One thing about airplanes, they aren’t kid-friendly. One of the biggest oversights has been that the standard airplane seatbelt doesn’t really fit young children, which is a problem, because that fasten your seatbelt sign is on for pretty much the whole flight. If the flight runs into some turbulence or an emergency situation, a bad situation could become worse.
Until now, the only FAA-sanctioned alternative has been car seats. I’m pretty sure no one, ever, anywhere, is excited by the thought of bringing a car seat on board an aircraft. CARES is a new solution that is way easier to carry onboard a plane, and will do the same job just as nicely. It’s a harness that you can secure tightly around your child’s assigned seat. Once you fit the harness on the seat snugly, two straps go over the shoulders and will hold your child in place securely and comfortably.
If you’ve ever tried to haul a car seat onto an airplane, and you still have young children, it’s probably a really good idea to take a look at CARES. The harness is designed for kids between 22 and 44 pounds, and is small enough to be rolled up and put in a purse. Also, keep in mind that these are FAA-approved only for children under 40” tall – if your child is taller than that, you’ll need a permit from the FAA to use CARES.
You can get a CARES harness here for $75.
