CARES or NO CARES?

So we are going on a plane ride across the Pacific.
I am planning on not bringing a car seat for DS as he will be using the SafeRider on our destination instead.
However, he is past the height limit recommendation for the CARES. CARES height limit states it at 40". He is currently at 43". We will be travelling in 3mos. So he might be 43.5" by then.
Would it be a totally bad idea to go against manufacturer recommendations and use it anyway?
Thoughts?
TIA!

It would be a good idea to try it out before hand if you can, I think (did you check their website for a list of retailers? Sometimes they have a mockup seat where you can try it out. There might also be someone near you on this board who would have one and could show it to you and try to check fit.) I would be very comfortable with a kid his age and size in nothing on the plane. I think for such a long flight CARES might not be any more comfortable than a regular lap belt anyway. But, you need to check out the stats of the seats you'll be in and make sure it will install (some first class and a few other seats I think you can't install on) and also make sure his shoulders are below the top before knowing if it's even an option or not. The height limit, to me, is the same as any other height limit on a child restraint-- an estimate. I would go by how he fits. But like I said, I wouldn't even worry about it with a kid his age if he were mine.

I agree. Since he's over 4 I'd probably skip the Cares. We have one but we got it when my DD was only 3, and since we have it we still use it.

So, a 4.5 yr old 35 lbs child (or a 5 yr old 37 lb child) is safe on a plane w/o a carseat? I'm confused. How can that be safe when we recommend they stay harnessed in a car until they are b/t 4 to 6 yrs old and over 40 lbs?

Thanks!

henrietta

Well, honestly, I'd be fine with a 6 year old in a booster in a car at 35 lbs.

Yep. My son is 6 years old now and is 36 pounds and 42 inches. He rides in a booster in one car, and a harnessed seat in the other.

That being said, if I were traveling across the pacific, I would bring one of our harnessed seats for him, because I know he would be more comfortable for that very long plane ride than in just a plane seat. His comfort = everyone else's sanity.

I would not worry about a 4yo in a plane lap belt at all.

I believe the reason I'm not so worried about a 5/6 year old in a harness on a plane is because the main thing you're protecting them from is turbulence. There have been n cases with children hurt from a sudden drop in altitude. Most 5/6 year olds will fit in a lap belt. So long as you have a child who will sit and not wiggle too much. I am able to get a good hip fit on my son in the plane, and we bring a booster with us when we travel (he is 7 and 43lbs) and put it in the overhead bin. You're not necessarily planning for an accident like you are with a car.

In a car, I Personally have found that most kids do best if harnessed until right around that K/1st grade time due to maturity. But if they were mature enough to sit still, we don't have data to say a harness is safer then a properly fitting booster.

The reason I do encourage use of bringing a carseat on a plane is if you need a harnessed seat for when you land. We don't like to see carseats checked, and it really isn't hard to install a carseat on a plane. It can make life so much happier especially with that under 5 crowd... they just stay buckled down, like they are used to sitting.

I like the idea of CARES and I think airline companies should just have them onboard for the folks who do not realize they should have their carseat. They are not nearly as comfortable as a carseat, and the kids can't see out the window... so I don't like using them myself. For my 4 year old, we bring his harnessed seat and install it on the plane... but only because I need it when I land anyhow...

How wiggly is he? Are you using planning on using it for restraint for your sanity or just because you think it's safer to keep him harnessed? And where are you going? A 5-hour jaunt to Hawaii is nothing compared to a long-haul out of country.

The answer to those questions will affect whether or not you need to harness him in any way on the plane. For a long-haul flight, my kids like to lay down or curl up to sleep and they can't do that in a harness (we put the plane's seatbelt over them). Unfortunately for me, that means I end up sitting to sleep because there's no room for me , but oh well. A quick 5-hour flight is just a movie and a nap and most kids his age and weight can handle being in just the plane's seatbelt, unless he's wiggly and will drive you crazy .

Okay, thanks for answering my question. I think if we decide to fly then, I'm going to go ahead and bring a booster seat for my 5 yr old. I'm pretty sure he'll sit just fine in the car in one.

henrietta