Has anyone ever used CARES?

[mickeysmyboy]

I'm wondering if anyone has ever used the CARES Kids Fly Safe harness. www.kidsflysafe.com

DS1 has his own seat for our January trip and I'm thinking of ordering it instead of bringing the car seat.

He'll be 19 months at the time and weighs 26 lbs at this point. He'll get to use it at least 2 more time after January, if not more. So I don't feel like I'm wasting moeny buying it. Not to mention, after he's done I may sell it on ebay or give it to a friend.

If anyone has used it I'd love to know your experiences! Was it easy to use? was you little one happy in it? Did the airline give you any problem(even though it's FAA approved)?

TIA!

 

[PrincessPoohsMom]

I'd love to hear any experiences also! DD just turned 2 and is rather tall (35 inches) and while I love my Britax car seat the last time we flew her knees were disturbingly close to the seat back in front of her (not to mention every time she twitched she kicked the seat). I'm flying alone with her to Orlando next month, and I was thinking about just getting CARES and checking the car seat. It would be so much easier, and I know she'd be tickled pink over getting to sit in a "real" seat, use her snack tray, etc.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

I have not used it personally yet, but I'm borrowing one from a friend who has used hers for her son several times. She loves it, and she's VERY particular about travel safety.

 

[katied]

I've used it for DS - he's now 18 months. I think it's better for a bit bigger kids than him, but still works well - we still us it on short trips, esp where we do not need the car seat on the other end. DS is only about 24 lbs, and 30.5 inches. THe biggest issue is that if he's tired, he just can't get comfortable in the seat since he's still a little bit on the small side. He can snooze more comfortably in his car seat.

It's very easy to install, and of course is almost nothing to carry around. I've installed myself when traveling on my own with DS, without any trouble.

 

[Bren's Mom]

My sister and BIL are both commercial airline pilots. Sis isn't working right now, she's staying home with her 2 girls but they travel frequently (and free!) on my BILs airline. They have 2 CARES, use them all the time and love them. I borrowed one set for next week because on our last trip while ds was comfy in his car seat his feet were hanging in the very, very small space between his seat and the seat ahead of him. I was worried if the person in front of him pushed back quickly he'd be injured. And he was also frustrated at not being able to open his tray all the way. Of course, his safety is our #1 concern so if CARES weren't available we'd be traveling with his car seat installed in the place, but since CARES is available I think it's a great solution!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

I bought a CARES harness for my daughter just before we went to Disney last month. One flight attendant had never seen the CARES harness before and said I couldn't use it during takeoff and landing. Once I showed her the FAA approved label, she was fine with me using it the entire flight, since airlines are required to allow FAA approved items to be used during the entire flight. I put some of the padded shelf liner stuff underneath my daughter to help keep her from 'submarining' or scooting her butt forward so she is slouching). It was really fast to put on and take off and she didn't seem to mind it at all. We used it on 2 of our 4 flights. We hadn't purchased her seat, but when there was a seat available, it was easy to grab the harness and put it on quick. They seem to hold their resale value very well, so although the initial cost is high, you can get quite a bit of it back when you re-sell it.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I just realized I didn't add the FAA links. Since it is so new, to avoid problems with Flight Attendants not being up to date print out this page which explains CARES and how it is FAA approved. If you see down at the bottom where it says harness VESTS are not approved for take off and landing that's NOT CARES. That's harnesses for your car. Those and non-FAA approved car seats and all booster seats cannot be used.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

Also, print the above page, not the PDF flyer that it links to. The flyer isn't updated with the CARES info.

I also take a printout of this TSA page re: flying with children:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/

It specifically states in BOLD that you are not to ever be separated from your child. Since there are the occasional 'rogue' employees in any business I like to have this with me in case I encounter one while traveling with my son. It also specifies about having breast milk or juice for kids, etc.

Happy travels!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Thanks everyone for the info!! I'm definitely going to purchase one! When we first flew with baby DS he was in his car seat because we had a car service from the airport to the hotel and I didn't feel safe with holding him on the plane or in the limo, even though the limo company said I could. Since FL law won't allow you to use a car seat on a motor coach, which I completely don't get, I can't use his car seat for ME. If I can use something safe and easy to carry instead of his giant Britax car seat it will make our trip a lot easier!

I just realized I didn't add the FAA links. Since it is so new, to avoid problems with Flight Attendants not being up to date print out this page which explains CARES and how it is FAA approved. If you see down at the bottom where it says harness VESTS are not approved for take off and landing that's NOT CARES. That's harnesses for your car. Those and non-FAA approved car seats and all booster seats cannot be used.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

Also, print the above page, not the PDF flyer that it links to. The flyer isn't updated with the CARES info.

I also take a printout of this TSA page re: flying with children:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/

It specifically states in BOLD that you are not to ever be separated from your child. Since there are the occasional 'rogue' employees in any business I like to have this with me in case I encounter one while traveling with my son. It also specifies about having breast milk or juice for kids, etc.

Happy travels!

Thanks Bren's Mom for those links! I printed both out and safely tucked them away with our travel stuff. I'm so glad to have the one stating your not to be seperated from your child!

 

[daleswife]

I tried to use one for my DS who was 21 months at the time. We were flying Allegiant air and they told me that he was too young and we couldn't use it until he turned 2. so they wouldnt let me use it. I found mine on ebay. I rented it from a lady and she sent it to me and I had 2 days from the time I got back to have it mailed back. Not to her, just postmarked to be back to her. She was really nice about it. I rented it for like 15. but if you are gonna use it alot, better off spending the 90 on it.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I tried to use one for my DS who was 21 months at the time. We were flying Allegiant air and they told me that he was too young and we couldn't use it until he turned 2. so they wouldnt let me use it. I found mine on ebay. I rented it from a lady and she sent it to me and I had 2 days from the time I got back to have it mailed back. Not to her, just postmarked to be back to her. She was really nice about it. I rented it for like 15. but if you are gonna use it alot, better off spending the 90 on it.

The website says over 1 year old, 22 to 44 pounds & up to 40 inches. I would have been a little annoyed if they wouldn't let me use it!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

The reason you can't use a car seat on the ME bus is because they don't have seatbelts. There is nothing to secure the child seat into the bus. So if you strap your child into a car seat, there is nothing holding the seat to the rest of the bus.