Bubblebum Booster Review

This is an inflatable, foldable booster seat for kids who are at least four years old and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. There's a valve on the seat, on the back corner, that you use to inflate the booster for use. You use the same valve to deflate it for storage. This booster seat comes with a storage bag that fits the rolled up booster inside.

When inflated, the Bubblebum measures 13 inches square and 4.5 inches high. It weighs just over a pound. There is a red plastic clip on each side that positions the lap portion of the seat belt. Note: As with all booster seats, you must use a lap and shoulder belt with the Bubblebum. A separate shoulder belt positioner comes with the booster, and can be attached if necessary. The booster itself consists of the inner inflatable portion and an outer cover.

I admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about the Bubblebum booster. An inflatable car seat? It sounds like something I would see at a car seat checklane when a parent gets creative without checking on car seat safety testing! I was wrong, though. The Bubblebum is pretty cool, and it is fully crash tested and compliant with all U.S. federal safety standards. The manufacturer was also required to crash test this booster in its deflated state, and it passed without a full complement of air, too, thanks to the memory foam inside and the belt-positioning clips on the sides.

If you're trying to get three car seats across one row in a vehicle, you'll love Bubblebum. It's much smaller than other boosters at just 13 inches square. I am able to fit it easily between a Chicco Key Fit 30 infant seat and an Evenflo Amp booster, and the side vehicle seat can be flipped for access to the third row without moving the Bubblebum from the center. It's a perfect product for tight spaces.

I like that the Bubblebum is very lightweight. If your child needs to carry a booster for carpooling or you'll be traveling with a booster on vacation, the Bubblebum is at least half the weight of most standard boosters and it rolls up into a small cylinder in its carrying bag, so you don't need a whole suitcase to carry your booster with you.

Blowing the booster up is pretty simple. Twist open the valve, inflate with your mouth, and close the valve. The cover stays on whether the seat is inflated or deflated, so you don't have extra steps to complicate the process.

My booster testers tell me the Bubblebum is extremely comfortable. After all, it's an air pillow, so there's little room for complaint there.

Most importantly, this booster gives a good belt fit. It puts the lap part of the seat belt low on the hips, over the thighs. All of the kids I check out in this seat fit nicely. That means it's a good one to keep around as a spare if you might carry kids of different sizes.

Smaller kids may need a hand getting the booster fully inflated. That means an adult might need to help, which could be kind of gross since they would need to put their mouth on the same valve the child just had their mouth on. In a carpool situation, that might not be ideal.

The red plastic clips that position the lap portion of the belt can be tricky. My daughter struggled with them for a while, but finally settled into a good routine to get them done quickly. If the booster is staying in the car, one side of the lap belt can stay routed through the clip, but the side toward the buckle will need to be routed every time. Again, in a carpool situation, especially if the child needs help, that could cause a hangup.

At $40, the Bubblebum is a bit pricey for a low-back booster. It definitely wins in terms of convenience, but other boosters can be had for less than $20.

The cover is not removable for washing. Boosters can get pretty grimy, especially if a child carries it from car to car. Spot cleaning isn't the easiest way to keep a car seat looking good.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.