CARES® Child Aviation Restraint System Review — Helping Renee Experience the World
Travel has always been important to our family. We wanted Renee to experience new places, visit family, and enjoy vacations just like any other child. Flying, however, presented a challenge. A standard airplane lap belt didn’t provide the stability she needed to sit comfortably and safely throughout a flight. The CARES Child Aviation Restraint System gave us the additional support we were looking for and made air travel much more manageable.
Quick Summary
The CARES® Child Aviation Restraint System is an FAA-approved aviation safety restraint designed for children who have outgrown an infant car seat but still need more upper-body support than an airplane lap belt provides. Lightweight, compact, and easy to pack, it offers families a practical alternative to bringing a bulky car seat onto the aircraft.
What We Love
- Provides significantly more upper-body stability than a standard airplane lap belt.
- Lightweight and compact, making it easy to pack in carry-on luggage.
- Quick to install and remove without carrying a traditional car seat through the airport.
- FAA-approved for use on most commercial aircraft.
- Helped make air travel more comfortable and enjoyable for Renee.
- Gave our family the confidence to continue traveling together.
What Could Be Better
- Designed for use only on aircraft—it cannot be used in automobiles.
- Children must meet the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
- Some flight crews may be unfamiliar with the system, so it’s helpful to know how to install it yourself.
Who This Helps Most
Families traveling with children who need more support than a standard airplane seat belt provides but who no longer travel with a traditional car seat. It can be especially valuable for children with developmental or physical disabilities who benefit from additional upper-body stability during flight.
Renee’s Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) — A simple product that gave our family greater confidence and freedom to travel together.
Where to Buy
- AmSafe Aviation
- amsafe.com
Why We Recommend It
For our family, the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System was about much more than safety—it was about opportunity.
Renee needed additional stability that a standard airplane lap belt simply couldn’t provide. The CARES system gave her the extra support she needed to remain comfortable during flights, allowing us to focus less on managing seating and more on enjoying the journey together.
More importantly, it gave our family the freedom to travel and create experiences that otherwise would have been much more difficult. From family vacations to visiting new places, the confidence this restraint system provided helped make air travel an enjoyable part of our lives instead of something to avoid.
If your child needs additional support while flying, the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System is well worth considering. For our family, it helped open the door to adventures and memories that continue to mean a great deal to us.
💡 Disclosure: Renee’s Reviews does not receive compensation from AmSafe for this review. We purchased this product ourselves and are sharing our family’s experience to help other families raising children with special needs make informed decisions. Always verify that your child meets the manufacturer’s size requirements and follow airline and manufacturer instructions for proper installation and use.