Question Any word on Bubblebum coming to Canada?

tam_shops · Aug 6, 2012

Just read the new Blog post about it being Black now. So, now that my son's friends would sit on it with out rolling their eyes at me, or my son asking me why I bought a girl colour car seat, I'm even more interested in one! LOL Ever since that little girl in pre-school told him pink was for girls and he couldn't wear pink anymore, he's taken things over the top...

At any rate, any word on this coming to Canada anytime soon?

tam

amelia222 · Dec 6, 2012

Bump.....any news?

tam_shops · Dec 6, 2012

It was on Amazon.ca awhile back, for something crazy like $80. Someone commented on it and I emailed Amazon about it question certification. I didn't hear back, but do see it's gone now.

I need one for the middle of my car, now that I have the FR and Oobr in there, I can't take anyone else with us...

tam

NorthernGrl · Dec 23, 2012

I asked on their FB page back in the fall. The response was that they were hoping to test for Canada some time next year.
That's nice, but I could really use one now!

tam_shops · Dec 23, 2012

Me too! Glad they get that they need to test for here, last time I emailed them, they told me something crazy like, not to worry we ship to Canada! LOL

tam

carseatblogelr · Jan 8, 2013

We, too, are anxiously awaiting BubbleBum's entrance into Canadian markets.

Interestingly, on their Facebook page in response to yet another Canadian asking about them coming here, they mentioned that Transport Canada regulations have no category for a booster seat that isn't "rigid". So are they (BubbleBum) screwed coming to Canada, if our regulations insist on the seat being rigid? You'd *think* if it passes (exceeds?!) all safety testing, all should be good but if there isn't a category for it in the lovely paperwork, will it get passed up?! Federal workers are not necessarily known for their ingenuity!

Here's hoping.

Question: if we were to purchase these seats in the US and only use them when travelling (i.e. flying into and renting a car) in the US, are we all good, insurance and more-importantly SAFETY wise?!

Neatfreak · Jan 8, 2013

carseatblogelr said:
We, too, are anxiously awaiting

Question: if we were to purchase these seats in the US and only use them when travelling (i.e. flying into and renting a car) in the US, are we all good, insurance and more-importantly SAFETY wise?!

I'm curious about that, too - we actually have a Bubblebum (bought it in Singapore - it's EU-certified - and it's so awesome for travel) and we used it in our rental car when we were vacationing in the USA over the summer. We never thought about insurance implications, though.

tam_shops · Jan 8, 2013

I always *thought* that we were expected to use an American CRS when in an American car, even if it was a rental car.

Not rigid, interesting loophole!

tam

tam_shops · Jan 8, 2013

Sigh, from their site:

BubbleBum (UK) Ltd - the portable, foldable, lovable booster seat Hi Jen, sorry, not in the near future. We have not crash tested to the Canadian standards but we have for the rest of the world! So sorry.....
November 15, 2012 at 7:49am · Like

snowbird25ca · Jan 13, 2013

I'm not sure what they're talking about with rigid I suspect it's a specific part of the standard that they can't meet because CMVSS 213.2 doesn't have different categories for boosters, it simply lists the ways that they must be tested. If one of the tests can't be performed properly on a soft booster, that is probably the issue they're running in to and we may never see it in Canada.

(Going out on a limb, I'm going to guess it's related to the static testing requirements, but I'm not sure, I'd need to read the exact CMVSS 213.2 wording to know what the difficulty they're encountering is.)

sparkyd · Jan 14, 2013

I just had a quick scan of the Regs and the test method and nothing jumped out at me as an obvious issue they would have with actually being able to test the seat. The only thing that occurred to me is maybe they have an issue with labelling and storage of instructions as required by the Regs. Not sure how our requirements in that regard compare to the US, though I wouldn't have thought they are that different for that to be the issue. Maybe they simply just haven't tested it yet.

I actually have mixed feelings about this seat. It does fill a need in a few different areas, so it can only be a good thing in that respect. However, the lack of rigid armrests (or any rigid parts in the hip area) means that it is lacking one of the main benefits of a booster - those "fake hips" that are of benefit for all pre-pubescent kids. The bubble bum is better than nothing for sure, but I worry that people that could use a regular backless will use this instead, missing out on the benefit of the armrests. Has there been any discussion of this that I've missed?

Just to be clear, the armrest thing is not a regulatory requirement, so that shouldn't have anything to do with the seat not being here.

ketchupqueen · Jan 14, 2013

The clips are rigid...

sparkyd · Jan 14, 2013

ketchupqueen said:
The clips are rigid...

I stand corrected. But those clips couldn't possibly substitute for more fully developed hip bones.

ketchupqueen · Jan 14, 2013

Well, to be honest, that whole concept is based on an offhand remark vaguely suggested in one study, as I recall.

It's not clear to me that that's an accurate description, at all. The function of a booster is to position the belt properly and keep it positioned properly so the belt can do good rather than harm. Energy absorption is a beneficial side effect perhaps, but having inspected the BubbleBum, I think its design would provide as good or possibly better energy absorption and distribution as traditional boosters.

What is clear is that I'd love more study on the subject but it's probably not forthcoming, and that boosters do improve occupant protection for children, including the BB.

snowbird25ca · Jan 14, 2013

sparkyd said:
I stand corrected. But those clips couldn't possibly substitute for more fully developed hip bones.

As long as the clips are reinforced to take collision forces, they'd be just as effective as arm-rests. We've had boosters in Canada before without armrests - the original Clek backless for instance.

The idea of referring to armrests as fake hips is mostly a forum description. The booster positioning is designed to keep the lap-belt low on the child's hips/upper thighs because their hips don't yet have the more adult-like iliac crests the help keep the lap belt lower. It's not so much that the booster is replacing hips, as it is that it's positioning the lapbelt on to the child's hips and holding it down - if that makes sense?

sparkyd · Jan 17, 2013

Well, I'm glad I asked because I've now given this a whole lot more thought than I had previously! I'm still having a hard time understanding how those little clips can keep the belt where it should be in a crash when Graco armrests (that do click in place seemingly securely) go flying off if the screws aren't put in. But perhaps the basic design of the clips vs armrests is what makes it work. I have yet to see a Bubblebum in person, but lots of people around here that I trust and respect have so I shall trust in all of you!

snowbird25ca · Jan 17, 2013

sparkyd said:
Well, I'm glad I asked because I've now given this a whole lot more thought than I had previously! I'm still having a hard time understanding how those little clips can keep the belt where it should be in a crash when Graco armrests (that do click in place seemingly securely) go flying off if the screws aren't put in. But perhaps the basic design of the clips vs armrests is what makes it work. I have yet to see a Bubblebum in person, but lots of people around here that I trust and respect have so I shall trust in all of you!

I'm going to guess that the difference is that the armrests aren't held in without the screw, while the clips themselves are reinforced. :shrug-shoulders:

(I can say with 100% certainty that the armrests coming off a TB is a very real risk with very real risk of injuries and/or death. I'd really like to see them make the switch in Canada to the seats coming with the armrests already attached... Plus I think it's cool getting to pick your cover separately.)

ketchupqueen · Jan 17, 2013

The clips are sewn (and reinforced many times) to seatbelt webbing which goes not only just across the bottom, but in a kind of box with cross-reinforcement-if you've ever studied the theory behind why bridges are built with triangles, the same thing is at work here. The forces on the clips won't just be borne by the clips; they will distribute the forces over a whole network of reinforced webbing constructed with intersecting angles for strength and surface area.

HONEYhas3 · Jan 17, 2013

I have a Buble Bum.... its very cool. It will be the booster we use when traveling.

Aprilmom · Jan 17, 2013

We are travelling to California in Febuary. Was hoping my parents who are arriving before us could pick 2 up and meet us at the airport with them. It seems like they are only available online and don't ship from site to store? Any suggestions?

Question Any word on Bubblebum coming to Canada?

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