Review: Toddler travel booster seat – Trunki BoostApak

A nifty little travel booster seat that doubles as hand luggage and can be carried as a backpack, trust me, you need this is your jet-setting life. Here’s my review of the Trunki BoostApak…

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A toddler travel car seat that doubles as hand-luggage

11.1kg. That was the weight of my backpack when my husband and I left on our four-month honeymoon across Africa. Fast forward a couple of years, travelling with two kids in tow and we’re paying for oversized baggage, going ‘full adult’ by buying a Roof Box and packing our car until it’s rammed to the rafters. There’s no getting away from it, when kids are young, they need so much goddamn stuff!

One of the keys to making travelling with toddlers and babies easier is to make sure you have the right travel gear. Flying with kids is trickiest as there are heavy luggage restrictions and the actual physical task of transporting all the kiddy-paraphernalia through an airport. It’s pretty normal for airlines to offer two free pieces of baby equipment per child, but if you’ve got two little ones in bulky toddler car seats, plus a buggy and all your luggage to shift, it starts getting tricky.

Enter the Trunki Bookstapak! A nifty little toddler travel car seat that doubles as hand luggage and can be carried as a backpack.

Image – Trunki BoostApak, credit www.trunki.co.uk

Trunki BoostApak: a toddler car seat that transforms into a rucksack!

The Trunki BoostApak looks just like a normal rucksack, if a little ‘boxier’. The boxy-ness is thanks to the hard shell design which helps transform the BoostApak into a secure car seat (and as an added bonus, works brilliantly for protecting delicate items, like cameras or squish-able snacks). So you can fill up the 8 litres of space for hand luggage as you would a normal rucksack, then pop it into the car and convert it straight into a toddler travel car seat with your kiddo sitting on top. This is done by un-velcro-ing the outer (wipe clean) flap back to create a comfy back pad, flipping down the fold-out seat belt guides and fixing the seat belt adjuster to the seat belt. Clever huh?

Is the BoostApak really safe to be used as a toddler travel car seat?

The Trunki BoostApak is designed for children aged 4-12 weighing between 15-36kg and has been safety certified to the highest standards. It is approved to ECE R44.04 for groups 2 and 3 which means it is approved to be used in the EU. For more information on the nittier gritty regulations details, check out the Trunki website.

Image – credit www.trunki.co.uk

Trunki BoostApak as a toddler travel car seat on holiday and beyond…

The Trunki BoostApak gets the thumbs up as hand luggage from most major airlines. The great thing about it is, as soon as you get off the plane, if you’re hiring a car at the other end, you can quickly make any vehicle child-friendly without the hassle of lugging a ginormous, heavy car seat around with you.

Is a Trunki BoostApak worth buying just for a holiday though?

As well as a great toddler travel car seat for holidays and hire cars, the Trunki BoostApak is also great if you’re carpooling with extra kids, visiting the grandparents (and don’t want the hassle of switching car seats), holiday coach transfers or just hopping in a taxi. Plus it’ll last them until they’re 12 years old, so you should get a lot of use out of it. Considering the engineering diplomas required to figure out most baby gear (or is that just me?), it’s a relief to find that it’s super easy to switch between the BoostApak in its rucksack form and car seat transformation – no equipment lessons required!

Will my toddler like the Trunki BoostApak?

I don’t see why not! I know toddlers can be funny old fish sometimes, but there’s really nothing not to like. The Trunki BoostApaks come in five designs (with neon touches – so always a winner in my book), plus a popular Hello Kitty version. You can also get funky animal accessories known as ‘Snoozihedz’ to make them extra appealing.

How much does a Trunki BoostApak cost?

The BoostApak costs around £49.99, which is cheaper than the cost of renting a car seat in a hire car and what price is piece of mind for your kid’s safety in a taxi? Plus you’re minimising the amount of stuff you’re taking on your travels by killing two birds with one stone – hand luggage bag AND toddler travel car seat. Winner! You can find out more information, check prices and order online at Amazon.

Are there any downsides to the Trunki BoostApak?

Because of it’s hard shell and need to be a seat, you or your toddler probably won’t use the BoostApak as a day-to-day bag.

Would I recommend getting the Trunki BoostApak?

Yes 100% yes. Especially if you have more than one child as it is SO much easier getting through an airport without having to worry about unbuckling or carrying big, heavy car seats around on top of all your luggage and buggy while your children run in different directions!

Click here to check price and availability of Trunki BoostApaks

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Have you tried the Trunki BoostApak? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.