We didn't mean to be negative or confusing; sorry if we were! It sounds like the CARES harness has worked out for your daughter – which is great, and we certainly agree that it’s much safer than a lap belt and obviously very portable.

We just thought our experience might be useful information for the original poster as we faced similar questions, albeit with a much older kid. We too once thought car seats were impractical for airplanes, and we also struggled to find a way our daughter could be comfortable during flights.

We didn’t mean to cause any confusion or be negative at all, and we fully understand that it's unusual to use a car seat until 13 years old. We just wished to point out that if a car seat is available and the child likes/accepts it – just as our daughter did hers – then it might be a preferable option as it could be more familiar and comfortable for the child (which it certainly was for our daughter), that it might help out with car travel during their stay, and that it may not be as impractical as it might at first seem to be. If the CARES harness works then that’s great – of course. We didn’t mean to criticize it, only point out the possible benefits of a car seat as another option.

Sorry again and we hope that makes sense!!