My 2 1/2 year old too tall for CARES harness

Brnn17 · Jun 4, 2013

I have a Maxi Cosi convertible car seat that I'd rather not take on the plane if I can help it. I will be traveling alone with my son who is only a couple months shy of 3. Traveling alone with a 2-yr old and all the luggage that goes with a 2wk trip seems daunting when you add in a 24lb car seat. He's 42" tall but only 32lb. The FAA recommends that a child under 40 lbs be in a car seat but the CARES harness is only for children under 40". Is the car seat still my only option?

Jan06twinmom · Jun 6, 2013

Will you have a car seat at your destination?

If you need your car seat at your destination, then using the car seat on the airplane is the best option. Car seats can be lost or damaged if they are checked, but you can make sure that your car seat arrives safely and unharmed at your destination if take it with you. My experience flying with our twins is that they were much more comfortable in their car seat than without the car seat.

I'm sure someone here can give you some recommendations about getting through the airport with your child. I know that we made the decision to check most of our luggage when flying with our twins.

Melanie

newyorkDOC · Jun 6, 2013

You can use cares over the height limit. If you look on the website it has a blurb about using it for the disabled up to a certain height which is like 5 FT or something.

But I would only do that if you're not checking your seat. I never check seats for the above me ruined reasons. If you are planning on bringing the seat, I'd just strap it to a stroller or luggage cart and wheel it through the airport with your kid in it.