CARES Harness

Love, love the CARES harness. We did bring our daughter's car seat once and it was a pain. Heavy to carry and get on the plane. The person in front of my daughter put his seat back and it was in her lap the entire flight. Did the harness on the next flight and it was great! We talked to our girls before and called it their special seat belt and showed them how it worked and the seat belt rules on the plane, etc. We have used them on several flight and they have been great - esp when we hit turbulance.

For a 2yr old I would bring her car seat. You will need it at your destination anyway, and checking it leaves it wide open for getting damaged. Its not treated special because its a car seat, they throw it around, throw other baggage on it, and it will get damaged even if yo ucant' see it, leaving it compromised in a crash. Bring the car seat on the plane and she will be safe, her car seat will be safe, and your sanity will be in check too.

I have used both a car seat and a Cares and have had mixed results with both. I agree with everything that has been posted so far, but I just want to add a downside to the car seat... When the child is in it, they are at the perfect level to easily kick the seat in front of them, so if you can choose a bulkhead seat, do it. Also, if you are travelling alone with your son, the Cares is so much easier to carry. As far as ways to calm him, I have flown alone with my daughters a lot, and I've tried benedryl (once, I was desperate!) and the Calms Forte. Neither did anything at all. What does work is having lots of snacks, new activities, and a portable DVD player.
Good luck!
Good luck!

For a 2 yo I would bring the carseat. Yes, he will have more wiggle room without it, but really he is used to sitting in his carseat, he can sleep in it. When DD was that age, it was so great to have her in the carseat on planes. One trip the flight attendant could not stop thanking us for traveling with the carseat bc the kids will sit in them and are less unruly.

My DD used to sleep exactly half of every flight we took, regardless of how long. I don't think drugging is a good idea even if it did make him sleepy. But you could try Rescue Remedy or some homeopathic calming remedy. I'd try it before the flight to see how it works for him. You may find that with all the white noise of the plane he will sleep better.

We used the CARES system for my daughter when she was just two years old, and it didn't fit her real well. She is fairly petite for her age, but the strap that goes around the seat was not flat against the seat and it laid right at the base of her neck (so the straps would be at her shoulders). She couldn't lean her head back against the seat and couldn't get comfortable. She HATED it. For nap, my husband had to sit in a nearby seat so she could lay down across both his seat and hers, and we used the regular seatbelt just around her waist. I think if we'd had the carseat, she would have slept much better. We did use CARES again this last year (she had just turned three), and it fit her much better. We took a little travel pillow (not the neck kind) and a blanket, and she just leaned on the armrest/my arm and fell asleep - easy. But when she was two, I think she would have done a lot better in her carseat.

If you do decide to use CARES, check with the airline on the style of their seat. If it has a curve to it, where the sides stick forward more than middle/back, then the CARES will probably be uncomfortable.

We used the CARES harness a few weeks ago with my 2 1/2 yr old--it was her "special seat belt". The seats on Southwest are curved (like Allison just posted) so the top horizontal strap was not flush on the seat back, but it seemed okay, like with the curve of her neck. My daughter liked wearing it, but I only made her wear it on take-off and landing (I let her play on the floor and in her seat otherwise). The height adjustment for the 2 vertical straps are easy to operate but is boxy and right where her chin would fall on her chest if she were to sleep--you can tuck a blanket or something cozy to help there. I think a carseat would be more cozy b/c of all the padding on it, but you know your child best. I definitely liked the harness as it is safer for the child than just a lap belt, but no safer than a carseat.

I brought (but didn't need) the homeopathic "Calms Forte" --you might consider it.

I recently flew alone with my 3.5 year old and did end up bringing her carseat ON the plane, and I am so happy I did! We needed it when we got there anyways, and we actually got in a car accident (a guy backed into the front of my sisters car)! It was not a bad one, but I was SO glad I had her buckled in TIGHT to her OWN carseat!! On the plane she did so good because she is used to the fact that when she is in her carseat she cant get up and run around, and she is used to falling asleep in there too. I think the seats alone would be very uncomfortable for a child to sleep in, their legs have to stick straight out and they have to sit so straight up. Plus, on the way back the flight was very turbulent, and it was just nice to know that she was strapped in. Since I was traveling alone with her this time, I bought a GoGo Baby TravelMate for $60 on craigslist, and it was the best money I ever spent! She rode in her carseat through the airport and dragged her little "carry-on" suitcase with wheels behind her and everyone smiled and laughed at her, she loved it. Then when it was time to board the plane I took off the travelmate, buckled in her carseat (easy peasy) and in she went. You could also use it as a stroller for short distances, although it is easier to pull than push.