Posted by: SquareParents in Travel, Out and About on Jul 07, 2008
Flying with toddlers used to mean having to bring along a car seat that then needed to be strapped into an airplane seat. This had long been mandated by the FAA, and this mandate was a primary cause of the announcement about young children prior to boarding the flight. The announcement will still happen, and always will as long as there's an FAA. Thankfully, however, parents no longer need to install a car seat on an airplane.
Think about that statement for a moment: parents no longer need to bring along a car seat to install on an airplane.
And there was much rejoicing in the skies.
The Kids Fly Safe/Cares is a harness system that works with the airplane seat belts, and from the point of view the parents who have used it is the best thing to happen to jet travel since jet travel. Air travel normally has a lot of variable hassles and problems that are only amplified while travelling with kids. These problems range from getting through the security kabuki otherwise known as the TSA checkpoints to keeping the kid entertained during delays and layovers to then actually getting them on the plane and to the seat along with the other herd members of the travelling public.
Especially when they first came out, bringing Kids/Cares harness system onto an aircraft virtually ensured the the respect and gratitude of flight attendants, and the goodwill of the flight attendants only makes matters easier. When the product was first approved, many of the flight attendants had been briefed about them, but hadn't seen one of them. As more and more people began to use them, it was obvious that a major hassle had been largely eliminated for them.
It was easy to see the difference in the mannerisms and attitude towards the thoughtful passengers who were using this simple thing to tote their young offspring through the wild blue yonder. Comments from the flight attendants along the lines of "Those car seats are the biggest nightmare..." and "Wow. That thing is really amazing..." abounded, along with the sort of unspoken admiration due to the savvy parent. In fact, some adult segments of the flying population have a more difficult time getting into and out of their seats than getting the kid in and out using the Kids Cares. The kids also tend to be better behaved, too.
Since it is so simple, it's extremely compact and is able to fit into any purse of bag larger than a Judith Leiber, and weighs less than a pound. To install, simply slip it over the back of the seat, strap the tyke in, and then keep them entertained until take off. The entire process of getting a child into an airplane seat and ready for takeoff can be completed in literally less than two minutes. Additionally, not only does it not impose on the other passengers, they also think it's cool. By comparison, bringing a car seat on the plane is a bizarre anachronism.