Cares Airplane Safety Travel Harness For Kids - Toddler Travel Restraint - Provides Extra Safety For Children on Flights - Light Weight, Portable, Easy to Store and Installs In Minutes.

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 compactComes with its own bag to carry it withFairly quick and easy to install; the instructions are pretty clearWorks as advertised - keeps the kid secured and safe, as far as I can tellIs FAA approvedDoesn't weigh 10-15 lbsOh, did I mention it's much smaller and easier to carry around than a large car seat?Cons:Cannot use in a carA bit pricey - you'll have to decide whether or not it's worth it to you depending on how often you travelYou'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 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.

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.Pros1. Keeps the child secured and with shoulder support2. Easy to installCons: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.