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What Experts Say:
The Federal Aviation Administration strongly urges you to secure your child in an appropriate restraint based on weight and size. Turbulence can happen with little or no warning. And when it does, the safest place for your child is in a Certified Restraint System.
~The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
CARES Child Aviation Restraint System In The News
Kids Fly Safe Inventor Supports Safe Seats for All Kids
From a letter to the editor in Minnesota Medicine magazine: I read your advice to parents about flying with young children (“Children and Airplanes: Are We Having Fun Yet?” June, p. 33) and am appalled that the author was ambivalent about whether all children should be in their own airplane seats appropriately restrained and that he bought into the FAA’s spurious claim that if parents had to purchase a ticket for their youngest kids, more would drive not fly—and there would be more children injured as a result…
CARES Wins 2011 Tillywig Award
Burlington, VT (August 1, 2011) – For most of us, when we think of staying safe it means doing something to take away the fun. However, if the act of staying safe lets you do something that’s incredibly fun (like flying on an airplane to Nana Sophie’s), then you would probably agree that staying safe can be fun. And because its Child Aviation Restraint System is helping children between the ages of 1 and 4 fly safely on airplanes, CARES just received the 2011 Tillywig Sterling Fun Award. In order to be selected as a Tillywig award winner, a product must be determined to have high entertainment and/or educational value. Tillywig's awards program provides retail buyers, news media, parents, and consumers with product information and reviews of superior children's products available in today's marketplace. After extensive testing, they bestowed four different awards – Best Family Fun, Top Fun, Brain Child and Sterling Fun -- to children’s products currently on specialty toy store shelves. CARES received a Sterling Fun Award. This honor goes to distinctive children's products notable for their exceptional quality and bold originality. Here’s what the judges at Tillywig Toy Awards had to say about the Aviation Restraint System:
Blog Reviews of CARES
Here are comments Bloggers have made about CARES in the last year: “The CARES harness was not only wonderful to use on the plane itself but it also meant that we didn‟t have to worry about dragging a car seat all over the place. Often when traveling you can‟t check-in to your hotel early or there is some kind of delay and hauling that heavy, cumbersome seat with us everywhere would be a real inconvenience. Since the CARES harness is approved by the FAA and is constructed of the same material the adult airplane seatbelts are made of, I felt very comfortable entrusting Anna‟s safety to this product. But I was thrilled beyond words to discover how simple it really made our flight experience with a toddler!” “I was so happy to have some peace on the flight, and it wasn‟t just because of the quiet. I also had peace of mind knowing my son was much safer wearing this CARES harness seat belt. And it is really easy to use it. It just slides down around the seat, you tighten it and then the lap belt loops through the bottom. It is also easy to adjust to fit your child just right. It only takes one minute! I completely recommend this to anyone who is flying with toddlers. It is a must have!” “If you fly once a year this product is worth the investment." Read the full news item for more...
National Transportation Safety Board Panel Advocates Use of Child Restraint Systems
Participating on the Aviation Child Passenger Safety panel at the NTSB's forum on child passenger safety Thursday, AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend reiterated the union's longstanding call for separate seats and restraints for passengers less than two years of age. "As flight attendants, we are required to secure all items in the cabin, galley and lavatories; from carry-on bags to coffee pots. We do this because we are trained that in an emergency loose items can be dangerous if flying through the cabin. A lap child has the potential to be one of those 'loose items' that may not only suffer serious injury themselves but also injure others," said Friend. NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in her opening remarks that the forum marked the beginning of a year-long effort by the Board to promote child passenger safety across all modes of transportation. "Safety for our smallest travelers should not be considered optional or a luxury," said Chairman Hersman. For over 20 years, AFA-CWA has advocated for the mandatory use of child restraints in aircraft and supported the NTSB's recommendations that the Federal Aviation Administration require all infants and small children use safety seats during takeoff, landing and turbulence. Unfortunately, the union contends, the FAA's decision to continue allowing children under the age of two to be held on a parent's lap gives many parents the false impression that this practice is safe.
Should Child Restraint Devices Be Mandatory In Planes? PART 1
(Aviation News Journal Winter 2001) Written by Louise Stoll,former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Transportation and currently General Manager of Kids Fly Safe The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — the US “watchdog” over all mass transportation — held its first ever conference on the topic of Child Aviation Safety in aircraft in Washington, DC on December 9, 2010. This kicked off a yearlong effort by the Board to promote child safety across all modes of transportation. The role of the NTSB is to investigate major transportation incidents, from multiple- automobile freeway smashups to train wrecks to injuries from severe turbulence and crashes in aircraft. The NTSB then makes recommendations to remedy the problems that cause these accidents to the appropriate operational department of the Department of Transportation. Sitting front and center on the auditorium floor in the conference room were two airplane seats. In one was a “three year old” child mannequin in a typical 20 pound car seat. In the other was a similar child mannequin in the one pound “buckle and belt” CARES child aviation restraint – the airplane-specific child restraint the FAA certified a little over four years ago.
Should Child Restraint Devices be Mandatory on Planes? PART 2
(Aviation News Journal Winter 2001) Written by Louise Stoll,former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Transportation and currently General Manager of Kids Fly Safe. While the panelists all recognized the need for improved safety for the youngest fliers, only Mary Gooding could speak from the platform of actually providing such safety. Virgin Atlantic has long provided child restrai nts for its youngest passengers, and requires that they be used. Pat Friend reiterated the flight attendant union’s position: child restraints for young children should be mandatory. “As flight attendants we are required to secure all items in the cabin, galley, and lavatories - from carry-on bags to coffee pots….because we are trained that in an emergency, loose items can be dangerous flying through the cabin. A lap held child has the potential to be one of those loose items that may not only suffer injury to themselves, but also injure others.
Montana Plane Crash Revives "Lap Child" Debate
Federal transportation safety officials are using the deadly crash of an overloaded plane in Montana to revive a long-standing debate about whether small children should be allowed to travel on the laps of adults. The 10-seater plane crashed as it was landing in Butte in March 2009, killing all 14 people aboard, including seven children. Investigators say that several of the children were found far from the plane, suggesting that they weren't properly restrained. The National Transportation Safety Board is asking aviation regulators to require all passengers to have their own seats and seat belts, including children under the age of 2 who are now allowed to sit on an adult's lap during takeoff, landing and turbulence.
NTSB Issues Safety Alert To Urge Parents To Use Child Restraint Devices
The National Transportation Safety Board today issued a Safety Alert to advise parents of the dangers to young children on aircraft when not restrained in an approved child restraint system or device. The Safety Alert notes that preventable injuries and deaths have occurred in children younger than 2 years who were unrestrained.
WomenEntrepreneur.com Tells CARES Story
Passion and persistence are the hallmarks of great entrepreneurs, and these qualities are available to all of us no matter our age. Louise Stoll was 59 when she went to the airport in 1999 to pick up her daughter. When Louise saw her daughter Miriam waddling off the plane seven months pregnant, a toddler on her hip, a diaper bag over one shoulder and carrying a 20-pound car seat, she knew there had to be a better way. So Louise sketched a belt and buckle restraint that she thought would work on a plane in place of a car seat. Her journey had begun.
CARES Wins Mom's Choice Gold Award
The Mom's Choice Awards® just named the Child Aviation Restraint (CARES) among the best in family-friendly products for 2009. CARES won the highest honor from Mom’s Choice, a Gold Award, in the Gear & Accessories- Safety Category
CARES Featured on the Daily Grommet
(November 3, 2009) Make sure to check out the Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES) on Daily Grommet, www.DailyGrommet.com, today (Tuesday) starting at noon!
CARES Available at Adaptivemall.com, a Leading Website for Equipment for Children with Special Needs
Burlington, VT (October 9, 2009) - In a breakthrough decision, the CARES device was recently approved by the FAA for older children with special needs who are over the 44 pound original limit. These parents can file a request with the FAA to use the CARES, and once they have this “exemption” need not reapply for future flights. This development not only allows families with special needs children to travel more freely, but it provides those children with much needed added protection during flights. To date, more than 45,000 CARES have been sold worldwide. The multi-award-winning child aviation seatbelt is now available at www.adaptivemall.com, a leading website for equipment for children with special needs.
Older Kids With Special Needs Can Use CARES
The FAA has granted permission for a child with special needs who exceeds the current weight and height limits to use CARES. This permission was granted for use in seats, such as the bulkhead, in which there is not a passenger seated directly behind the CARES user. Children with special needs who are within the certified height and weight guidelines have always had the option to use CARES but this new development means many more children with special needs have a safe and easy alternative for flying.
CARES Wins PTPA (Parent Tested, Parent Approved) Seal of Approval
CARES is designed to make airplane travel with young children easier on parents, so it makes sense that the device just won a Fall 2009 Seal of Approval from Parent Tested, Parent Approved Media. PTPA Media’s mission is to discover and appraise new products designed for children and families that enrich family living.
CARES Child Aviation Restraint System Wins Dr. Toy Vacation Product Award
Summer is a time for travel and relaxation, but the thought of flying with young children is enough to keep some families at home. The portable CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System), was recently awarded with a Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product for Summer 2009 for its portability, and the added safety it offers young flyers.
Buy Buy Baby Stores Carry CARES
Burlington, VT (June 22, 2009)- Savvy travelers interested in purchasing the FAA-approved solution for traveling with young kids, Child Aviation Restraint (CARES), need look no further than their neighborhood buybuy BABY Store. The 16-store retail chain recently added the device to its outstanding line-up of baby gear and supplies. Download the article
Kids Fly Safe Receives Good Housekeeping Award
NEW YORK, NY (December 7, 2007) – Good Housekeeping announced the winners of its 13 th annualGood Buy Awards last night at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in New York.
CARES Wins iParenting Media Award for Excellence
Kids Fly Safe Wins iParenting Media Award for Excellence
Mr. Dad 2007 Father's Day Seal of Approval
Kids Fly Safe wins the Father's Day Seal of Approval from Mr. Dad. Created in response to hundreds of requests, The Mr. Dad Seal recognizes products and services that help fathers build strong relationships with their children.
National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
Kids Fly Safe has been recognized as a recipient of the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval
Dr. Toy Socially Responsible Product Award
Dr. Toy, the noted child development authority, has tapped the Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES) as one of this year’s Top 10 Socially Responsible Products, part of the 2008 Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products list.
Grandkids Gift Guide Superproduct Award
Kids Fly Safe is the recipient of a Grandkids Gift Guide Superproduct Award. Products receiving the Superproduct Award have been tested and reviewed by Grandkids Gift Guide and exhibit qualities deemed valuable by kids, their parents and grandparents.
Daily Candy Kids Product Picks CARES Child Aviation Restraint System
Heading home for the holidays? These should help make getting there (and being there) a little less stressful. For kids 22 pounds and up, use the only FAA-approved child aviation restraint, CARES. It weighs nothing and folds up into a sack you can toss in your carry-on.
Kids Fly Safe Gets National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
The Spring 2007 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval has been awarded to CARES for their innovative Kids Fly Safe device.
Kids Fly Safe Wins Creative Child's Top Choice Award
CARES is the winner of the 2008 Creative Child Magazine Top Choice Award.
CARES Honored With Prestigious Crystal Cabin Award
– Kids Fly Safe, LLC, is proud to announce its child aviation restraint, known as CARES, has won a Crystal Cabin Award, announced in Hamburg, Germany, this week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
CARES Safety Device Honored With A 2008 NAPPA Gold Award
Flying with small children has never been easier thanks to CARES, and the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) agree! They recently awarded CARES with a Gold seal for the Toddler age group in its Parenting Resources Awards.
CARES To Be Included in Annual Celebrity Gift Box
CARES was chosen for this year’s annual Babes In Toyland program by Distinctive Assets. Every year they assemble a gift box of the top children’s products and hand deliver the boxes to celebrity parents.
Read the Product Review by Anya Clowers, author of Jet With Kids
Wow, I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to install! No more pre-boardingnecessary and no more stressful car seat installations with pinched fingers for me! Andthe best part is, no big bulky car seat to lug around!
Read the Passporter News Review of the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System
On August 14, 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the first ever alternative child restraint system called CARES, a harness-type device that attaches to the airplane seat's regular seatbelt.
Read the Review of the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System by Island Reviews
As a flight attendant, one of the most common questions I receive from traveling families besides "Do you have extra diapers on board?" is "Have you ever heard of the CARES Restraint System? Is it really that easy?"
Travels With Baby Tips Reviews CARES
Obviously, I love traveling with my children. But even I will admit that one of the greatest challenges in traveling with a toddler can be managing the logistics, and bulk, of a toddler-sized car seat on top of any other travel gear, diaper bag, freerange Travel Teddy, and toddler.
Read the Mom's Favorite Stuff
CARES is the new, easy way to travel safely on airplanes with small children. CARES is the first and only FAA approved harness-type child safety restraint for kids 22-44 lbs in their own airplane seats
Interview WIth CARES Creator Louise Stoll
If you’ve ever been on a plane with a young child, then you probably understand what it feels like to travel with a child and their car seat.