So I was at the doctors office today to get my IUD (that will come in another post) and decided to read the Parenting magazine to see if they had any fun summer ideas for me to do with Aiden. There is a page in there where they have a bunch of different ads for products that Mommy’s would love and I came across something that DEFINITELY caught my eye!!!
Aiden will be 2 on the 29th of August and we will be taking his last flight before I have to buy him a plane ticket the weekend of his birthday. When I researched what will be the protocol after he turns 2 the airline website listed that I will have to bring a car seat on board. WHAT!!! I mean I did purchase the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 that IS FAA approved but I don’t want to lug that sucker thru the airport in addition to Aiden, probably Noah and all the goodies that keep our flight friendly for the res of the passengers. I have NEVER seen a child with a car seat on the plane so I assume that this is not a policy that has a strict enforcement. Then I thought, well the seat belt on the airplane can NOT be safe for children…I mean seriously.
So next month I will be purchasing…drum roll please…a CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) for Aiden!!! It is a belt buckle device specially designed for children 22-44lbs!!!! And it is the ONLY harness type child aviation safety restraint ever certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
![CARES_logo_orange[4]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ97Hmtlsze_U_PkTISB_gx_8Sgcfcf9Xy4j0TPIHcV1klABEy-3kSf8VWpHXhIXU4VL_NZtr5oGikHm2qIQar4HvL9hDLgxZSEaN99qdfz1s_iY8Lmiqn_PQZ4K7yemUuaxwOFoJqUas/s1600-h/CARES_logo_orange%5B4%5D%5B5%5D.gif "CARES_logo_orange[4]"){kind=logo}
I can’t tell you how excited I am to find something like this. It will make flying with both boys a MUCH easier process. I mean Aiden is normally ALL OVER the place so I know he is NOT going to sit in his own seat if he can unhook the regular seat belt…which has been able to do since he was 17 months old. But with this he won’t be able to get loose!!!! It is essentially a car seat without the big ole car seat!!!! Here is some exact wording from their web site:
Each year more and more young children fly. But until CARES came along, what was missing was a convenient, hassle-free way to keep young flyers safe. Here’s what makes CARES such an invaluable travel solution:
- CARES is the first and only harness type Aviation Child Safety Device to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an alternative to a car seat.
- CARES is an elegantly designed belt-and-buckle device that works in conjunction with the regular airplane seat belt and provides young travelers the same level of safety as a car seat.
- CARES weighs just one pound and fits into a 6" stuff sack! It is easily portable, simple to install, adjustable to every size airplane seat, and usable on any seat in the airplane, except in the emergency exit rows.
- Need your car seat on the other end of the trip? Just check it through as luggage – and carry CARES on board in your pocket!
CARES is manufactured exclusively by AmSafe Aviation, the foremost manufacturer of aviation seatbelts and pilot restraints in the world. (Turn over your airplane seat belt buckle. Chances are it says AmSafe.) CARES is made of the same industrial-strength webbing as your own seat belt and is engineered to the highest aviation-safety standards.
I mean how cool is that!!!! It does cost a little bit more than I would like ($74.95) but it will be well worth it!!!! It even comes with a little bag to carry it in that will fit easily into your diaper bag so not toting a big car seat anymore!!!! (Insert Happy Mommy Dance!!!!!)Happy Flying!!!
![child-aviation-restraint-system-kids-fly-safe-fb_thumb[2][3]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqs68heQeWLx-ejkxFA5xSf3ruKjO3u-B_mdNUuzF1hRp5DFU2qb0I5b3AKZQ-HIA3nQMLwBmnwQLcXFSpjpb_-ll5gC1sddAw7PtulI4c6qaGSSuXKWW-wLc3sN7RXz131_QHim3HkCk/s1600-h/child-aviation-restraint-system-kids-fly-safe-fb_thumb%5B2%5D%5B3%5D%5B4%5D.jpg "child-aviation-restraint-system-kids-fly-safe-fb_thumb[2][3]")
![CARES_girl_lg_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6prMkhjkseduI19Ej4_CDU2owYyPbJhzz0VKXSJghuIWdQjiiquLLjpCYWRfI_V7uSJHfq6g2uHV_2bpDxw_jDqrx9KudW4Z8r3fD7Ran7fI1BiNodZcuysPvbyTwL2NQ8KBOlyFnKc/s1600-h/CARES_girl_lg_thumb%5B1%5D%5B2%5D.jpg "CARES_girl_lg_thumb[1]")
Thanks for posting about this! I am traveling with my 15 month old and he's too big to sit in my lap now (he looks like a 3y/o). I had no idea how I was going to lug him, our bags, a stroller and a car seat and now I don't have to. Purchasing this thing now!!!
ReplyDeleteBefore purchasing a seat belt like this, please make sure that the airline you are traveling with is accepting the use of this seat belt on board their aircrafts. I have seen sites on which the Care seat belt is said to be accepted by an airline but in fact it is not. My advise is to contact the airline and to check there and NOT to take the information from an internet shop for granted. As an European airline employee I know the concequences for parents of being mis-informed.
ReplyDeleteThe FAA forbids booster seats and harness safety vests in airplanes. Simply put, as dictated by common sense, driving isn’t exactly that similar to air travel. Though the chances of crashing are as common as getting struck by lightning, you don’t experience turbulence in the ground, add to that cabin pressure, high speeds, it’s really quite a different experience. If you don’t have an FAA approved seat harness, you might want to ask your airlines for a CRS. Oh, and remember to give notice to your cabin seatmates that you’re bringing a child along.
ReplyDeleteThelma Bowman