Extras for air travel

We are a baby equipment rental company here at Little Traveller. We rent car seats, cribs and highchairs (among other things)... but we also consider ourselves specialists in flying with kids. We've got a long list of items that we rent and sell to make life easier for parents flying with their little ones. Here are some of the specialist products we recommend:

- CARES airplane harness for children 22-44 lbs travelling in their own seat. As safe as a car seat but compact enough to fit in your purse. Available to rent for $25 or to buy for $85.
- Baby B'Air flight vest for lap-held infants. Protects against mid-flight turbulence and gives mum or dad some hands-free time. Available to rent for $25 or to buy for $45.
- EarPlanes ear plugs are designed to combat ear pain during take-off and descent. Two sizes for adults and children. Available for sale for $8 for a pair.
- Safe.2.Go harness to keep tabs on adventurous toddlers in the airport and ensure that everyone makes it to the gate on time! Available for rent in ladybug or frog designs from $3 a day.
- Angel Alert child electronic tracking device helps keep tabs on errant toddlers in busy locations such as airports and car parks. Available for rent from $3 per day.

If you're travelling to the Calgary area, visit our website at www.LittleTraveller.ca for more compact, portable baby friendly products available for rent.

The Carry-on Conundrum

...or what to pack when flying with kids. These tried and tested tips should help you avoid many of the usual carry-on pitfalls. The key is to travel as light as possible. Borrow or rent key baby items (check out www.baby-equipment-rental.com) at your destination.

• Before you travel outside of Canada, check the expiry date of your family's passports: some countries require that your passport is valid for at least six months beyond the date of your expected return. If you're travelling to the US there's no such requirement. Just make sure that your passports do not expire before you're due to return!
• Baby food, formula, milk, water and juice in reasonable amounts for your itinerary are exempted from the liquids restrictions if you are travelling with a baby under 24 months.
• Keep the following documents to hand for everyone in your travel party (even infants need ID): passport, SIN, birth certificate (for infants & children), health care number, aeroplan card and vaccination record. If travelling without your partner, carry a signed consent letter (and a copy of their driver's license) to prove that you have permission to travel with your child/children. A sample consent letter is provided on www.voyage.gc.ca (follow links to "Children and Travel"). Keep a photocopy of the original documents in a checked bag and another copy at home.
• Put contact information on every piece of luggage, including carry-on bags, strollers, car seats etc.
• Pack a diaper bag with a spare change of clothes for parent and baby, several diapers, plenty of wipes, Ziploc bags, a refillable bottle and snacks, and a few simple toys. Backpacks are a great choice for carry-on baggage because they leave your hands free. Kids over three can carry their own little backpack with a stuffie, a couple of toys and a drink bottle for the trip.
• Toys such as transformer robots that resemble firearms or toy weapons such as water guns are not permitted in carry-on baggage.
• Ensure that your carry-on bags conform to airline size/weight restrictions so that you aren't surprised at the gate and forced to check any of them. Check your airline's policy if in doubt.
• Infants without a seat are usually permitted a baggage allowance of 10 kg / 22 lb, but policies vary by airline. Air Canada and WestJet allow two items of baggage per infant (for example, a car seat and a stroller).
• If you're taking a car seat onto the plane, check the car seat before you leave home to make sure that it has a CMVSS 213 or 213.1 compliance sticker on it. Most airlines require the car seat to be installed in the window seat and only one car seat is allowed per row. If in doubt, call the airline to confirm their policy. (On a recent British Airways flight with our 11-month old who was still in a rear-facing infant seat, we were told that we could only install the seat in a forward-facing position.)
• Consider renting or purchasing a CARES harness for children aged one to four years (weighing 22-44 lb) sitting in their own seat. It does the same job as a car seat, but fits in your purse. CARES are available in Canada from Little Traveller.
  
• Lightweight or combo strollers are a must for most airports if you child is under four (or bring a baby carrier for young babies). Confirm in advance that your airline offers a "claim at gate" option. This option is not usually available for international flights -- strollers have to be picked up at the baggage carousel with the rest of your luggage. (I travel with a Quinny Zapp that folds right down and comes in a compact carry case with a handy shoulder strap. I sling this over my shoulder before boarding and stow it in the overhead lockers. It makes for a quick and easy transition when we land.)
• Some airlines (but not Air Canada or WestJet as far as I know) are starting to charge for large items, such as car seats, that are gate checked. Check with your airline in advance so that you can avoid additional charges.
• Pack winter coats at the top of your checked bags so that they are on hand when you land, and just carry on a warm sweater for you and your children. This saves you battling with big, bulky jackets.
• Bring your own cheap headsets for the kids so you don't have to wait for the flight attendants to offer them. Consider bringing a compact, portable DVD player so that you have more flexibility over what your children watch and when.
• Customize the look of your bags to make them easy to identify on the carousel.
• Keep the stubs from your checked luggage. Immediately report the loss of luggage to the baggage agent on duty.
• Prepare to deal with a lost bag. Pack so that you can continue your trip with the loss of one of your bags. Distribute key items like diapers, formula or underwear so that you can get to your destination.

For more information, head to these sites:
www.airsafe.com
www.flyertalk.com
www.voyage.gc.ca

CARES awards

The CARES airplane harness for children continues to generate positive reviews and media buzz. In the last few months, CARES has been awarded the Dr. Toy's "Best Vacation Product" and "10 Most Socially Responsible Product" accolades. It's also been given the 2009 National Parenting Center's "Seal of approval."

CARES can now be used on any plane certified under the jurisdiction of Canada, the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand. It's also been used successfully by parents on nearly all the European and Asian airlines. Notable exceptions include Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and ANA. For more info, visit the Kids Fly Safe website.

Anyone planning to travel with children in the 22-44lb weight bracket (approximately 1 to 4 years) should consider giving CARES a try. It's available to buy or rent through Little Traveller baby equipment rentals in Calgary, Alberta. We ship across Canada.

CARES on TV

Sarah Brazeau and Erin Laberee from www.StarBrightforkids.ca were featured on the Breakfast Show on Calgary's CityTV this morning. They were on air to offer advice about travelling with kids, and borrowed a CARES airplane harness from Little Traveller to extol the virtues of this little 1lb device.

CARES winner

Congratulations to Andrea Condron of Ontario who won the CARES airplane harness from Little Traveller this week! Thank you to everyone who entered the competition.

To read a recent review of the CARES harness from the author of Jet with Kids, visit the Kid's Fly Safe website here.

CARES are available to rent through Little Traveller in Calgary for $25 per trip or to purchase for $85.

Hurry for your chance to win!

There's just over a week left to enter to win a CARES harness at Canadianbabies.ca. Enter online by voting for your favourite entry from Little Traveller's blog. We want to know what you want to know!

The major pros of the CARES harness:
- it's easy to use
- it fits in your purse
- it stops your toddler from squirming out of his/her seat
- it offers the same safety rating as a car seat (so much safer than a lap belt alone)

If you're not the lucky winner on June 8, don't despair. Little Traveller has CARES available to rent as well as to purchase. Visit us online at Little Traveller's website or call us on 1-877-242-4067.

Win a CARES harness

It's sunny outside here in Calgary which is very fitting for the launch of our sweet summer deals. To kick it off, we have a CARES competition through Canadian Babies. Click here to visit the contest page and vote for your favourite Little Traveller blog entry for a chance to win a CARES harness!

Little Traveller is a baby equipment rental company in Calgary that rents and sells the CARES harness across Canada.

CARES and special needs children -- new breakthrough

There's great news of a breakthrough for parents of special needs children who would like to use the CARES airplane harness on flights in the US. If the CARES harness will physically fit your child (the black straps actually expand enough to fit a child about 4 ft 10 inches tall) even though they are over the 44 lb / 40 inch current limit, a request in writing can be made to the FAA for permission to use the CARES harness. Specify in the letter that you are willing to sit in a bulkhead seat (the last row of any section of the plane) so no one will be required to brace by leaning against your child's seat. According to Kid's Fly Safe MD Louise Stoll, the FAA will not take long to grant the exemption. Carry the exemption with you when you fly. When you make ticket arrangements, ask for a bulkhead seat, but there is no need to discuss anything further with the individual airlines.

The situation is Canada is less accommodating. Transport Canada told me that it is unlikely that an exemption could be issued at this time for special needs passengers over the current CARES limits since no regulatory requirements are yet in place for the use of CARES by children with special needs. Also, in Canada it is up to the individual airlines to make their own rules regarding the use of on board child restraint systems.


Little Traveller baby equipment rentals in Calgary sells and rents the CARES harnesses (we ship across Canada). Visit our website for more information or call us at 1-877-242-4067.

CARES harness for children with special needs

The CARES airplane harness can be a very useful tool for families flying with children that have special needs. If your child is in the 22-44 lb weight bracket and has physical disabilities, check with your doctor or physical therapist to determine whether the harness will provide sufficient upper body support. If you get the green light, check your bulky car seat and carry the little 6" CARES stuff sack on board instead.

For children with autism or related issues, the CARES harness has been successful in providing a level of security beyond what the lap belt alone does, and families that have used it say that it helps to keep their child calmer during the flight.

For more information on flying with children with special needs, check out this About.com web page that has relevant links to the major airlines.

Little Traveller baby equipment rentals in Calgary sells and rents the CARES harnesses (we ship within Canada). Visit our website for more information or call us at 1-877-242-4067.

Turbulence Tips

Most flights experience some form of turbulence from weather systems or erratic air movements. And while pilots often know when to expect it, clear air turbulence can catch the crew (and therefore the passengers) unawares. To help prevent injury from turbulence during a flight, follow these guidelines:
- keep your seatbelt buckled at all times when seated (to keep yourself safe and to set a good example to your children)
- keep your child's seatbelt or restraint harness buckled at all times when seated
- don't get up unless necessary
- when walking about the cabin, hold on to the seat backs or overhead bins and keep hold of your child at all times
- don't stow heavy items in the overhead bins
- keep the overhead bins closed at all times
- consider renting or purchasing a Baby B'Air flight vest for your baby travelling in your lap or a CARES harness if your child is over a year old, weighs at least 22 lbs and has her own seat. Both restraints are designed to keep little travellers safe during mid-flight turbulence.

Safe travels!

CARES news

I have some great news about CARES to share with you. British Airways just approved (end of January) the use of the CARES airplane seatbelt on its flights. I travelled to England with them at Christmas and was disappointed, no make that disgusted, that they didn't allow it yet. But now they do. Hurray! Most of the European airlines now recognize CARES as a permitted and important safety device and the people at Kids Fly Safe (the company that developed the CARES system) are working to expand the list of international airlines that permit the device. They keep an updated list of airlines on their FAQs page. But if you have any questions about using the harness, or want to rent one or buy one, drop me a line at Little Traveller.