Ridesafer vest and CARES?

lawgirl5

New member
Ok...new question. I had posted in another thread earlier this morning that I was looking at getting a new travel seat (I currently have a Britax Boulevard 70CS for daily/regular use). Noticed yesterday while using my travel seat-Safety 1st Onside Air-while my Britax cover was drying, that my almost 4 year old looks about grown out of it (will need to measure his height tonight but last I checked I believe his weight was 36-38lbs.) as his head is right at the top of the shell. I was originally considering getting the Harmony Defender, Safety 1st Guide or Evenflo Sureride as replacement (will only be used on an airplane 2-3 times a year and then at Grandma's house and very rarely as a backup at home) but now I'm wondering if I should just get a Ride Safer vest for use at Grandma's and my occasional home use as well as a CARES harness for airplane use (I am ok in theory with my son riding in just the airplane belt but with him being HIGH energy, I am not so sure it will be easy to keep him contained that way. I KNOW he would constantly un-buckle if for no other reason than to piss me off...). Is this a good plan? Just not so sure about the Ride Safer vest as its new (I don't mean "new" as in just came out but just a new concept for me) and the 44 lb weight limit on the CARES harness may not make sense at his current weight. I know a new seat is cheaper, but as a single mom who has to lug everything (even though I do use a carseat transporter) I was thinking my stress level would be less getting through airports/travelling. Any thoughts??
 
ADS

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
Forward facing children can have their heads above the top of the carseat shell as long as the shell is no lower than eye level and the top slots are not below the shoulders.
 

cantabdad

New member
There are folks here who love their RSTVs and it is certainly a nice option for not having to bring a heavy carseat as a single parent. For CARES, I see a lot more mixed reviews, with some negative comments about comfort and ease-of-use, but again it is great to have the option. So the RSTV + CARES combo can certainly work.

I would just keep in mind that (a) you may not have many more trips left until CARES will be outgrown at 44 lbs., and as mentioned above it uses the regular airplane seatbelt, so it doesn't help at all with the unbuckling issue, and (b) the RSTV is a little unconventional; your mom might find it easier to setup and buckle a regular carseat if she ever takes your son on car trips without you.

I think a combination (harness-to-booster) carseat like the Evenflo SecureKid would be another good option here, and would make a good backup/carpool seat for times when you're not using it for travel. Some of the lighter ones are around 12 lbs., which is heavy but manageable. As your son gets older he could probably even wheel the carseat cart through the airport.
 

kookaburra

New member
I've posted before about our experience with the RSTV. I prefer it to lugging a carseat, but I don't love it. It can be very fiddly. It's a bit of a pain to rethread the seat belt through the guides every time. I think, given your concerns about the plane, a harnessed seat may be a better choice.
 

Pixels

New member
CARES also has a 40 inch maximum. At four years old, there is a good chance it is already outgrown or will be soon.
 

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