BubbleBum Inflatable Travel Booster Car Seat – Backless Booster carseat | for Kids 40–110 lbs, Ages 4–11, Fits 3 Across, Rideshare & Carpool, Baby Safety Alliance Verified– Black

This product was so convenient! I went to Disney and I was worried it was going to be stressful putting a car seat in and out of an uber/taxi. I also didn't want to carry a car seat around all day. I was so happy to find this product! It fits in my tote bag and it weighs almost nothing! Perfect for traveling and using in taxi/uber!

How did we ever travel without the BubbleBum?! We travel a lot and we were so tired of lugging around heavy, bulky car seats. We needed a trustworthy, portable option for our kids booster seats. We've used the BubbleBums on three different trips now and have been very happy with them. Pros: Easy to inflate. With just 5 breaths, it was inflated and ready to use. Easy to install - just inflate and strap your child into the seat with the seat belt. Kids can easily buckle themselves in and out. Deflate quickly, making them easy to pack and store. Very lightweight and fit into any car. Both kids found them comfortable to sit on during long car rides. They are narrow, making it possible to seat someone between them. They are covered with a lightweight material that makes it easy to wipe clean. Comes with a strap to use on plane rides as well. Cons: Because they are inflatable, it is not recommended to leave them in a car during long periods of time. Especially during extreme heat or cold spells. There are no cup holders, it's just the seat. But the kids were able to reach the cup holders in the backseat so it wasn't an issue for us. We are very happy with the BubbleBums Booster Seats and highly recommend them to anyone traveling with small children.

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

Very convenient for travel. Placed in our carry-on bag so that we didn’t have to bring a big booster seat and hope that it didn’t get tossed around under the plane. The company’s customer support is amazing. Our seat didn’t come with the seat belt positioner strap. I emailed them and received a strap at no cost within just a few days. I looked up the safety specs and felt assured that it was going to keep my daughter safe.

These are fantastic! So easy to use and makes travel so much easier! Love that they come with bags making it convenient to clip to carry on or backpack. Fast to air up and install. Very happy with purchase.

We purchased three BubbleBums for our three kids in preparation for a vacation where we needed to rent a car after a flight. This was for our six year old daughter and three (almost four) year old twin sons. I understand a lot of people reading this would probably criticize me for using this at their ages, but in all fairness, all my kids did weigh the 40lb minimum stated by the manufacturer at the time of use. First off, I'd never use this seat every day or on long trips! But we have Diono Radians in our car for all three kids and those seats are expensive and way too heavy to travel with for three kids. For maximum ease of travel, we went with the BubbleBums for all three kids. We only had the kids riding in the car a total of three times in a week (one trip from and to the airport plus one other). Our rental was a Chrysler Pacifica minivan and we put all three kids in the second row with plenty of space to spare, of course. The concept is great and inflating them really only takes about two good breaths from an adult. It was nice to be able to throw all three seats into our stroller bag and check for free with Delta. The space and weight they took up would amount to about three travel neck pillows. For the most part, the BubbleBum worked okay with my daughter. She is about 44lbs and 46" tall. My sons are 40lbs and 41" tall. My daughter is pretty good about not moving around and slouching too much in the car, so she was fine. My boys can get squirrely and slouch in their seats. That would be one of the reasons why this seat didn't work well for them. Also being a bit shorter than my daughter, we tried to use the shoulder strap adjuster on the boys and it was completely useless. I'd only consider this seat if you're confident your child is tall enough to not have to use the shoulder strap adjuster! It just does not work and stay in place, let alone help position the shoulder strap. Thankfully, our boys are tall enough that the shoulder strap adjuster wasn't absolutely critical. The strap would slowly creep around from the back of them to the side and they'd accidentally put their arm through it, pushing the strap in front of their body. It also did not stay tightened well. From time to time, the kids would also not be centered on the seats because it's just too easy to slide around and move. Even though we made sure to tighten the lap portion of the belt really well, it's just too easy to inadvertently shift and be sitting on half of the seat. Since it's softer than a regular booster and does not have hard armrests to create a barrier, a kid probably is not going to notice as much if they're sitting wrong. If your kid falls asleep in the car and they slump away from the direction of the seatbelt, they will just be awkwardly hanging there. I guess that's the case with any child booster seat that's backless, but keep that in mind if you've got a kid who will fall asleep in the car. Another reason why I wouldn't recommend this for a kid of any age for more than a short trip. I'll be holding onto these seats for future emergency use or possible travel situations, carpool, etc. since we really do not have a lot of options with our kids at their current ages and stages. I'd avoid driving as much as humanly possible with my kids in these seats, though. Hopefully if you're reading this, you weren't considering the BubbleBum for everyday use anyway. I wouldn't even consider it for everyday use if my kids were several years older. Yes, it's a major space-saver, but if that's your main concern, there are a lot of other much safer options out there to accommodate to your situation. Even a regular backless booster that's firm and has the arms on the side to help position the belt and the kid is 1000x better (not to mention cheaper).

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.

We really like our booster seat, but it is a bit big to travel with. In fact, every time we went to the airport, they made us try and stuff it through the x-ray machine. We would tell the TSA person that the last time or last two times, it got stuck, but they were persistent. And of course, it got stuck again. We decided that we needed an alternative for travel. After research, there are two decent options: the Trunki/Boostapak, which also functions as a backpack and is made of hard plastic, and the inflatable BubbleBum. Both are considered safe and include an adjustable belt positioning strap. The BubbleBum, however, is more practical for long car rides compared to the Trunki since the BubbleBum is naturally more comfortable (inflatable cushion vs. hard plastic). So, if you plan to fly and then travel in a car for a bit, this is your only option. Which is fine because this product is awesome. In fact, we purchased another one for the other car just because it is so convenient. If your child has a play date but needs to bring a car seat, or if you find that you have to suddenly transport one of your child's friends in your car, you are ready. If you need a third booster in between two larger car seats, this one will work. It is easy to use, my child--who can sometimes struggle with securing a seat belt--has no difficulties putting this one on. Additionally, it literally takes about 15 seconds to take it out of the bag, inflate it, and secure the positioning strap on the seat belt. If there is one con, it is just that you will have to check to make sure your child put the safety belt through BOTH red loops (pictured) on each side. Since I generally install the seat first, securing the positioning strap on the safety belt, I slip the safety belt into the red loop so that my child will just have to worry about positioning the strap and then buckling in on the other side, and slipping the safety belt into the other red loop. Thanks to all the other reviewers for writing such detailed reviews as it convinced me to purchase the first one. Hopefully, you likewise found this review helpful.

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

As per marketed, good quality and convenient

.

Un excelente diseño para su portabilidad. Viajamos con una pareja de amigos que llevaron también a su nene y cargaron con el booster tradicional en el avión. Al momento de poner ambos asientos para los niños, el Bubble dejó claro que no sólo es estable y práctico sino también súper seguro, rápido de inflar y fácil de instalar.

Great for when you need to secure your kid in a taxi. My son loves it. But wouldn't say its 100% secured. However, it is definitely convenient for short journeys.