CARES or carseat for flying?

[casiemay07]

This will be our first time to fly and have to buy DD her own seat. She will be 25 months when we do fly. Do I have to take a car seat or CARES for her?

We don't fly much.So I just don't see myself paying $70 for a CARES for this one time. I really don't want to tote her carseat around the airport either.

However if it is needed I will certainly end up forking over the money for one.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Will you be renting a car? Then you would need the car seat anyway.
Do you fly often? I wouldn't invest in CARES.
I'm wondering if you need a restraint at all? ( besides the regular seat belt?)

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

If you aren't renting a car then you don't NEED a car seat. If your child will sit relatively still you can just use the seatbelt. However if you are worried about safety you can get a cheap car seat for the flights or rent a CARES harness.

 

[tabistar]

We didn't use either for our kids when they were younger and they did just fine. Unless she is super active and has a hard time sitting in one place, I wouldn't think you would need them, either.

 

[casiemay07]

We will not be renting a car, just using the buses at Disney. She is not super active.

And I was not sure if it was required for her to have a safety harness or seat.

 

[disney world dreamer]

its not required for her to use either of those.
she can sit in the seat with just the lap belt like everyone else.
BUT often times its easier on everyone if you do bring the child's carseat or use a cares restraint system to ensure that the child does not get too restless and try to unbuckle the lap belt.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

one thing that can happen if you use a car seat, your child may not be able to use the tray table as there is not room for both to be used at same time

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you won't need the car seat for a car, don't bring it. You can use the regular seat belt. You can also rent a CARES harness on eBay, which is cheaper than buying one.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Right there is the option of renting a CARES Harness. I did when we flew in 2012. I rented from eBay like another poster mentioned. I think the whole transaction by the time I shipped it back was less than $20. My son was 2.5 then and we weren’t going to need his seat on vacation. But no it isn’t required. I felt like he needed something more than the airplane seatbelt then just based on his personality.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I'm a fan of using the car seat on airplanes, even when we only used it there and not in cars or buses. Puts kids in a familiar seat in an unfamiliar place. Plus it's the safest. My daughter was 27 months in the picture below:

 

[AllieV]

I rented a CARES harness for $17 a few years ago. I wouldn't do it again. I printed out the airline's section on it saying they allowed it, which was good because the flight attendants questioned me using it. It wraps around the seat and the tray table of the person behind you, so hope you don't get attitude from that person. I had a nice guy sitting behind me who didn't mind. But the worst part was that my 3 yr old (almost 4 at the time) had a meltdown on the landing and refused to be buckled into that thing. It took 12 long minutes of fighting the body stiffening and sliding down the seat, nearly strangling himself on the top part of the harness, before I got him buckled into it.

 

[jnamadison]

In 2010 we took our son to WDW. He was 24 months and like a week. Buying him his own seat worked out as we just took an entire row up. We did take a carseat, but checked it. For the flight, we just had some chicken nuggets and a laptop with some movies on it. Kept him occupied and he was good.

If you can keep your DD's attention off the fact that she's forced to stay in that seat, seems like you'd be fine.

 

[msmama]

I rented a CARES harness for $17 a few years ago. I wouldn't do it again. I printed out the airline's section on it saying they allowed it, which was good because the flight attendants questioned me using it. It wraps around the seat and the tray table of the person behind you, so hope you don't get attitude from that person. I had a nice guy sitting behind me who didn't mind. But the worst part was that my 3 yr old (almost 4 at the time) had a meltdown on the landing and refused to be buckled into that thing. It took 12 long minutes of fighting the body stiffening and sliding down the seat, nearly strangling himself on the top part of the harness, before I got him buckled into it.

It actually goes under the tray table, so the person behind the child can still use the tray table. My son had a total meltdown with his car seat (which led to the purchase of the CARES) so every child is different

I would always a take advantages of family boarding and DH would go first and install the CARES while I wrangled our stuff and the kid. Granted we used it many times, but we never inconvenienced anyone with it (no extra time in the aisles or anything).

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.....

I would always a take advantages of family boarding and DH would go first and install the CARES while I wrangled our stuff and the kid. Granted we used it many times, but we never inconvenienced anyone with it (no extra time in the aisles or anything).

Keep in mind that most U.S. Airlines no longer offer family boarding.

 

[Carrie Gruber]

I'm taking my family down in October and it's our first time bringing a toddler. My youngest will be 14 months at time of travel. At first, I was going to have him be a lap baby but then I thought I might prefer him to have his own seat so that we won't have a stranger sitting with us. That's when I saw that the FAA approves of the CARES restraint. However, after posting on a local moms buy/sell/trade FB page, I was informed that my son would actually be better off in a rear-facing car seat and that the CARES restraint is not a good choice. I've seen pictures online of toddlers using them on planes and it just seems so much simpler than lugging a big car seat along with all of our other stuff, especially when we'll be using Disney buses/taxis for the whole trip. Can anyone help me decide which way to go? I don't see what the big deal is if I use the CARES, it's a 2.5 hr flight down and back (leaving from PA). The person who gave me the info seemed very knowledgeable on the subject, but I would like to know what kinds of experiences other families may have had using the restraint vs. a car seat...Thanks in advance!

 

[kruegeme]

As a frequent flyer (both business and with the kids) and someone that has toted a car seat onto the plane (one time) for our DD when she was just 14 months, I say go without. I've watched many others struggle trying to get them down the isle and into the seat. It's even worse when you don't have any status with the airline and are boarding late in the process trying not to hit anyone that's already on the plane. Not every flight offers early boarding for families. This is even more true for when flying to Orlando from some airports. In our case, our DD wouldn't sit in it the entire time so we ended up holding her in our lap anyway.

If you need a car seat or booster when you arrive in Orlando for a rental car, most rental companies for a per day fee which is more than worth not having to hassle with it.

Let her enjoy flying like 'Big' person by using the normal seat belt. Your flight will be much more enjoyable.

 

[Jenna Riley]

Word of caution about renting through the rental car agency, I've heard they can be pretty nasty. We're checking our car seat (which you're not supposed to do) and buying a cares. I'm solo on the return trip so lugging a car seat on the planes isn't happening
.

 

[dalmatian7]

I purchased a lightly used CARES on eBay a few years ago. It came with all the instruction and a DVD. I figured I would have to use it twice to breakeven vs renting. . I think it works great.DD was not quite three the first time we used it. I practiced at home on a chair so I knew how to install it and the over the shoulder harness "feels" like her car seat so she has no problem staying in it. I would suggest for a younger child looking online for ideas on how to make your own strap for between the legs. I plan on using it until she is grown out of it. We used it again this fall at almost four.

We flew twice with our Britax Boulevard because we needed a car seat at our destination and I would never check a car seat. Target sells a luggage cart that fit the boulevard but folded flat for storage. One bungee cord had it wheeling like a small suitcase. It was a pain to carry on but DD slept great in it. Just a note she is used to a long commute in the car with no electronic devices so she travels well with books and small toys to amuse her.

It is nicer to use the CARES because she can use the tray table. And it does not interfere with the person behind you. You have to put their tray down to install/uninstall but that is it.

 

[Carrie Gruber]

I purchased a lightly used CARES on eBay a few years ago. It came with all the instruction and a DVD. I figured I would have to use it twice to breakeven vs renting. . I think it works great.DD was not quite three the first time we used it. I practiced at home on a chair so I knew how to install it and the over the shoulder harness "feels" like her car seat so she has no problem staying in it. I would suggest for a younger child looking online for ideas on how to make your own strap for between the legs. I plan on using it until she is grown out of it. We used it again this fall at almost four.

We flew twice with our Britax Boulevard because we needed a car seat at our destination and I would never check a car seat. Target sells a luggage cart that fit the boulevard but folded flat for storage. One bungee cord had it wheeling like a small suitcase. It was a pain to carry on but DD slept great in it. Just a note she is used to a long commute in the car with no electronic devices so she travels well with books and small toys to amuse her.

It is nicer to use the CARES because she can use the tray table. And it does not interfere with the person behind you. You have to put their tray down to install/uninstall but that is it.

Thanks for the information, I'm really leaning towards getting a used one. I'm hoping to get my 6 seats together so that the tray will belong to one of our kids so I won't have to deal with another passenger. I'm sure I'll be able to rig something up for a crotch strap, I'm just hoping my son will be able to sit in the seat for most of the plane ride. This will be our first time flying with a toddler, so I'm anticipating the worst but hoping for the best!

 

[gizzoid]

I hope it all goes well! We are looking to take my almost 4 year old down but are renting a car so I think we will bring the car seat....or he may be in a booster at that point too. depends on timing