A Derry mum is set to start selling her brand new invention - the BumbleBum car seat - on her website this morning.
Travel agent Grainne Kelly was caught at the airport two years ago when she made a mad dash to visit her sick mother-in-law.
"When we got there we realised we had no car seats for the other side," she said.
"I looked on the Internet when I came back and realised there wasn't a travel version of a child's booster seat. So I decided to invent one."
The new BubbleBum chair is inflatable however Grainne says this isn't just a "blow up seat."
"My sons Fintan and Lorcan helped me design it," she said. "We wanted something that was comfortable as well as safe. When we did the tests I realised how important safety was. It's not only important that kids are comfortable, they have to be safe as well. We came up with the name BubbleBum because the seat is a bubble for your bum.
"The seat also conforms to regulations and has a special clip for across the lap. You can fit three BubbleBums in the back seat of a car."
Current law states that every child under the age of 12 and shorter than 135cm must travel with a child or booster seat.
"Carrying heavy, bulky, expensive boosters everywhere your child goes isn't always practical," explained Grainne.
"This is cost-effective, portable, lightweight, brightly coloured, and easily deflates and folds away flat so that kids or mums can carry it in rucksacks or handbags. It's perfect for holidays, rental cars, taxis, coach journeys, school trips or car pooling."
Yesterday pupils at Chapel Road P.S. got to roadtest the new invention where they gave it the thumbs up.
For more information you can log on to Grainne's website at
www.bubblebum.co.uk or email her on
info@bubblebum.co.ukThe BubbleBum will go on sale this morning.