Ask Shelly: Car seat and/or CARES for travel with 3-year-old?

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RideSafer travel vest
My daughter using the RideSafer travel vest. It routes the safety belt for the correct placement on the child.

I had this quick question about travel with car seats / CARES from Shelley (with two e’s!) posted to the Travels with Baby facebook wall, and thought I’d share my response here in case others are struggling with a similar question. As always, if you have two cents to share on the topic, please add a comment below this post. 

Hi Shelly,
I have a question. We are going on a cruise and my daughter will be 3 3/4 years old then. She is only 28 pounds and 38 inches tall. We are considering some different options with regards to car seats, CARES harness, etc.
What would you recommend for the plane and taxis. We will be in Mexico and Long Beach and LAX area. Would she be too small for a booster seat in California? Could we use the CARES harness in the taxis?

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First, no you can NOT use a CARES harness in a taxi. They are designed for use in airplanes only, and are not approved to use in cars (they require an airplane seat and lap belt to work). And yes, she would be too small to use just a booster (backless), as they are recommended for children at least 4 years and weighs 40 lbs.

You could certainly use CAREs for your flights, if that helps, and if you’ll be traveling by taxi either to/from the airport or for sightseeing in ports, you might consider the RideSafer travel vest, which your daughter is just big enough/old enough to use (recommended for 3 years+, 35” and taller, 30 lbs+).

The RideSafer travel vest is certified to FMVSS 213 for use in motor vehicles, but is not approved for use in airplanes. Traveling with both RideSafer and CARES, however, you could leave your car seat at home and still keep her safe in taxis—provided they have seat belts—without having to bring a car seat on sightseeing trips! 😉

You can read all about it my RideSafer travel vest review here, and find out more about using CARES in my review here. You might also find some help in the related links below.

UPDATE: You may also want to consider the WAYB Pico Folding car seat, which could be used on the airplane, in taxis, and you may like in your car at home.

Have a safe and wonderful trip! You may find more help in the links below or just search TRAVELSWITHBABY.COM in the top bar.

Related posts and pages:

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby

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