About Bubblebum
The Bubblebum is an inflatable backless booster seat that's perfect for families on the move - this thing is downright tiny compared to conventional car seats and even traditional backless boosters. It's an extremely lightweight booster seat for travel but it still feels substantial and safe in your hands.
The Bubblebum booster seat safety standards are very high, and they have models satisfying both the American and European testing requirements. It keeps kids safe by boosting them up a few inches and then holding the adult seat belt in place using a series of easy-to-operate clips. It even passes crash tests when deflated, just in case. How does it do that? The inside isn't just empty like a balloon; instead it has approximately an inch of memory foam to help it maintain its structure, along with webbing (just like a seatbelt) to anchor the seat belt guides. Not bad for an ultra-portable booster seat that clocks in at just 2 pounds!
Who is the Bubblebum inflatable booster seat for?
The minimum requirements to use the Bubblebum travel booster car seat in the US are 4 years old and 40lbs. Personally, I think that's way too young in most cases; after all, many experts recommend keeping kids in a rear-facing car seat until as close to 4 years old as possible due to their physical development, and then to transition to a forward-facing harness for several more years.
Why should you keep a 4 year old in a harness? The seatbelt is only effective if your kid uses it correctly 100% of the time. That means no reaching down for a dropped toy or water bottle and no slumping over when she gets drowsy from jet lag. If you're traveling with a child between the ages of 3 and 5, check out this awesome portable car booster seat alternative.
I generally recommend the Bubblebum for kids ages 5 and up - even better if they're already 6. As of this writing my younger one is 5.5 and I still don't feel like she's ready for the Bubblebum (or any other backless booster). By 6 years old their bodies are better equipped to handle an accident and their minds are (hopefully) mature enough to understand the importance of staying in the right position. That maturity is one of the most important booster seat requirements and shouldn't be taken lightly.
How do you use the Bubblebum?
The Bubblebum is one of the easiest car seats we've ever used! There are a few simple steps, but it shouldn't require more than a few minutes - and certainly no sweat or tears.
Setting up the Bubblebum
Since the Bubble bum arrives and is transported deflated and rolled up, you'll need to inflate it first. There's an easy to use valve in the back corner - just untwist, blow a few times, and twist shut. If you're taking a taxi or Uber with kids, we recommend that you blow up the booster seat before the car arrives to speed the process.
The only other piece of the Bubblebum that arrives in the package is the optional shoulder belt adjuster strap. You can quickly thread it around the webbing on the underside of the booster seat and just slide it left or right depending on which side of the car your kid sits on. Otherwise it works like the shoulder adjuster on any other backless booster seat. It took us a few tries to get the hang of balancing comfort with fit, but it's easy enough to change the length.
Pro tip: When you're traveling with the deflated Bubblebum, loop the shoulder belt strap around the Bubblebum and then run it through the red clip to keep your inflatable booster seat nicely packaged!
Securing your child on the Bubblebum inflatable car seat
Once you have the Bubblebum inflated, it couldn't be easier to use. Place the Bubblebum on the seat of the car, have your child sit on it, buckle the seatbelt as usual and then thread both sides of the lap belt through the red clips near your child's hips.
If you feel that your child would benefit from the shoulder belt being a little lower, run the webbing attached to the shoulder belt clip up along your child's back on the side where the shoulder belt is, thread the shoulder belt through that red clip and then pull the tail of the shoulder belt adjuster strap until you like the fit. That's all!
Advantages the Bubblebum blow up car seat
The biggest advantage of the Bubblebum compared to conventional booster seats is that it's small and light. During our gap year, we usually put it in our carry-on backpack along with Ride Safer vest and a few electronics. It fit perfectly! Our son could also have easily managed the size and weight in his own backpack (if he didn't have so much junk in there).
The Bubblebum is also very easy for a child to use on his own, even if he's a fairly new booster rider. It only took a few days for our son to get the hang of it! He still sometimes struggles with maneuvering the buckle and belt guides on his boosters at home because they're wider than he's used it.
BubbleBum Booster Seat Black Extra Info
- For kids 4-11years old
- Weighs less than 700g
- Can carry a maximum weight of 36kg
- Cushion boosters without a back should only be used for children >22Kg
- When inflated the seat measures 11 x 11 x 4.5 inches
- When deflated the seat measures 11.8 x 5.9 x 3.9 inches
- Comfortable and lightweight
- ECE R44/04 Regulation Approved
- Passes the required tests both fully inflated and fully deflated
- Can be deflated and stored in your glove box or other small spaces
- Comes with comfort positioning belt to keep seat belt away from child's neck
- You can fit three BubbleBums on the back seat safely or a BubbleBum between two traditional car seats
- Free Bubblebum games app included for download so kids can be kept busy while sitting safely on their booster seat