New, compact booster coming out
 

There's a new booster currently in development that looks very promising.

It looks like it's about half the size of a standard, 15" laptop, so small enough to fit in a backpack.

Their planned price is $40. Not bad.

You can sign up to join their mailing list (using the referral link above, also here) to get contacted when it is available for sale.

There are definitely a few technical kinks they still need to work out to make sure the seat works properly, and I don't think I'd use it full-time, but this is perfect to keep in the car for unexpected little passengers, or when traveling. I hope they are able to bring it to market as planned!

Interesting. The thing that kills me about most boosters without backs is that there is not seatbelt adjustment.

Bubble Bum has seatbelt adjustment and is very handy, too. (And it's has the highest possible rating on NHISTA's website.)

Yes, Bubble Bum works well and has the added benefit of being a true booster seat. The Mifold looks like it is just a seat belt positioner. Interesting idea, but doesn't look very comfortable to sit on.

Do you benefit from the referral link or indeed from future sales of the product? Are you the inventor/developer or an owner or employee of the company that will make and sell these things?

Wow, that's a lot of implied accusations there. I was pretty upfront that this was a referral link in my post. They do have a little point system going, and if you find 4 friends who also get on the emailing list (what they're calling a waitlist) for the product then you get 25% off a purchase. They have some other categories of spiffs, too, but with thousands of people on their email list it's not likely I'd qualify, and I really don't care about any of that anyway. I think they prizes top out at a free seat and an amazon gift card. High stakes.

A quick look through my posting history and status as a member for nearly 15 years would make it unlikely that I carpetbagged in to promote a product for a company that, if you read on their web site, appears to be comprised of three people, none of whom have bios matching my own profile, posting history, location, etc.

Don't want to use my referral link? It's easy enough to copy and paste the company's URL directly into your browser and bypass that whole deal.

You're a seasoned participant here. You should know your way around profiles, posting history, netiquette, etc.

I just thought it was a cool gadget.

No, relax guys! This is a "known" poster.

Spammers often have joined the same day. We pluck them out pretty quickly.

The link doesn't work, btw, although the second one does.

The Bubble Bum is a product I've seen recommended by car seat techs elsewhere on the net, as long as the child fits the criteria. Mentioning this in case anyone needs a product like this right now;

http://www.bubblebum.co/us/

I'd be interested what they have to say about this new compact booster on Carseat.org. Seat belt guides are kosher but they draw the line if any rerouting of the seat belt interferes with its function. I see that it has two path redirects. This is the question to ask.

Anyone have more information?

Still, it's good to share, good or bad, on any child travel products. It's good to get the skinny on whether it works, is safe, is worth the money and what appropriate age to use it for...

There is a thread going on over at car-seat.org here: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=278282
Jon, the founder of the company has been responding to some questions in that thread. I was surprised they were as supportive of the new seat as they were, since they are a tough crowd to please. They do acknowledge that there are some kinks to work out but seem to be really open to the concept.

In case anyone comes across this thread looking for a product that's on the market already, just want to give a thumbs up to the bubble bum. We've been using ours for about a year and a half and find it very convenient. Carless family in the city, so we often bring it for cab rides to and from the airport. I have another high back booster that I use for long car trips, but the bubble bum is perfect for its portability.

They're on Indiegogo now (NOT a referral link ;) )... https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/m...er-seat#/story

$112k in 11 hours, I guess there's some interest!

That lap belt fit is absolutely atrocious.

Not really a great product if it doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

ETA: I honestly can't see it being certified with the lap belt over the thighs. There's lots of neat ideas out there, but it's kinda just ideas until they can get that FMVSS213 certification.

ETA: Another company that refuses to release their crash test data.

http://www.mifold.com/faq/

He didn't really answer the questions about the lap belt concern though. Only that it's being finalized.

*shrug*

I'll eat humble pie if this booster turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread. But until then I'm a bit skeptic.

I'll stick with our Bubble Bum for travel as well. This thing not only looks very uncomfortable to sit on, one of the benefits of a booster is that it helps kids sit high enough to look out the window.

On the topic of Car-seat.org, seems like you might just be SOL if it doesn't pass testing and you preordered. Seems they're using crowdfunding to push it through testing and production.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=279164

It hasn't passed federal crash tests yet. The car seat forum I'm a member of dismisses this item completely. Until it's crash tested we rank it below Volvo's new car seat concept.