Travel Gear Review: Bubble Bum Inflatable Booster Seat

Back on May 17, a weird thing happened. On the day I was notified by Ed at Pizza in Motion that I won a contest he held for the Bubble Bum child car seat booster, the company agreed to send me a sample to review. I was quite excited to get to try out the Bubble Bum since Bug (4) is now using a booster seat in my vehicle. I did not expect Bubble Bum to actually send me two of the product since they were being submitted on the same day, but ironically, several weeks after receiving my first one, we did get a second one in the mail. Perfect for the three little boys in this family.

So the review of the product ultimately comes down to the unbiased opinion of the 4 year old in our family, but first some basics of the product.

Bubble Bum was created for the traveling family. When we travel, one of the hassles is dealing with car seats/booster seats. Fortunately, we discovered a great promotional code last year with National car rental, wheretwo car seats are included in the vehicle rental. When we went to Hawaii for 2 weeks last year, plus Los Angeles for several days, the multiple vehicles reservations was made a lot easier knowing there were two free car seats waiting for us.

However, for some families, bringing their own booster seat may be a better option, like for use on the airplane. We currently use a Graco brand booster seat in a couple of our vehicles. It’s a hard plastic contraption meant for better alignment of the seat belts across a small child’s body.

The problem some may encounter when they travel is the bulkiness of a traditional car seat booster. Bubble Bum has developed an inflatable booster seat that conveniently can be collapsed for travel.

So after unwrapping the Bubble Bum from its outer package, it was stored inside a nice silk like carrying case. Inside was the Bubble Bum with an easy screw hole air valve for inflation. After a couple of quick breaths, the Bubble Bum was fully inflated and ready for use.

Installation into the car was a breeze. Simply place the seat belt into the two holders on each side of the seat after the child is seated. Then make sure the shoulder belt positioner is properly attached and snug at the child’s shoulder.

Bubble Bum Review

I decided to leave the actual feel of the car seat up to our son, since frankly, there was no way I was going to get my Bubble Bum onto the booster seat. Bug immediately commented on how comfortable the air inflated booster seat was to sit on.

From a parents perspective, the Bubble Bum did make transportation of a booster seat less of a hassle. However, I see the Bubble Bum as a temporary solution. After using the seat, for a permanent solution in my vehicle for everyday use, I actually prefer the much bulkier Graco seat.

The purpose of a booster seat is to align the seat belts and better position them to avoid injury during impact. The Bubble Bum’s low profile and inflation design did not give me the permanent security of knowing my child would be safe during an impact.

One concern I foresee is that over a longer ride using the Bubble Bum, is that the seat could actually slide out from under the child and under their legs as opposed to under their butt. While the seatbelt is meant to hold the booster into place, the inflatable design tends to move around on the seat, even with the child seated and strapped down.

I still think the Bubble Bum is a great product for travel on vacations, etc. At home, we still prefer to our hard booster seat.

Have you used the Bubble Bum?

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Source: InACents