I got my BB today. Okay, a few thoughts before pics:
-It does indeed have a 4 year lifespan, very clearly marked on the bottom of the booster (but not in the manual or on the website yet- I nagged them about that on FB.)
-It smells like paint fumes. I'm sure it will do so less with time, but it's rather off-putting at first. If you get one, might want to let it air out before use. :twocents:
-The green looks more avocado than lime because of the way it's mesh and has black under. Not at all how it looks in stock photos.
-It was really hard to deflate, and even sitting on it and pretty sure I got out every squinch of air I could, I could NOT get it rolled up to the way it came once it was inflated once. The best I could do was in half and then a little more than half again with the edge wrapped around, not the tidy cylinder it came in. Luckily, the storage bag is very stretchy. So it still fits.
Ok, that out of the way, pictures! These were taken in the third row of a 2005 Honda Odyssey, outboard. There is a SafeGuard Child Seat in the center position that takes up a TON of room; the BubbleBum fit with room to buckle and to spare.
First model, the one who will actually use this on vacation:
7 years old
about 47 inches tall
average torso, about 17.5 inches, and long legs
about 46 lbs.
(Sorry about the face she was making. ) As you can see, fit is pretty good, though the shoulder belt adjuster was definitely necessary and was a PAIN and I do mean pain to use.
(Yes, those are jammie pants. I pick my battles. ) Lap belt fit is excellent; leg support (well, lack thereof) means this will strictly be for travel when we are taking cabs or shuttles only, SHORT rides in others' cars, or emergency use.
Second model:
5 years old
about 46 inches tall
long torso, about 18.5 inches, and average legs
about 48 lbs.
This child is harnessed full-time due to lack of maturity and impulse control to use a booster properly and will not be boostered for at least a year, maybe more.
Fit is good when using the shoulder belt adjuster. (You can see her just itching to lean out of the belt, can't ya?)
Lap belt fit is again excellent, leg support again not, even for the shorter-legged child.
Third model:
THIS CHILD IS ONLY MODELLING THE BOOSTER TO SHOW FIT ON ANOTHER BODY TYPE, AND A CHILD WHO BARELY MEETS THE MINIMUMS. SHE IS TOO YOUNG FOR A BOOSTER AND IS STILL REAR-FACING
3 years old
about 40 inches tall
very long torso, about 17.5 inches (it's very hard to measure a wiggleworm...), and average-to-short legs
about 40 lbs.
THIS CHILD IS TOO YOUNG TO USE A BOOSTER
It's hard to see because this is the closest I could get her to "staying in position" (again, that maturity thing comes into play) but even with the shoulderbelt adjuster, the shoulder belt fit left something to be desired. Yes, even though her torso is about the same size as her eldest sister's, body shape and posture make a difference in fit and what was good for one 17.5 inch-ish torso is not good on another. Because she's 3, she just has trouble keeping her round little body up straight, and that affects fit. The scary thing to me? She just barely meets the minimums to use this booster (3, 40 lbs., 40 inches.) If Ms. Monster Torso can't fit in this booster properly, I'm concerned that unless belt geometry is MUCH more favorable in other cars, a child at the lower range of this booster's usage guidelines will NOT fit properly using it.
On the plus side, lap belt fit is excellent. On the down side, even a short-legged 3 year old doesn't have great leg support. I'm concerned that if she were actually to use this booster (WHICH SHE WILL NOT BECAUSE SHE IS TOO YOUNG AND IS STILL REAR-FACING- have I made that clear? LOL) she would sliiiiide and slouch and submarine in a crash, even with those excellent belt-holding clips. So, as if we didn't know it before, the take-away message here? BOOSTERS ARE NOT FOR 3 YEAR OLDS!!!
Kids' thoughts on the booster:
7 year old initial reaction: OOooooooOOOOooh, new booster!
After trying it: It's ok.
(My note: she's kinda grumpy. She's not raving about it nor complaining, which means it probably is, really, ok.)
5 year old initial reaction: It's PURPLE!!!!!
And, after sitting in it: This is schmushy. Can I have my big seat? (That's her SafeGuard Child Seat.)
3 year old's initial reaction was to throw a fit that her sister got a purple booster and she wanted that purple booster.
After sitting in it: I don't like this seat. I want mine rear-facing seat back. Do I have to use this seat? (Me: no, your sister will use it when we go to Hawaii.) (Her, looking very concerned) What will I use in Hawaii? (I then assured her that she would be using a Ride Safer Travel Vest, and that she would not have to use a booster in Hawaii.)
-It does indeed have a 4 year lifespan, very clearly marked on the bottom of the booster (but not in the manual or on the website yet- I nagged them about that on FB.)
-It smells like paint fumes. I'm sure it will do so less with time, but it's rather off-putting at first. If you get one, might want to let it air out before use. :twocents:
-The green looks more avocado than lime because of the way it's mesh and has black under. Not at all how it looks in stock photos.
-It was really hard to deflate, and even sitting on it and pretty sure I got out every squinch of air I could, I could NOT get it rolled up to the way it came once it was inflated once. The best I could do was in half and then a little more than half again with the edge wrapped around, not the tidy cylinder it came in. Luckily, the storage bag is very stretchy. So it still fits.
Ok, that out of the way, pictures! These were taken in the third row of a 2005 Honda Odyssey, outboard. There is a SafeGuard Child Seat in the center position that takes up a TON of room; the BubbleBum fit with room to buckle and to spare.
First model, the one who will actually use this on vacation:
7 years old
about 47 inches tall
average torso, about 17.5 inches, and long legs
about 46 lbs.
(Sorry about the face she was making. ) As you can see, fit is pretty good, though the shoulder belt adjuster was definitely necessary and was a PAIN and I do mean pain to use.
(Yes, those are jammie pants. I pick my battles. ) Lap belt fit is excellent; leg support (well, lack thereof) means this will strictly be for travel when we are taking cabs or shuttles only, SHORT rides in others' cars, or emergency use.
Second model:
5 years old
about 46 inches tall
long torso, about 18.5 inches, and average legs
about 48 lbs.
This child is harnessed full-time due to lack of maturity and impulse control to use a booster properly and will not be boostered for at least a year, maybe more.
Fit is good when using the shoulder belt adjuster. (You can see her just itching to lean out of the belt, can't ya?)
Lap belt fit is again excellent, leg support again not, even for the shorter-legged child.
Third model:
THIS CHILD IS ONLY MODELLING THE BOOSTER TO SHOW FIT ON ANOTHER BODY TYPE, AND A CHILD WHO BARELY MEETS THE MINIMUMS. SHE IS TOO YOUNG FOR A BOOSTER AND IS STILL REAR-FACING
3 years old
about 40 inches tall
very long torso, about 17.5 inches (it's very hard to measure a wiggleworm...), and average-to-short legs
about 40 lbs.
THIS CHILD IS TOO YOUNG TO USE A BOOSTER
It's hard to see because this is the closest I could get her to "staying in position" (again, that maturity thing comes into play) but even with the shoulderbelt adjuster, the shoulder belt fit left something to be desired. Yes, even though her torso is about the same size as her eldest sister's, body shape and posture make a difference in fit and what was good for one 17.5 inch-ish torso is not good on another. Because she's 3, she just has trouble keeping her round little body up straight, and that affects fit. The scary thing to me? She just barely meets the minimums to use this booster (3, 40 lbs., 40 inches.) If Ms. Monster Torso can't fit in this booster properly, I'm concerned that unless belt geometry is MUCH more favorable in other cars, a child at the lower range of this booster's usage guidelines will NOT fit properly using it.
On the plus side, lap belt fit is excellent. On the down side, even a short-legged 3 year old doesn't have great leg support. I'm concerned that if she were actually to use this booster (WHICH SHE WILL NOT BECAUSE SHE IS TOO YOUNG AND IS STILL REAR-FACING- have I made that clear? LOL) she would sliiiiide and slouch and submarine in a crash, even with those excellent belt-holding clips. So, as if we didn't know it before, the take-away message here? BOOSTERS ARE NOT FOR 3 YEAR OLDS!!!
Kids' thoughts on the booster:
7 year old initial reaction: OOooooooOOOOooh, new booster!
After trying it: It's ok.
(My note: she's kinda grumpy. She's not raving about it nor complaining, which means it probably is, really, ok.)
5 year old initial reaction: It's PURPLE!!!!!
And, after sitting in it: This is schmushy. Can I have my big seat? (That's her SafeGuard Child Seat.)
3 year old's initial reaction was to throw a fit that her sister got a purple booster and she wanted that purple booster.
After sitting in it: I don't like this seat. I want mine rear-facing seat back. Do I have to use this seat? (Me: no, your sister will use it when we go to Hawaii.) (Her, looking very concerned) What will I use in Hawaii? (I then assured her that she would be using a Ride Safer Travel Vest, and that she would not have to use a booster in Hawaii.)