CARES Harness?

[Michelina]

Hi, we are flying to Disney next month with our baby son who will be 14 months old. We bought him his own seat and are thinking of renting a CARES harness from an eBay auction.
Has anyone used this harness with their little one and/or rented one from an eBayer? I'd love to hear about your experiences!
I'm going to bed now but look forward to reading your replies tomorrow!

 

[tanyaandallie]

IMO the cares harness is not the best fit for a 14 mos old. Would it work? Likely but your little one is so small he would be much more comfy in a carseat. Sleeping or relaxing in the CARES harness will be tough since he will be sitting in the big seat. IMO it's a much better fit for bigger kids.

 

[Mickey'n'Me]

We used the CARES harness and loved it!! My daughter was 3 1/2. I know kids must be at least 22 pounds to use it, not sure how much your little one weighs????

 

[golf]

We bought the Cares harness last year for our flight to WDW with our then 3 1/2 year old daughter and our 16 month old son. It worked pretty well for our daughter, but we gave up with our 16 month old. He was far too short for it (and he is in the 99% for height) and he kept slipping under it and getting stuck. It brought on more than one screaming fit. We didn't even attempt it on the flight home. In retrospect, the car seat would have been so much better for everyone involved! We leave for WDW in a week and my son is 28 months now and 38 inches and 27 pounds, so we're going to give it a try again. Hopefully we'll have better results!

 

[chrisw127]

Our friend, who is also a twin mom, was kind enough to loan us hers for our trip in December. Our twins were 22 months at the time. Worked fine for my son, who would sit still. Not so great for my daughter, who was all over the place and easily out of the harness. The harnesses were just too big.

It's probably obvious advice, but give yourself a little extra time to set it up and if it came with a video, watch it--we didnt' and we're left scratching our heads!

 

[daleswife]

my DS was 21 months old and they wouldn't let me use the harness with him. They said if he's not 2 you cannot use it. I would either get a refund for the seat and hold her or take a car seat. I ended up holding my son and it was ok,(hes not the kind that likes to be held down for too long), but we only had an hour flight.....IMO I wouldnt get it.

 

[all4fun]

my DS was 21 months old and they wouldn't let me use the harness with him. They said if he's not 2 you cannot use it. I would either get a refund for the seat and hold her or take a car seat. I ended up holding my son and it was ok,(hes not the kind that likes to be held down for too long), but we only had an hour flight.....IMO I wouldnt get it.

Well, I would have been very upset if that had happened to me. I wonder where they got that info? The CARES site says it for kids that are at least 1, and weigh at least 22lbs.
Having said that, I agree with the pp, for a 14mos old I think a car seat would be a lot more comfortable. The CARES is definitely safer than just the airplane lap belt, or being held on someones lap though. jmho.

OP, we always took a car seat with us on several trips. I was able to get it through the airport a couple of ways: putting it on a metal luggage cart and at least one trip, I bungied it to the back of the stroller. Was it a bit of a hassle? sure, but it wasn't that bad. I used a backpack as a carry on to help keep my hands free. Just a thought. Using the car seat you already have also doesn't cost you anything extra!

 

[hopefor4]

I just used it on my tiny 27 month old, and as long as you take your time, and tighten everything properly, it is fine. I do recommend that you by the strap cover (you know the fuzzy one, the one I have is like a pillow) it makes the straps more comfortable for sleeping. ALSO I rolled up a small blanket and put it in the part of the seat were the top and bottom meet, it make is more comfortable as well.

Good luck!

Michelle

 

[Michelina]

Thanks for all the replies! DS weighs about 26 pounds, I'm not sure how tall he is... Here is a photo of him



We have already switched him to a forward facing car seat and it is huge! I can't imagine hauling it onto the plane and then having to store it at the resort. If the CARES doesn't work out, could we hold him on takeoff and landing and then just strap him into his seat with the lapbelt? He is quite the squirmer, I don't think he'll let us hold him for 2 1/2 hours.
Thanks again

 

[KTMB]

We rented cares from eBay (username cohibakd) for our November 2008 Disney trip and they worked well. Our kids were 2.5 and 4.5 at the time (4.5 year old still within the height requirements). They came with the instructional DVDs and we did watch them to make sure we knew what we were doing. They were relatively easy to install and the kids didn't complain about them. They're used to being harnessed in our cars, so it's part of the routine. My 4.5 yo DD did ask why she had to use it since we've flown several times before without them, but she played along. Yes, squirming is still a possibility because there is no strap between the legs (so they could squirm down).

We are going again in February and I am planning to rent them again. We will be renting a car this time, so I'll be taking DS's (2.5 yo) Britax Marathon and am thinking about getting a Compass booster seat for DD so I don't have to lug both Marathon's. DS could either use the Marathon on the plane or I can rent the CARES. It was so much nicer not having to lug the Marathon through the airport, so I'll probably go with the CARES and check his Marathon. DD wil use the CARES on the plane since boosers are not FAA approved, and we'll check the booster.

 

[tanyaandallie]

While you certainly could just let him sit in the seat with the lap only belt, I just cannot imagine any 14 mos old doing so. They are super busy and would be out of it in seconds. It is also my understanding that if you have a seat for the child, they need to be seated in it and buckled in during the flight.

I have traveled many times with my kids and have carted car seats with me. It really is not that bad. They fit perfectly fine on an airplane. Is it a pain? Sure. But imo handling a squirmy 14 mos old would be more of a pain!!

I also wanted to add some car seat info for you. I don't mean for this to turn into a car seat thread, but did you know that your child is 4 to 5 times less likely to be injured in a crash if he were rear facing? Most convertible seats rf to between 30 and 35 lbs so your kiddo is small enough to still be rear facing. The AAP recommends kids remain rf to the max limits of their convertible car seats. If you would like more info you can read here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

 

[frtchr]

We used it with our 15 month old DD and we loved it. She HATES her car seat, so we knew a plane trip in her car seat would be hell for everyone involved. In the CARES, she sat quietly (VERY rare for her!) and played for most of the flight. She's 2 now and I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

 

[katied]

I own the CARES harness and have used with DS. It works well for him. He's now 21 months, and just used it again last week. It is FAA approved, so on a U.S. airline, you shoudl not be prevented from using it. It does well holding DS in his seat, and works for shorter flights. On longer flights, I still take the car seat so he can sleep. He does not nap in a CARES harness. Very easy to carry & install thought.

 

[clori]

I might be the only one but the cares harness didn't work well for my just turned three year old though she did fit fine for height/weight. Unfortunately she could easily undo the seatbelt for the plane that is used with the harness and without that part done the harness doesn't work. Fortunately at just turned 4 she did much better with just the plane seatbelt though still didn't love it. I guess I should look into listing my cares harness on ebay soon.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

After seeing the airplane crash today, I'd go for the car seat. Maybe if the rear facing seat is smaller, you can use that if he is still within the weight limits. Maybe it would be easier to carry? Also, if he is rare facing you do not have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of you...just his own seat...but he probably couldn't reach it anyway, huh? LOL good luck!

 

[2cutekidz]

If you use the CARES harnes, bring a little of that foamy shelf liner (do you know what I mean?) for your DS to sit on and it should help keep him from slipping.

 

[Binnie]

I bought one for my almost 3 year old DD when we went to DW in November, and will use it again in March for our next trip. It worked well for us, even though DD undid her seatbelt a couple of times (and delayed takeoff because she had to go potty, but that's another story!).

I think it's great, if it will fit your munchkin. And for us, it's way better than schlepping around a car seat we didn't need on the other end.

 

[Michelina]

Ugh, decisions, decisions! You've all given me a lot to think about. Thanks for the feedback. We just got our Magical Express stuff in the mail today Now I feel like this trip is right around the corner.