on a chair before our vacation) and it was fine on the flights. It certainly was better than lugging a car seat on board and we felt happy he was safe.
Good luck and happy travels.
Y.

We used CARES for a trip to France for our 2 year old twins. The advantages to using this vs a car seat is: it weighs about a pound, is very easy to use, and does restrain them at the shoulders if there is turbulence. The only thing I didn't like was there is not a strap that comes up at the crotch (only way I can think to describe it) so they tended to slide down in the seat which got uncomfortable for them. But, it was still MUCH better than hauling the car seats through the airport. I did feel like they were safe in them.
V.

We used CARES for our son for a five hour flight when he was 4.5 years and loved it! It is absolutely approved by the FAA (still!) for kids weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. The FAA's website clearly states that children are safer in either an aviation approved are seat or a CARES harness than they are on someone's lap. It is easy to use if you go thru the instructions ahead of time. The only issue is that many flight attendants have not seen one and can get kind of snitty about it. Be sure to bring the brochure and a printout from both the FAA's website (just google "FAA child restraints") and the airlines own site. The tray on the back of your child's seat will open and close properly as long as you follow the instructions (we had no problem). Our son did really well in his, and he is super skinny (36 lbs at 5 years old, but at least 42 inches tall -- haven't measured in a while!). Enjoy your trip!

Yes, I have one and used it for the first time in January for my 2 yr old daughter. It was easy to put on and very sturdy. Yes, it definately works and it was absolutely worth the price for us knowing our daughter would be safe in her own seat.