I Recommend This Portable Inflatable Booster Seat That Packs Into a Purse to Every Traveling Family I Know

Flying with young kids is always a challenge. From all the clothes, diapers, loveys and snacks to pack, to making sure you have all the entertainment for a long flight, sometimes the final straw is having to lug a bulky car seat through the airport on top of it all. That’s why once I discovered the Bubble Bum Inflatable Booster Seat, I’ve never looked back. I’ve used it with three kids and it is hands-down the product I most often recommend to fellow traveling parents. And at under $35, I consider it a total steal. 

To buy: amazon.com; $35

If you’re not driving to your destination and have a young child in tow, chances are at some point you’ll be renting a car or calling an Uber, and it’s highly likely that even the shuttle that picks you up from the airport won’t have a car seat on hand—and oftentimes an Uber won’t drive kids that don’t have a car seat with them. But if you’re taking a cab to a restaurant or historical site, who wants to drag around a car seat once they reach their destination? 

That’s why the Bubble Bum is so genius. It inflates to full size with just a few breaths (and this is coming from someone who can barely blow up a balloon,) and deflates equally quickly to a fraction of its size. In fact, it’s slim enough and light enough at just one pound, that I can easily toss it in whatever tote bag or backpack I’m wearing. I would recommend blowing it up before you call your taxi or Uber, however, just to avoid the last-minute sweats when the driver is impatiently waiting for your family. 

To buy: amazon.com; $35

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The award-winning Bubble Bum works for kids 40 to 100 pounds, which is approximately 4 to 11 years old, and has “a patented safety and stability system” which includes nylon clips on the side that attaches to a seatbelt to keep the seat itself steady, and also comes with a separate seat belt positioning clip to ensure the seatbelt is properly positioned on your child for maximum safety.

Of course, always check local state and country car seat laws and guidelines to make sure your child’s age and size are appropriate for a booster seat.

I’m clearly not the only parent that loves this compact seat. It has over 3,200 five-star ratings on Amazon with many saying it was “great for airplane travel.”  One reviewer shared that they used it when traveling out of the country and that the seat “worked like a charm” while others praised how “incredibly lightweight” and “compact” it is. Another parent raved that they were “especially impressed” with the shoulder strap positioning clip, which they noted is not often a feature on most other backless booster seats.

To buy: amazon.com; $35

The one thing I would note is that the Bubble Bum is a small booster seat without sides, armrests, or a back, so you know best whether your really young or small child would be better suited for a high-back booster. For my family’s purposes of taking it on short shuttle and Uber rides, it worked fantastically. 

Our Bubble Bum Booster Seat has traveled with us to multiple countries and states and now gets used for carpooling at home — it’s super convenient to have an extra car seat handy that hardly takes up any room in my trunk for the last-minute friend who needs a ride. At under $35, I’d definitely say I got my money’s worth out of this small but mighty booster seat.

At the time of publishing, the price started at $35. 

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