Mifold Ultra-Portable Booster Seat Review

4 min read

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We have been taking car rides frequently these days, especially private-hire cars for the ease of traveling. To make the journey safer, we decided to get the mifold Ultra-Portable Booster Seat for my elder daughter so she could be properly and safely secured for the rides without us lugging a bulky booster seat along. We managed to get it from Amazon at US$39.99 (~S$57). It qualifies for free shipping to Singapore (FSSG).

To be honest, kids really need to be convinced that it is totally cool and fun to sit on the booster seat. Any booster seats. Initially, my daughter sat for a couple of minutes before she realized that she is the only one sitting on the weird contraption. She started to struggle and wriggle her way out to freedom but only to realize that both the seat belts and mifold booster seat are doing a great job of keeping her (safely) secured. That is when all the tantrum starts before I had to free her from her captors.

Well, hang in there yeah? Because it is normal for kids to behave like this. I doubt any kids would willingly seat on it and stay strapped throughout the entire journey thinking, “wow! So cool!”. If you do, let me know.

But why the mifold instead of other booster seats?

A couple of considerations came to my mind and it boils down to the following two: portability and safety. Personally, I don’t own a car but I would like my kids to have a safe journey whenever we are in one. As parents, we are already lugging hundred and one stuffs and we don’t want a bulky equipment.

After some research, the mifold Grab-and-Go Booster Seats meets the needs.

Unwrapping the mifold Grab-and-Go Booster Seat

 

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The mifold booster seat is available in several colors like pink, blue, black, green, grey, etc. I chose the more neutral color (because I don’t wish to be seen carrying a pink item!).

However, on hindsight, bright colors would probably appeal more to kids and they would probably be more wiling to sit on it when you introduce it to them.

Within the package, you will find the following:

mifold Grab-and-Go Car Booster Seat

Instructions manual

Introductory notes and warranty information

Do note that the mifold booster seats sold in USA are certified under FMVSS 213 and not the European/ International standard ECE R44/04. They do have versions that are certified under ECE R44/04.

There are differences and similarities between them but none of them is better than the other. For Singaporeans, you will be glad to know that both standards qualify as “approved child restraint” in Singapore under the “Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Wearing of Seat Belts) Rules” of the “Singapore Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276, Section 75)” dated 1st October 1992.

 

The mifold Grab-and-Go Booster Seat

 

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When closed, the mifold booster seat is pretty small compared to other booster seats. It is easy to carry around and it really fits into kid-sized bags. To keep it, I just have to close it up (like a clamshell) and wrap the shoulder belt guide strap around it to prevent it from opening up.

 

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It opens up to become a booster seat for the kid. It is covered edge-to-edge by the fabric foam pad so that neither your kid’s legs or bum will hit the edge of the plastic clam shell.

 

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The seat pad is covered with anti-slip dots to prevent the kid from sliding around during the car journey.

If you have noticed, the mifold booster seat is not thick and there is a reason for it. The thickness will allow the booster seat to “sink” into the car’s seat under the kid’s weight. As a result, the mifold booster seat will be (almost) flushed with the car’s seat.

 

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The lap belt guide is extendable to allow the booster seat to fit to the kid as they grow (horizontally). The lap belt guide’s sole purpose is to keep the car’s lap belt in place. That is, across the kid’s lap and not their stomach.

 

Niffy little package that easily slips into my kiddo’s backpack.

 

Niffy little package that easily slips into my kiddo’s backpack.

The mifold booster seat is constructed with aircraft grade aluminum 6061 and tough plastic polymer.

 

After a while, I finally figured what the slot is meant for – keeping the instruction manual

 

After a while, I finally figured what the slot is meant for – keeping the instruction manual

 

One nice part of the entire design is that you can always bring the instructions manual along! How? Just keep in the the specially designed slot. You can refer to it if you ever forget how to use it.

 

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My kiddo sitting on the mifold grab-and-go booster seat and wonders what is it.

Deploying it is super easy and fast. It is simply:

  1. Opening up the Mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat
  2. Extending the lap belt guide
  3. Putting the booster seat in place
  4. Place the kid on it
  5. Run the car seat belt into the lap belt slot, across the kid’s lap and into the other side’s lap belt slot
  6. Click the seat belt in
  7. Attach the shoulder belt guide tab to the shoulder belt
  8. Done!

Although it seems like there is a lot of steps but let me assure you, it is not complex. The complex part is actually remembering to keep it when you are getting off the vehicle. That is also when having brightly colored mifold booster seat helps.

Well, that is all from a guy whose family shuttles around in private-hire car. If you are like me, probably grab a mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat.

Have a safe journey.

 

 

SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.SHADOWANDY.NET/2017/11/MIFOLD-ULTRA-PORTABLE-