More BubbleBum Pics- my first impressions (and my kids'.) PIC HEAVY

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.)

Ok, so now the important question: Do I get one of these for E to use on our trip to Chicago in August, or do I just take a backless Monterey/Turbo? We'll be in the car for upwards of 2 hours at a time.

(I meant to compare his size and proportions to your girls the other day so I'd have an idea of how he might fit.)

Honestly? Using it for 2 hours at a time, take a real backless. :twocents:

LISmama810 said:

Ok, so now the important question: Do I get one of these for E to use on our trip to Chicago in August, or do I just take a backless Monterey/Turbo? We'll be in the car for upwards of 2 hours at a time.

(I meant to compare his size and proportions to your girls the other day so I'd have an idea of how he might fit.)

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Get a harmony for $13 something at Walmart. It is feather light. :twocents:

Maggie is getting so big!

Judi said:

Maggie is getting so big!

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I know.

ok..but are u sure the 3 year old is not gonna use the booster? i couldn't quite tell?

lovemybabies924 said:

ok..but are u sure the 3 year old is not gonna use the booster? i couldn't quite tell?

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:ROTFLMAO:

Mine's supposed to come tomorrow. I hope it works out. I was trying some seats in the Jetta today - it's a 2010. The female buckle is stupid and practically impossible to buckle for Hannah in the TB. That was with no one next to her. I even had trouble getting it. I can't imagine trying to get it in a 3 across situation.

Well, FWIW, the instructions say to buckle, then thread through the belt guides- my buckle was being stupid too, I found it much easier to thread through the belt guide and THEN buckle.

So would you use this regularly to accomplish a three across? (not for daily use, but regular visitor use) We often have friends ride with us, and I can't get anything next to the Frontier in my backseat. I think this would make that possible and save me a lot of time and aggravation rearranging all the carseats twice a week.
When we do that it is usually for short rides, but occasionally in and out of the car all day.

Thanks for the pics and info.

Boy I really wish I were close to you. I'd love to see how Jordan would fit in it. He will be 7 in 2 months, is 44 1/2 inches and 35 pounds. ( I know..doesn't meet the minimum weight. Just curious).

ketchupqueen said:

The scary thing to me? She just barely meets the minimums to use this booster (3, 40 lbs., 40 inches.)

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The minimum age for the BubbleBum is 4 unless they already changed that with the new ones being shipped out. My BB says 4 years old / 40 pounds / 40 inches but it is pre American labels.

Chris said:

So would you use this regularly to accomplish a three across? (not for daily use, but regular visitor use) We often have friends ride with us, and I can't get anything next to the Frontier in my backseat. I think this would make that possible and save me a lot of time and aggravation rearranging all the carseats twice a week.
When we do that it is usually for short rides, but occasionally in and out of the car all day.

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I think it probably would work, but you might want to consider having your child in the BubbleBum if possible. I'd not want to make my kids' friends uncomfortable in a booster, honestly!

monstah said:

The minimum age for the BubbleBum is 4 unless they already changed that with the new ones being shipped out. My BB says 4 years old / 40 pounds / 40 inches but it is pre American labels.

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I'll have to double check but pretty sure mine says 3? If not, I'm glad! I just glanced at the requirements, honestly, and may have got it wrong. Thanks for the correction if so. I don't know many 4 year olds who are ready for boosters either, though for a 15 minute cab ride it might be appropriate for some of them.

thanks for the info, (i think it might make the list for a travel seat in a year or so)

Darn it Darn it Darn it......the last time I looked for these they weren't available yet. I so wish I could get my hands on one by Monday Morning. As it stands now I have to carry on 2 boosters on our flight as well as 2 kids and 2 suitcases:thumbsdown:

looks great for future needs though

They're selling them on Amazon... if you have Prime it should come by Monday with 3.99 one-day shipping

I got mine. It seems - used. It wasn't wrapped in cling wrap and it was some white stuff on it that doesn't brush off. Since I have no kids right now to try it - questions.

Does it stay put under the child? It seems slippery and unstable.
I thought from the unboxing video it kind of blew it self up? It says to blow it up. Hmmm.

DOM 04/02/11

The shoulder belt positioner seems short. I see the height limit is 52 inches. Hannah might already be that. I have to measure her. There's a mark on the wall, but I can't find the tape measure! I don't know if she needs the belt positioner, but do they help keep it on it a crash at all? I don't recall learning anything about that in class.

Thanks for any input!

Mine had no cling wrap, but was definitely not used.

The shoulderbelt positioner is kinda short and it slips easily. It's a pre-crash positioner.

They clarified on FB that the 52" is the minimum at which a child should stop using a booster. Which... is confusing and doesn't make sense. But they're good with you using it until the 5 step test is passed or the ears are above the seatback, apparently.

It partially self inflates, it needs about 3 breaths to fully inflate.

I didn't find it to slip around, but 8 minutes was the longest I had a kid in it.

Piper rode in it initially for a ride up and back to the vet's, about an hour. No complaints at all about leg support (52.5" tall, 18.5" or 19" torso, rest is legs). In fact, it was short enough that she could cross her legs and put them in front of the booster on the car's seat. So not a problem in the least.

She and Nathan used it on a trip this weekend. She said it was tippy, but nothing she couldn't handle, just something narrow that shifts under her weight (she said this in my car as well). They both LOVED traveling with it.

I don't think I deflated it as much as when it arrived, but it went back into the pouch without an issue, so I don't care.

Piper doesn't need or use the belt guide.

I will say, she's technically OVER the height limit of 52". Like other carseats, I don't care much about the number, more about the fit, and the fit is great on her. So maybe the four year lifespan is because it's expected to go from four to eight years, but I don't know. With seven years between kids there are few seats I could hold out hope on passing down to Laine.

Wendy