Toddler travel

[Anonymous]

I have done a search and found a great thread about toddlers on planes

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/425255.page

I am going to use these ideas!

I have 2 followup questions for the travel vets out there: Are cares harnesses really necessary? We won't have carseats with us. They sound like more trouble than they are worth. Many of the reviews say that they don't always fit around the seat, the person behind can't use their tray table, the kid can still slide down, etc. Thoughts for a short flight?

Also, we are going to the city and won't rent a car. We may take a few taxi rides. What do people in NYC for example, do when they take a short taxi ride with kids? I can't imagine they have car seats if they are going to a restaurant or to a zoo or something in a different part of town.

TIA for helping.

[Anonymous]

We do not use the cares harness. For short taxi rides, we skip the car seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do not use the cares harness. For short taxi rides, we skip the car seat.

How old/heavy are your kids?

[Anonymous]

I would say for CARES; not necessary, but nice to have. I wouldn't buy one unless you fly 3-5 x per year, though. We used it a dozen or so times between my child's second and fourth birthday, so I thought it was worth it, but if you don't fly a whole lot, I wouldn't worry.

We've taken my child on short taxi rides without the car seat all his life. Once your kid hits 4 years old/40lbs, the bubblebum is a nice product to have, but before that, there really isn't anything.

[Anonymous]

I hated the bubble gum in taxis. It was flimsy and not worth it. Take public transportation. I would not bother with a cares harness. I would buy a cheap seat and bring it. We always travel with seats.

[Anonymous]

I'd definitely get the CARES harness. The person behind you can certainly use their tray table-- this slips behind it. And you can adjust it like the straps on a carseat, so it should fit. It's much safer than just the lap strap. Plus, they have high resale value.

[Anonymous]

The Cares harness was great from when DC turned 2 to about 3. Now at almost 4, he is mature enough to sit with the lap belt, so I generally don't worry about setting up the harness unless I think he might fall asleep and slouch. The harness won't keep your child in place completely like a carseat -- there's no strap between the legs so they can slip out the bottom if they really really want to!

[Anonymous]

I would not try to install a car seat in a taxi. It's a pain in the butt and you are not likely to get a good install where hurrying at the curb with an impatient driver.

If your child is big enough, there are harness booster vests, or look for UberFamily drivers, if you're not sure about riding with no restraints.

[Anonymous]

My 2.5 yr old does just fine on an airplane w/o the cares harness - uses the lap belt like us. Mind you, it's short flights (Boston and Burlington, VT).

[Anonymous]

I have a three year old who travels all the time with me. I am not even sure what a cares harness is (some kind of seatbelt or carseat I assume). She just sits in her seat.

When we travel to cities, which is most of our traveling, we don't bring a carseat. She just goes in the taxi. Keep in mind that taxis are popular in cities, and in most cities there is a lot of traffic, so they're not driving very fast.

[Anonymous]

We have a cares harness. No problem at all. The person behind always wants to discuss how clever it is, it's totally no hassle.

[Anonymous]

Love the CARES harness. Used it on my 17M old (met weight requirements) and it fantastic. Kept him buckled and in his seat. I've used it about 10 times with my older child and I've never had an issue with it fitting over a seat. The belt expands and then you tighten it. It also does not interfere with the tray table as it goes behind it,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a three year old who travels all the time with me. I am not even sure what a cares harness is (some kind of seatbelt or carseat I assume). She just sits in her seat.

When we travel to cities, which is most of our traveling, we don't bring a carseat. She just goes in the taxi. Keep in mind that taxis are popular in cities, and in most cities there is a lot of traffic, so they're not driving very fast.

Um, yeah.

Except for the trip from the airport to downtown

Or the random nut job trip on the expressway

Or the crazy driver weaving in and out and speeding


A 30mph crash isn't insignificant.

[Anonymous]

I generally took my car seat on the plane until my son was 4. I also used it in cabs. I have a lightweight Combi Cocorro seat. Now for cabs , I use a Ride Safer Travel Vest. It does increase the likelihood of carsickness though, since the kid sits directly on the seat and can't see out the window well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a three year old who travels all the time with me. I am not even sure what a cares harness is (some kind of seatbelt or carseat I assume). She just sits in her seat.

When we travel to cities, which is most of our traveling, we don't bring a carseat. She just goes in the taxi. Keep in mind that taxis are popular in cities, and in most cities there is a lot of traffic, so they're not driving very fast.

Um, yeah.

Except for the trip from the airport to downtown

Or the random nut job trip on the expressway

Or the crazy driver weaving in and out and speeding


A 30mph crash isn't insignificant.

Has anyone done this for the trip from the airport to downtown? Is it legal?