BubbleBum Inflatable Travel Booster Car Seat - Narrow Backless

We took a family trip to Orlando and brought this BubbleBum booster for my 7-year-old son. It was hands down one of the best travel purchases we made! Carrying it around was completely effortless，it inflates in seconds and packs down tiny into our day bag when deflated. Best of all, it saved us so much money and hassle with Ubers because we didn't have to pay extra for rideshare vehicles equipped with car seats. My son found it comfortable throughout the entire trip, and he loved the fun Rainbow design. If you're traveling with kids, this is an absolute must have

Great product! Used this booster seat for traveling in Europe with my 4 year old. It was lightweight, easy to carry in a backpack, worked great. It was easy to blow up and deflate. Was very happy with the product!

This is an outstanding idea - and it's well executed. This booster seat is incredibly lightweight, it's easy and fast to inflate/deflate, it's very compact when deflated (folded or rolled up), it's made of quality and durable materials - and it's easy on the car's interior (won't damage your seats). From the functional standpoint, this seat is small and sits a little lower than more conventional booster seats. The belt guides are sturdy and made of quality materials that shouldn't damage seat belts over time. Overall - this is a great product. Nevertheless, I need to temper the positive aspects of this booster seat with the fact this type of booster seat (lap belt guide only) should only be used with a secondary type of restraint - like a safety vest that incorporates belt guides for both the lap and shoulder belts. A great example is the Ride Safer vest system by Safe Traffic Systems. The Ride Safer vest not only properly guides both the lap and shoulder belts, it's reinforced, padded and is designed to better distribute crash forces over a much larger area than what a standard seat belt is capable of. I think this is a two-way relationship as well, though. The best application of the Ride Safer vest is in conjunction with a quality (certified) booster seat like this one. I think it is important to frame an opinion, and help the reader understand the perspective from which a review is written - especially when that opinion is regarding safety equipment. I have a two-decade background in military safety, relating to both off-duty (ground) safety and aviation safety - to include mishap investigation. This experience includes investigating motor vehicle mishaps (there is no such thing as an "accident"). Motor vehicle fatalities account for over 30,000 deaths per year in the U.S. (33,561 in 2012*). Children account for approximately 1,200 of these deaths. While this number seems tiny compared to the total number of fatalities - the number of child fatalities per mile is comparable to adults. The exposure rate of adults is simply higher (the number of hours the average adult is on the road when compared to children - and children account for only 1/6th of the population). The number of children injured in motor vehicle mishaps in the U.S. is however staggering - approximately 170,000 children per year. One of the biggest contributing causal factors for child injuries and deaths is the child being out of position relative to the restraining device - preventing the safety equipment from restraining and mitigating the forces of the crash properly. The only purpose a booster seat serves is to better position (elevate) a child relative to the shoulder strap, to prevent the shoulder strap from riding up a child's neck and face by ensuring the proper angle of the shoulder belt (relative to the child's shoulder and neck). This angle is critical for any occupant. If the occupant sits too high relative to the shoulder belt (typically an adult or tall child), a collision can cause geometry-related secondary spinal injuries (mid and lower back) caused by the shoulder belt transmitting too much crash energy to the mid and lower back. If the occupant sits too low (typically with a small child), a collision can result in the child sliding under the shoulder belt - which can severely injure the child's neck (and face). The biggest problem with using a booster seat that only guides the lap belt is in the assumption that booster seat will keep a child in the correct position relative to the shoulder strap for the entirety of your travels (and therefore safe). If you have a kid - then you know any assumption that your child is going to stay in one position is simply not even remotely similar to reality. Kids move and wiggle around a lot, and a booster seat equipped with simple lap belt guides is not going to do anything to maintain the proper shoulder belt alignment with your precious, perpetual motion, micro human. Unfortunately, the results can be tragic. This is why I strongly believe in a certified safety vest like the Ride Safer safety vest in conjunction with a properly designed booster seat. A certified and tested safety vest physically attaches (and therefore attaches your child) to the seat belt, and the vest's belt guides help ensure the child's position remains correct at all times - and the booster seat ensures there is not any excess force transmitted to the child's neck and head in a collision by providing the proper geometry of the shoulder belt relative to the vest's upper belt guide. This particular inflatable booster seat is the perfect travel companion - especially with a certified safety vest. While automotive safety vests and booster seats are not certified and should not be used for air travel, they can be easily packed and used in taxi cabs, and in the event the front seat is the only available place for the child. While not optimal (a back seat is considered safer than the front seat for children), a child can safely travel with the combination of this booster seat and the safety vest in the front seat of a car, truck or two-seat sports car - and this is also legal in most states (check your local laws for specific requirements and restrictions). If this is done, you should of course ensure the child is sitting as far back from an airbag (if so equipped) as possible, or if your car is equipped with an airbag deactivation device (many cars do this automatically based on the weight in the passenger seat), then it is recommended it be deactivated for individuals weighing less than about 65-70lbs. I would not recommend using this booster seat (any booster seat) by itself in the front seat. I would only recommend the use of a booster seat in the front seat when used in conjunction with a certified safety vest that meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 213). This review and my mentioning of the Ride Safer safety vest in this review were both unsolicited by their respective manufacturers. I did not receive any compensation (in any form) for my review. *NHTSA DOT HS 812 011

We use this when we are traveling and it works great! Very compact and portable! Slim and easy to use!

Edit: Since my review, I was contacted by the manufacturer. Turns out, they have a one year warranty, and sent me a replacement air bladder for my seat. In fact, their main concern seemed to be needing the batch number so they could determine the reason for the fail, and if there were others that had the same issue, not whether or not my seat qualified for warranty (it did). Absolutely no hassle, friendly and prompt customer service. Totally makes up for the disappointment of a problem with the seat. The seat is back in the van to use whenever we have extra kids to fit in. While it isn't as convenient as a regular booster (kids usually need help buckling) It is highly rated for safety, (on the top booster list for recent IIHS saftey testing). The incognito booster is for kids over 60lbs (my 8 r old is only 52) and the mifold has tons of fit and safety issues still, so its Bubblebum for the win when you need a narrow booster for travel, or occasional use. I wouldn't personally use it daily, as my only child big enough to use it (The oldest of the kids I drive around, so he will move into the bubblebum, so a younger kid gets his Graco Affix when we have extras) needs help to be sure he's correctly in this, where he can buckle alone in a standard booster. A small matter, but worth mentioning, as its the only disadvantage of the seat. It is also not as long as most car seats, so i'm not sure how comfortable it would be for a long trip. We have only used it for a 2 hr ride or less. I was comparing this seat, the saftey first incognito booster and the mifold for use as an occasional seat when fitting extra kids in my van. I have an 8 passenger Honda Oydessy, and while fitting 3 car seats across the middle is easy, not so in the back seat. Car seats for the littles (.org) Had rated this well, and the mifold was rated to have several fit issues depending entirely on the vehicle you were using, so I opted to purchase this. It was fabulous!!! My 8 yr old son (52", 52lbs) fit easily between the two regular booster seats in the back seat, and I could put the three larger seats across the middle, and completely solved the "6 kids in car seats" fit issues. I used it approximately 10-20 times, however before it went flat. I had had a friend who bought one with the same result, and we both thought that hers may have been an anomaly, until mine did the same. I re-inflated a couple of times and hoped for the best, but after being sat on a minute or so, it was once again flat. While the seat belt positioners do still work, the seat is clearly labeled that it must be inflated for use. If you're looking for something you can continue to use until it expires, this seat might not be it. The same friend who had trouble with the bubblebum has used the safety first incognito seat for 3 years, I'll be looking into that instead. *EDIT: I have discovered that the incognito will not work for my son, as it is for children 60-100 lbs. I have been contacted by the manufacturer of bubblebum, and am happy to give them a chance to address my issue. I will edit again when this is resolved.

This is our third Bubble Bum. We had to retire one early because a kid thought it was brilliant to poke some holes in it. The Bubble Bum's are very portable, wide enough to fit the kids, but a little narrower than the super wide plastic boosters, which is a big deal for us since on some days we sit three across in two rows of our van (total of six kids in back), and no one feels like they are being unduly squeezed like we saw with the chunky seats. They inflate relatively easy with one exception (talked about below). The kids all agree they are also more comfortable than the traditional plastic booster seats. Our five year old can buckle himself with this booster, including the recommended looping through the red guides/supports/whatever you want to call them on the sides. Overall, we are happier with these than the umpteen boosters we have tried over the years. Now for the down side. First off, when inflating, there isn't a one way valve, so you have to keep blowing in the silly thing while you close the valve, otherwise it deflates when you remove your mouth. That is a huge drawback, especially if you plan on deflating and re-inflating them all the time for the advertised portability. It does allow for easy deflation, but when inflated, they don't take up that much more space. They should have come up with a different plan so you can take your mouth off and not have the thing deflate. Second thing we noticed is that the foam on the underside of the cover degraded in just two years. It starts to come apart as a powder. It is not hugely noticeable, since I only saw it when I took apart the one with holes in it, but I would expect a longer lasting foam. Third thing is an annoyance. We bought the newest one at the end of October, 2021. I looked at the manufacturing date on the new one and it reads July 8th, 2019. Great. I just got a "new" product that has been sitting around for 2 years and 4 months. With something they tell me should only be replaced after 4 years of use, I am wondering what 2+ years in storage has done to it already...and under what conditions it was stored. Hopefully mine was just a box temporarily misplaced and most people are receiving fresh inventory, but I was not thrilled at all to receive something so stale. So, overall, we are happy with it, but those few drawbacks make it an okay product, kind of short of the excellence I was hoping for. Short of a new, better product out there, we would probably buy another one, not because they are so great, but because nothing else seems to shine as better.

This has been my saving grace while traveling & getting in & out of Uber & Lyft rides with my 4 year old. It’s so easy to inflate & get them properly buckled in. After using it I deflate it, fold it back up, tighten the cap, and put in back in the bag. For size reference it fits in my medium Marc Jacobs tote bag, large Must Have Joy tote and my Coach city tote bag - all with room to spare!

Omg these booster seats were absolute lifesavers during our summer vacation. We used them on the plane and going in and out of Uber rides. Going through the air port with 2 kids is already really stressful and to add carrying luggage and 2 huge car seats, its a nightmare; These made the process fast and as stress free as possible. I would recommend this to all my friends with booster seat sized kids lol.

As per marketed, good quality and convenient

Super satisfecho, no ocupa nada de espacio instalado, solo un lugar, no como los asientos que practicamente pierdes 2 lugares. Facíl de inflar y de instalar, comodo para los niños y totalmente transportable.

Useful

Lo compré para viajar a Estados Unidos con mi hijo de 4 años, para ponerlo en el auto de mi cuñada. Rápido de instalar y fácil de usar. Mi hijo estuvo cómodo durante todo el viaje, el único comentario que creo que pudieran mejorar es la forma en que se ajusta el cinturón pues si el niño lo deseaba podía jalarlo y quitárselo. Tuvimos que explicarle varias veces que dejara de hacerlo pues era por su seguridad

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