CARES Child Aviation Restraint System
by CARES
|
List Price: Our Price: $63.93 You Save: $11.06 (15%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
Baby Products Reviews of CARES Child Aviation Restraint System
Customer Review: A great product with limitations
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the CARES restraint after reading on the Airline website that it was required if we were not bringing the car seat for our two year old. The Airline then wanted to sell me this exact restraint for a decent amount more than what I paid on Amazon. The restraint works really well and exactly as described in the DVD that is included if you are sitting in Coach. However, it does not work in First Class. The First Class seats are angled and the restraint tends to slip down off the seat. The restraint works well and I felt that my son was definitely secure in it. He figured out how to unhook the airplane lapbelt about 30 seconds after I had secured that one, so I was happy to know he was securely held in by the CARES restraint. I wonder if it is really necessary because on one our flights I had the Flight Attendant tell me that I had to take it off my son because she did not think the additional restraint was allowed. I then had to point out the FAA approval on the CARES label and explain to her that I had been told by her airline that it was required. She felt that the additional restraint was too much and thought the straps at his chest could be dangerous. I would purchase the restraint for peace of mind and safety of my child if you are flying Coach. It was so much easier to just carry the little restraint in my carry on bag than to lug the giant car seat on to the plane. However, just be aware that while the airline says you need it, none of their personel are aware of it and may give you a hard time about using it.Customer Review: So much easier than lugging the car seat!
Summary: 4 Stars
It is rare that any product is perfect, and the CARES harness certainly has a couple of spots it could be improved upon. However, the ease of use in comparison to a car seat is worth any flaws it might have.
The pros:
-You don't have to lug your car seat through the airport, detach it from something like the Go Go Travelmate or the Traveling Toddler Car Seat Accessory in order to get through security, etc.
- Installing a car seat on an airplane puts your child in kicking range of the seat in front of you, the CARES harness (mostly) prevented my son's feet from reaching the seat in front of him.
-Easy to install on the plane seat. Slip it over the back, run the seat belt through the straps, and strap your child in. I was able to do this in under two minutes, flying alone with a toddler.
The cons:
-As other reviewers described, the chest clip location is not perfect. If you are not careful in installation it ends up aligning with the neck. I was able to get the chest clip in a better location, however.
-The red strap does not lie flush with the curved seat backs.
- Lack of leg straps means the child can slouch, messing with the positioning of the harness and also putting them in range of kicking the seat in front of them.
All in all, this product *is* overpriced for what it consists of, but given that it went through the process of FAA approval, it is worth it to not have to travel with a car seat. Improvements could be made, however.
Customer Review: Great, Easy & Safe
Summary: 5 Stars
I was so happy to have found this product. We were travelling out of country with our 2 year old for the first time, and were told we needed to properly restrain her in case of turbulence. Luckily we had 3 weeks to go before travel when I came across the CARES system. The delivery was speedy, and the DVD demo was easy to understand. We traveled via Delta and there were doubts about whether we could use it or not, but we gave the stewardess the enclose info sheet, she made a call and gave us the go ahead. She was surprised that more people travelling with toddlers don't use the CARES restraint. It was easy to install and did not bother the travellers behind us. There was a review regarding how inappropriate it was for a smaller toddler...and I almost did not get it, cause my little one is 22lbs. But we got it and it fit great, she felt all grown up that she was buckled in as everyone else was. We traveled with her sleep pillow so the straps were not a problem for her. We also reclined the seat and she slept well. The seats were leather, but surprisingly she did not slip down as some other reviewer found. I would highly recommend this product..I mean wee secure everything else, why not our precious little one. It is light weight and the little drawstring bag kept everything together.
I would strongly recommend travelling with the paperwork that's included just in case you meet airline personnel who are unfamiliar with CARES!
Customer Review: Good idea - Needs a few enhancements
Summary: 4 Stars
Recently used thir product on a transatlantic flight to South Africa on South African Airways. We received no positive or negative comments or challenges from anyone on the flight including airline personell. SAA did provide us with their own strap to secure our son to my lap belt during take offs and landings, which I preferred to use. During flight we used the Cares when we had a seat open for him. One challenge was that he tended to squirm to get comfortable while trying to sleep and slipped further down on the seat than I would have liked. Another system I purchased for using when he was on our lap has a wide pad that passes from his waist at the back, through the groin area and up in front. The shoulder and waist straps then secure to it. A feature such as this would preven the slipping down problem and make this system safer and more convenient than it already is. Tightening the strap to the backrest sufficiently to prevent it slipping down was a small challenge but not too bad. You do have to ask the person sitting behind you if they mind having the strap behind their tray table. I'm not sure how well it would work if the tray table is set into the back rest and not flush mounted. One other concern is that the main metal buckle ended up in an inconvenient location relatively close to my son's head. I would have preferred it to be between the seat back rests maybe. All in all, the product is worth it but could benefit from some enhancements.Customer Review: Definitely Safer, Worth the $$, Not Perfect but Fixable!
Summary: 4 Stars
Just flew r/t with our CARES harness for the first time with a very active 2-year-old boy. On one landing, it was rough and he definitely could have been injured had he not been strapped in so securely. It's comfortable--he only complains when I put it on (because he knows he can't get out of it, whereas he can definitely escape from the regular seatbelt on airplanes!) But once he's in it and distracted, he's perfectly happy--so I know it's comfortable for him. When he wanted to lay his head down on the armrest, I just slightly loosened the buckles at his shoulders (which are VERY easy to tighten and loosen.) As for there not being a strap for between his legs, yes this is a slight issue because he does slide down--possibly this only bothered me b/c he never complained. However, I did see a great solution online: purchase a long strap made of velcro or else use a belt. Loop the strap over the orange strap that goes around the back of the seat and lay it on the seat before seating your child. Then once he's sitting and you've strapped him into the seatbelt, bring both ends of the Velcro strap or belt up to the seatbelt and loop around and connect the two ends. Voila!
Many parents on the plane were jealous of my awesome harness and secure child...bring the business cards you get with the device b/c you'll definitely be giving them out!
Happy flying.