Child Airplane Travel Harness - Cares Safety Restraint System - The Only FAA Approved Child Flying Safety Device

I got this so that my toddler would be more secure in her airplane seat. The good: it’s super light, about a pound and very easy to install. It can fit on any airplane seat, even lay flat first class seats. It helped to keep her in place, and I felt like she was safer during take off and landing. The bad: because there’s no crotch strap, she slides down in the airplane seat. Overall, if you want your toddler to be more secure on the airplane, get this! It’s easier to travel with than a car seat in flight.

Bought this for our 2.5 year old on a recent trip. I didn't want to lug around a huge car seat so I thought this would be a great alternative. It's much more convenient to use and install than a car seat on an airplane IMO, and you don't have to worry about flight attendants asking whether your car seat is FAA approved. We had one very conscientious flight attendant ask us if it was a CARES system and examine it to make sure it was the real thing, and it passed her tests, so that's a good thing. I suspect an experienced flight attendant will have seen one before, so you probably won't have to go through that scrutiny most times. Sadly, as is the case with most toddlers, they don't like being buckled up very much at all, so there's probably no way you'll be able to keep your kid in this for the whole flight (unless it's a short one). Still, having them secured during takeoff and landing is the most important thing, and for that, it was worth it. Installing it is pretty easy - however, depending on the type of seat you have, you'll probably have to ask the person sitting behind your toddler to lower their tray to install it. It won't affect the use of the tray during the flight, but it has to be installed behind the tray in most cases. Not an issue, just an FYI (if you're confused, just read the instructions). Pros: Tiny (compared to a car seat) and compact Comes with its own bag to carry it with Fairly quick and easy to install; the instructions are pretty clear Works as advertised - keeps the kid secured and safe, as far as I can tell Is FAA approved Doesn't weigh 10-15 lbs Oh, did I mention it's much smaller and easier to carry around than a large car seat? Cons: Cannot use in a car A bit pricey - you'll have to decide whether or not it's worth it to you depending on how often you travel You'll have to probably explain to the person directly behind your kid's seat what it is, but I haven't had any issues with that.

This, to me, seems like a great solution for a young toddler: we are beyond the infant car seat, but not ready for just a booster. This harness provides some added safety without the hassle of a large carseat (which is a pain to carry when traveling as a family, and pretty much impossible if I'm traveling alone with my daughter–I just can't get it around). After 2, the child has to be in their own seat during take-off and landing, and the airplane seatbelt alone doesn't feel like quite enough. Like other reviewers have mentioned, there's no strap between the legs, and with the material / shape of the airline seats, she tends to slip downwards after some time in the harness. Just happens. You do have to loop the harness around the seat. So far I've had no issues doing this–you can usually open up the tray table of the seat behind, loop the harness around, and close the tray table again right over–but I guess there are airplane seat designs that would require you loop it over the tray table, making it impossible for the person behind the seat to use the tray (while the harness is installed). These issues, for us, were mostly nullified by the reality of my toddler refusing to stay still and harnessed for the majority of the flight anyways. I was contented to have her well secured for take-off, landing, and any turbulence; the rest of the time we do our best to stay belted, but tend to be in and out. So, if you were ruining the day of the passenger behind you by disabling their tray, you could just plan to do so during take-off and landing, and go with just the seatbelt for the rest. It is expensive, but has felt worth it to us. It's well made, labeled, and easy to use; I think it's a very clever idea.

If this is the only product recommended/approved by the FAA other than bringing the entire car seat, I will use this. However, it's not the best product. You can tell that this design has been used since the 90s or early 2000s. It works fine on ULCC, LCC or some full-service airlines. Pros 1. Keeps the child secured and with shoulder support 2. Easy to install Cons: 1. Asking the passenger behind to install this. 2. The newer airline seats have more curvature like a racing car seat. It creates the bowing effect of the strap against the seat which could be uncomfortable for the child. 3. The newer airline seats have bi-fold tables, entertainment screens, and additional plastic pockets making it hard or sometimes not useable for the flight. Please see the image attached, this is on an older JAL 787-8, the plastic pieces on the side of the table prevent the harness from going under the tray table and tightening. If your child is smaller it can go below that so the person behind you can close the tray table but if your child is taller, it prevents the tray from closing because of that handing plastic pieces on the side of the tray table.

UPDATE 2018: ...and we are STILL traveling with the CARES harness, 4 years later, now our youngest is in it. Still, everything I wrote below holds true, but I wanted to add, that I did run into a few flight attendants claiming the harness was not approved or allowed on their aircraft - I politely insisted to ask a colleague or the "head flight attendant" on board - and each time it turned out the initial flight attendant was mistaken - it was approved - sometimes the attendants are just not familiar with it. As far as the tray tables and entertainment systems - the strap has to be widened/loosened, then put over the seat behind your child - under the tray table, below the entertainment system, then tightened - and then you close the tray table - which we have never found to be a problem. Our experience is with domestic flights, mainly with Jet Blue and Southwest, on different aircraft. Original Review 2014: We got this the day before our flight (Jet Blue), no chance to practice at home, watched the video (comes with DVD, but on product website there is also a video). This was our first flight with our very squirmy, super active 25 lbs. 34 inches toddler. Easy install on a full flight, fitting around the seat under the tray table, just watch out that it is just above shoulder height, and that the shoulder straps point the right way before you tighten it around the seat. Our toddler accepted the CARES like sitting in a car seat. Without it, I'm sure our toddler would have climbed all over us, and possibly tried to climb into the next row! With it (and some entertainment and snacks) we had a very peaceful flight (despite a lot of turbulence). The only minor issue with this harness is, that you will have to pull up your toddler a few times, because the device creates a four point, not a five point harness. We also found that it helps for the toddler to wear a shirt with a little neck collar so that the shoulder straps don't dig into the neck, and finally; having a dry diaper at all times was the solution to stop any squirming or scooting. On our flight back we put a little blanket on one side (a neck pillow did not work - pushing head to far forward) between shoulder and head, and slightly reclined the seat, and our toddler slept. The CARES comes with a roomy (!) pouch, that is a welcome change from those pouches where you have to fold something just so to fit it in. Other specs: -for children between 22 and 44 lbs. (10-20 kg) -for children with height less than 40 inches (100 cm) -child has to be able to sit upright alone -only for use in forward facing seats -3 metal buckles (one around seat, one on each shoulder), easily adjusted. -1 plastic buckle (connecting chest straps across breastbone) -pictorial instructions on device itself -address label on device itself (did not see this until after the flight, but a great idea, as I can see how you forget to take it with you!) -parts are from the US and Germany, assembled in China. -we used it on an Embraer Jet and on an Airbus 320.

This harness was exactly what I needed for my first solo flight with my toddler. He’s big for his age, hates his car seat, and tbh I really didn’t want to haul one through the airport. The cares harness gave us a safe and comfortable alternative.. and it was SO compact and easy to use. But.. even better than the product -- was the INCREDIBLE customer service. I ordered late and realized that even with expedited shipping, it wouldn’t arrive in time. I reached out, and they responded right away, shipped it the same day, and went above and beyond to make sure it got to me before my flight. They didn’t have to help me.. as it was my mistake.. but they were so kind, responsive, and.. human. I’m incredibly grateful. If your child doesn’t tolerate a car seat or you just want to avoid lugging one through the airport, this is the perfect solution. I don’t know what I would’ve done without it. This product was a game changer for me.

I bought two of these for a 3 year old and an 18 month old. We used them on two 3 hour flights. Pros: Fits easily into carry-on bags Lightweight Easy to install Cons: Child can slip down easily (especially if they try to) Pricey for an item that will probably get used sporadically for only a few years Neither child acted like this was a car seat. Both tried to wiggle out. Overall, I would recommend it more if it were a little cheaper. For what it is - essentially three straps, a buckle, and a metal sliding bar, it is extremely pricey. I bought this because my daughter flies so much better in her car seat. She is used to being buckled in and stays in her car seat happily while the car is in motion because she knows she has to. The one time I took her car seat on the plane I got the same results - happy content child waiting until the plane stopped to request to be out. But her car seat is heavy and now that I had two children, I didn't want to lug them, all their stuff, and two car seats on a plane. So I bought these instead. However, neither child accepted these as a substitute car seat. They both wiggled the entire time, whined to be let free to run the plane, and tried to slide down and out. My 18 month old son definitely wanted out. After a few firm "no's", my daughter gave up, but with my son it was a battle of wills the entire time. Because this product does not have a crotch strap, I definitely had to use some mommy muscle to keep hoisting him back into a sitting position. That said, it did do its job. With close Mommy supervision, both children stayed buckled in their seats. It was lightweight and easy to install as advertised. We didn't have turbulence or problems on our flights, but it does seem like it would keep them safer than just a lap belt in those situations. Amazon does have the best prices to purchase these; although, you can rent them for 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of a new one from various places.

After reading reviews we were in two minds whether or not to bother with this - I'm SO glad we did! It worked exactly as we hoped it would. We have just returned from a visit to UK with our 16-month old son and this worked perfectly for us. J is at the point where he will make short shrift of wriggling right out of my arms if he doesn't want to sit on my lap so we were not looking forward to taking our 'lap child' on an internal flight followed by a transatlantic flight with a long car drive at each end. A few plus points: 1) J was traveling as a lap child so we did not want to haul his car seat with us only on the off chance of him even having a seat - the CARES harness slipped easily into our hand luggage. (As it happened we talked with the check-in attendant and on both journeys managed to get a whole row of 4 seats all to ourselves - for anyone who doesn't already do this, it's ALWAYS worth a lengthy chat about where they're trying to seat you both at check-in, at the gate and even once you're seated if the plane is clearly not full!). 2) The harness fitted easily and securely over the seat as per the instruction. Passengers behind us were not in the least bit bothered about the few seconds it took to slip it over the chair back and under their table. 3) We strapped J into it without him even batting an eye - I think he thought he was just being strapped in like he would be in his car seat and was very content to sit still. 4) It took only a minute or so to make sure the harness was properly adjusted and J seemed very comfy and content in it. On the long flights He happily remained in it all the way through taxiing and takeoff and the first drinks and meal service. However, since each time we had 2 empty seats between myself and my husband when it was 'bed/nap time' we lay J in between us in his long sleep sack (so I could sit on one end of it for extra security!) and with the normal lap belt wrapped around his middle. He was very happy to go back into the harness once he was up again and for the landing and taxiing. 5) J stayed in the harness for the whole of the last flight from Philly to Detroit and was more content than if he was being made to sit on my lap. We did go through some heavy turbulence and I was very glad to have him so securely strapped in. He barely moved. No negatives as such but a few points of caution... 1) Despite the stated height and weight range children are supposed to be at least 2 years old to use this item. Since J is tall and heavy for his age we were happy to use it, and thankfully so were North West and US Airways. 2) Check with your airline to make sure they will allow you to use it, esp. if traveling outside the USA. In our experience with it on this one trip, North West were totally fine with it, US Airways were fine but did remind us he was supposed to be 2 even though they were happy for us to do what we preferred (their alternative is holding your child on the lap with no seat belt at all!), Lufthansa did not allow us to use it during taxiing, takeoff or landing (they insisted I hold him and we use an additional lap strap instead) but were okay with it's use during the flight. 3) Like any car seat or restraint, don't presume your child will be comfy enough to sleep whilst using it... more an issue of sitting upright than the harness itself. That said, if they sleep well enough in a car seat I can't see why they wouldn't with this. 4) Even if properly fitted the large adjusters/buckles on the front vertical straps may be uncomfortable for a child depending on how the harness fits them. I preempted this by taking the cosy covers off our stroller straps (JJ Cole velcro fastening ones) and placing them over the buckles. Jack was fine and may even have been fine without these but I felt it was nicer around his shoulder/neck/chin area to have the extra cushiness. 5) We did have to hitch J up a few times in his seat but this was nothing major and certainly no worse than if he was just using the lap belt. All in all I would highly recommend this product to anyone flying with young children.