You read right, INFLATABLE booster seat. I admit, I was a skeptic. How on earth could something inflatable be safe for my child in the car? But if you think about it, some other safety devices are inflatable; life rafts for one. The BbbbleBum is made of thick plastic, similar to a life raft. The cover is also an integral part of the seat. The cover has straps around it made of webbing, similar to that of seatbelts.
The BubbleBum comes deflated, in a purple bag. You take it out of the bag, and open the black valve. Blow into the valve to fully inflate the seat, then close the valve. I found that after inflating it the first time, it will mostly inflate itself in the future. It has seat belt positioning clips on each side that the child places the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt in. Those position the lap belt just like the arm rests would on other booster seats. The US version comes with a shoulder belt positioning clip too. The Bubble Bum measures 12-12.5 inches across, and about 13 inches from back to front when fully inflated.
The BubbleBum is rated for children 40-80 pounds and between 40- 52 inches tall.
Here are 3 children modeling seatbelt fit.
This child does not ride in a booster seat at all. She is only 4 years old and no where near mature enough, she still rides harnessed. But she weighs 40 pounds.
This child is 6 years old and 42 pounds. She regularly rides in backless boosters. I hope to have some comparison shots of her in other boosters in the next few weeks. It doesn't look to provide alot of leg support.
This child is 8 years old and 84 pounds. While she does not fit by weight and therefore can't use the seat, I wanted to demonstrate a child at the top of the weight limit. She actually passes the 5 step test in this seating position and doesn't normally use a booster there at all. It doesn't seem to position the seatbelt any differently than if she wasn't in a booster seat.
I also plan to have picture of this booster in a 3 across in my 3rd row in a few weeks as well, so keep checking back!