A child restraint system manufactured by AmSafe – the same people that manufacture the restraints for the pilots and passengers, just flip over your seatbelt buckle, it likely says AmSafe – that hooks around the back of a plane seat and loops into the lap belt of the seat, converting the seat into one equipped with a five-point harness system that kids are familiar with from rides in their car seats. This setup keeps children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds securely in their plane seat, much the same way they are secured in their car seats. 
The belt portion loops over the back of the plane seat, while the straps loop onto the lap belt. Just follow the directions on the enclosure, or view the links below, including demonstrations on YouTube.
Yes, CARES is the first and only harness type aviation child safety device to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an alternative to a car seat.
The biggest giveaway is the price. As the old saying goes, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. If the price seems too low, then just say no. The CARES harness retails for $74.95 through the only distributor KidsFlySafe.com. The CARES harness is also occasionally available at brick and mortar locations, such as Buy Buy Baby and Target at either the $74.95 price point or within $5.00 to $10.00 of it. However, since CARES remains mostly an online product, there is an absolute flood of what appear to be similar products offered on Amazon and eBay. The trouble is that even though the vast majority of the offerings are NOT the genuine CARES harness, the listings use descriptions and pictures of the genuine product, it even says FAA-approved. The only way you will find out that you had not received a genuine CARES harness is when you get the fake one in hand. Frankly, you may not even really notice a difference until it may be too late. You should not wait until a crazy turbulent flight (or worse) to find out that the harness you thought was a CARES harness is some substandard, non-FAA approved and non-quality controlled knock off. Your child’s safety and your peace of mind is worth much more than the money you might save by buying fake.
As noted above, be vigilantly aware of the flood of imitations that are listed for sale through Amazon and eBay. Look for odd names of companies/listers, and also misspellings throughout the listing. Please see Amsafe Inc, Kidsflysafe Inc, and FAA.
If you want an alternative to a car seat, yes. The CARES harness weighs less than 1 pounds and takes up only about 6” of space in your carry-on, purse, or backpack. It can even fit in a fanny pack. If you must have the car seat for use at your destination, why not just check it and board the plane without the bulk?
If you are looking to replace the hassle of taking a car seat onto the plane while still making sure that your child is safe on the plane ride, there is really no other option that is FAA-approved and has been used by thousands of families on flights all around the world.
Children between 1 and 4 years old, weighing between 22 and 44 pounds are the ideal CARES harness users
If purchasing the CARES harness seems like too much of an investment for a single or just a couple of uses, consider our rental service. We only rent genuine, authentic, FAA-approved CARES harnesses that are gently used.
The price is less than half of the original price, and the harnesses are thoroughly disinfected and cleaned before being listed for sale
Technically the brand is AmSafe, but the only distributor is KidsFlySafe, so yes and no. When you rent with us you will be receiving the only FAA-approved, genuine CARES harness manufactured by AmSafe and purchased from KidsFlySafe.