I’ll admit I’ve had my reservations about trying out an inflatable car booster seat. The idea of a car seat that is inflatable has concerned me even though the Bubblebum has passed all the relevant safety tests and crash tests. I’ve also felt a responsibility to try it out more than once before posting a review here.
The BubbleBum is an inflatable booster seat safety approved for groups 2 and 3 (age 4 +) invented by an Irish mum – Grainne Kelly who had to travel a lot to see family and got frustrated about the difficulty in carrying bulky booster seats or hiring decent ones. It is deflatable and folds flat to put in your bag or just to store.
The seat belt guides on the BubbleBum ensure that the seatbelt sits over the child’s lap and not their stomach which helps to avoid nasty internal injuries in the event of a crash.
Having used it for about ten journeys I have been pleasantly surprised by the product. It was sturdier than I expected although it is only a product we would use if the alternative meant using no car seat or booster seat at all. The product didn’t deflate at all during use and my daughter has found it comfortable. However if it were not for the seat belt guides it would be like using a cushion. It is not as firm or as high as a plastic booster seat and I also had concerns for the position of the seat belt across my daughter’s neck.
I think it’s an ideal product to take on holiday if you’re hiring a car. It would easily fit into a suitcase and weighs less than half a kilo, but if you were only using it in the UK it does seem expensive at RRP £29.99. The product could also be improved with some extra height.
The fact it has passed all the relevant safety tests is reassuring and this is a booster seat we will continue to use, but only if there was no alternative available or we were travelling abroad.
Disclosure: we were sent the Bubblebum inflatable booster seat free of charge to review.
Good to hear that it's worth a try! Have been thinking about getting a couple as we travel alot, and I am sick of lugging large car seats around... Thanks! Emma :)
Posted by: Emma | June 09, 2011 at 11:48 AM
I love the idea of this and have often recommended it just because it is so expensive to take booster seats on flights or to hire. Trunki's BoostaPak is also v good.
Posted by: Catherine Cooper | June 09, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Thanks Emma. For travel it's ideal. I'd say that it's main selling point. Definitely worth trying if you travel a lot :)
Posted by: Rosie Scribble | June 09, 2011 at 11:53 AM
Thanks Catherine. I've seen that brand mentioned on websites too. Booster seats like this certainly have to cheaper than hiring booster seats overseas.
Posted by: Rosie Scribble | June 09, 2011 at 11:54 AM
I have to say that I dont think I would be happy using one. I have been looking in to car seats a lot, yes I know my boys are both 5 plus, but even with just a booster the seatbelt cuts across their faces, which doesnt make me happy. I have a couple of Britax car seats and love the isofix one we have. They are very wids which is a pain as you can only get two in the car, but their saftey is paramount to me
Posted by: TheMadHouse | June 09, 2011 at 12:07 PM
I agree completely Jen. Safety has to come first. As you know IJ is a very small seven, so like your boys she needs a more substantial car seat rather than a booster because she's really too small even though she is in the right weight bracket (just). For smaller children I do prefer a car seat as it avoids the problem of the seat belt sitting across their neck.When there's nothing else available we use booster seats but I probably won't have IJ in one permanently for a couple more years.
Posted by: Rosie Scribble | June 09, 2011 at 01:53 PM
This is one of those ideas that I wish I'd thought of. Ingenious.
Posted by: notsupermum | June 09, 2011 at 06:00 PM
Fabulous idea. We don't drive, and it would be really useful to have one of these for using in taxis or friends' cars, so that Rosemary could get a lift in the rain and stuff. I'm guessing there's no such thing for the almost-2-year-old, though.
Posted by: Tasha Goddard | June 09, 2011 at 07:55 PM
It's a really really good idea. We're always stumped when we come over from America. Do we use valuable luggage allowance to bring a car seat, or try and scrabble round to borrow one?
I would share your worries about its effectiveness, but if it's passed the safety testing, it must be ok, I reckon.
Posted by: Iota | June 12, 2011 at 09:20 PM