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.

UPDATE 2018: ...and we are STILL traveling with the CARES harness, 4 years later, now our youngest is in it. Still, everything I wrote below holds true, but I wanted to add, that I did run into a few flight attendants claiming the harness was not approved or allowed on their aircraft - I politely insisted to ask a colleague or the "head flight attendant" on board - and each time it turned out the initial flight attendant was mistaken - it was approved - sometimes the attendants are just not familiar with it. As far as the tray tables and entertainment systems - the strap has to be widened/loosened, then put over the seat behind your child - under the tray table, below the entertainment system, then tightened - and then you close the tray table - which we have never found to be a problem. Our experience is with domestic flights, mainly with Jet Blue and Southwest, on different aircraft.Original Review 2014:We got this the day before our flight (Jet Blue), no chance to practice at home, watched the video (comes with DVD, but on product website there is also a video). This was our first flight with our very squirmy, super active 25 lbs. 34 inches toddler. Easy install on a full flight, fitting around the seat under the tray table, just watch out that it is just above shoulder height, and that the shoulder straps point the right way before you tighten it around the seat. Our toddler accepted the CARES like sitting in a car seat. Without it, I'm sure our toddler would have climbed all over us, and possibly tried to climb into the next row! With it (and some entertainment and snacks) we had a very peaceful flight (despite a lot of turbulence). The only minor issue with this harness is, that you will have to pull up your toddler a few times, because the device creates a four point, not a five point harness. We also found that it helps for the toddler to wear a shirt with a little neck collar so that the shoulder straps don't dig into the neck, and finally; having a dry diaper at all times was the solution to stop any squirming or scooting. On our flight back we put a little blanket on one side (a neck pillow did not work - pushing head to far forward) between shoulder and head, and slightly reclined the seat, and our toddler slept. The CARES comes with a roomy (!) pouch, that is a welcome change from those pouches where you have to fold something just so to fit it in.Other specs:-for children between 22 and 44 lbs. (10-20 kg)-for children with height less than 40 inches (100 cm)-child has to be able to sit upright alone-only for use in forward facing seats-3 metal buckles (one around seat, one on each shoulder), easily adjusted.-1 plastic buckle (connecting chest straps across breastbone)-pictorial instructions on device itself-address label on device itself (did not see this until after the flight, but a great idea, as I can see how you forget to take it with you!)-parts are from the US and Germany, assembled in China.-we used it on an Embraer Jet and on an Airbus 320.