Safety and Certification
What safety regulatory certificates does mifold have?
The mifold booster car seat conforms to the most universally accepted global booster car seat regulations. European Union ECE R44.4; FMVSS 213 in the United States, and the RSSR regulations in Canada. Please check the following link for more details: www.mifold.com/regulatory-approval
How do mifold seats differ when sold in different countries?
The mifold booster car seats conform to the most universally accepted global booster car seat regulations such as ECE R44.4 for the EU, and FMVSS 213 for the USA.
mifold Comfort is globally regulated so can be used when travelling anywhere in the world (apart from Australia), however when purchasing mifold for domestic use mifold should be purchased from a local retailer. This ensures that the product has a warranty and that the safety instructions, which must be understood by all users, are in the local language.
The mifold Original that is sold in the US is slightly different from the version sold in the rest of the world and is only regulated for use in the US.
You claim that mifold is “more than 10x smaller and just as safe as a regular booster seat.» What is this claim based upon?
The «more than 10x smaller” size claim is based on the external dimensions of the mifold grab-and-go booster seat, and the volume it occupies. Compared to regular booster seats commonly available in the markets, mifold is less than one-tenth of the size, or as we say, «more than 10x smaller.” The “just as safe” claim is based on the mifold grab-and-go booster seat’s compliance with booster seat safety regulations for child restraint systems in different territories. See our other FAQs for specific details of the territories where mifold is compliant with local booster seat safety regulations.
Does mifold have an expiry date?
mifold carries an expiry date of 7-years from the date of manufacture as marked on the product. Every car seat is different, so always read the user guide to find out the seat’s expiration date and other important information. Most car seats last between five and nine years after they were manufactured (not necessarily after they were bought); that’s why it is important to check the user guide.
Does mifold have a warranty?
Yes, mifold offers the industry standard warranty for car seats.
Technical Specs
What are the age and weight requirements for mifold?
mifold is designed for children aged 4+ years. However, car seat regulations can be quite confusing and are different in each country; they can be based upon age, weight, height or a combination of all three. In the US and Canada, mifold is designed for children weighing from 40Ibs to 100lbs and between 40-59 inches tall for mifold Comfort and mifold Sport,and 40-57 inches tall for mifold Basic and mifold Original.
How durable is mifold?
mifold is constructed using aircraft grade aluminium 6061 and a super tough plastic polymer called Delrin 100ST from Dupont. It has been successfully crash tested and each component rigorously tested to ensure its longevity even under the most extreme use as a child car seat.
Can mifold be used by small adults?
mifold is not regulated for adult use and therefore we do not recommend that it be used by adults.
Can the mifold be used with inflatable seatbelt?
mifold has revised its recommendations based upon an analysis of vehicle seat belt system testing results. The current Ford Motor Company Inflatable seat belt system (available in Ford and Lincoln vehicles) is approved for use with US, Canadian and EU versions of the mifold Grab-and-Go booster seats with the following model numbers: • USA — MF01/US (the model number is on the fabric label sewn onto the Shoulder Belt Guide Strap) • Canada — MF01/CA (the model number is on the fabric label sewn onto the Shoulder Belt Guide Strap) • EU — MF01/EU (the model number is on the sticker attached to the back of the Shoulder Belt Guide)
Is mifold treated with chemical based flame retardants?
The mifold grab-and-go booster seat complies with the booster seat flammability tests required under the NHTSA regulation FMVSS213 for the USA and under the UN regulations: UN ECE R44.04. This flame retardancy is achieved only using compounds that comply with California Proposition 65 and the European Community Regulation REACH (EC/1907/2006).
Overall Thoughts
Graco Turbobooster TakeAlong vs hifold
We applaud Carfoldio on developing a booster seat that fits a broad range of children nicely. Unlike the first booster they released, the mifold, the hifold positions the lap portion of the belt low on the hips, touching the thighs, and the shoulder belt guide positions the shoulder belt nicely centered on children’s shoulders.
The biggest cons to the hifold are that it is, quite frankly, difficult to set up and use. Between the 5 steps to unfold it, additional four steps to lengthen and widen the seat before placing it on the vehicle seat, and then repeating those steps to adjust the seat to fit the child, followed by a difficult to thread shoulder belt guide, there are MANY opportunities for misuse with the hifold (and many opportunities for pinched fingers, as we discovered the hard way).
We are also concerned that, because the hifold does not state an age minimum and has fairly low height and weight minimums for a booster (especially on the US/EU versions), that some caregivers might buy this seat for their 2 and 3 year olds. Children that young should NOT ride in booster seats, they are safest if they’re riding in rear or forward facing harnessed car seats.
We do love the concept of the hifold, and our models all thought that it was a really cool-looking booster (which, in our experience, makes kids more willing to use a booster), so we think the transforming booster really is an interesting and intriguing concept. And the fact that it provides a consistently good seat belt fit on top of the ability to “transform” is great.
We struggle with whether or not caregivers will have the patience to adjust the hifold correctly every time they fold and unfold it. It’s also not a seat that adjusts easily between children, so we fear caregivers may just opt to NOT adjust the seat between children, which may result in children riding unsafely. This is definitely a booster that’s best suited for families who are willing to put a little extra time into setting up the seat.
Складной бустер Mifold
Самый компактный бустер Mifold имеет прочный корпус из металла и специального ударопрочного полимера.
Mifold не приподнимает ребенка в автомобиле, в отличие от обычного бустера, но удерживает ремень безопасности в правильном положении на бедрах и плече (не на шее), обеспечивая надежную фиксацию ремня. Конструктивно они в лучшую сторону отличаются от адаптеров ремня безопасности, так как не давят на живот ребенку при аварии.
Сравнение размеров Mifold в разложенном виде и обычного бустера для детей
Израильский бустер Mifold соответствует европейскому и американскому стандартам безопасности. Согласно данным производителя, бустер Mifold подходит для детей от 4 до 12 лет, весом от 15 кг, ростом до 150 см.
На Западе складной бустер позиционируется также как устройство безопасности для школьного автобуса. Компактный бустер не занимает много места в любом стандартном рюкзаке.
В сравнении с британским Trunki Boostapak, бустер Mifold:
Бустер Mifold сертифицирован на территории РФ, о чем имеет соответствующую наклейку, следовательно согласно российскому законодательству может использоваться на территории страны для детей любого (!!!) возраста. Все же не следует забывать о рекомендуемом возрасте в документации производителя (4 года). Также у бустера есть специальный кармашек для документов о сертификации, которые входят в комплект.
Скидки на Mifold можно попробовать ловить в магазинах: Wildberries, OZON, Mytoys, My-shop, Олант, Дочки-Сыночки, Детский мир, Акушерство и других. Я видела самую низкую стоимость – 2800 руб.
Ввиду явной небезопасности бустера Mifold в случае серьезной аварии, в частности явного недостатка – отсутствия боковой поддержки, назрела необходимость создания полноценного автокресла, но столь же компактного, складного, пригодного для путешествий. Компактное складное автокресло Hifold представлено выше в статье
CSFTL Quick Stats
- Height range: 36 to 59 inches
- Weight range Canada: 40 to 100 pounds
- High back booster only
- Vehicle headrest support required
- No age minimum listed. CSFTL advises that children be at least five years old before moving to a booster seat
- Optional cup holder on some models (can be purchased separately)
- Vehicle shoulder belt routes OVER the booster’s armrest
- NOT approved for use with inflatable seat belts
- Requires replacement after any crash in which the booster seat was occupied. Crash replacement is not required if the booster seat was stored in a secure location or if the seat was unoccupied and secured with a vehicle seat belt passing through both lap belt guides and shoulder belt guides at the time of the crash.
- Fabric cover is machine washable in cold water on the delicate or gentle cycle. Line dry.
- Limited one year warranty from date of purchase
- Expiration: 7 years from manufacture date
5 Years Old
hifold – 5 years old
Because this booster is pretty unique, we wanted to test it out with many models with different body types and proportions so you’ll notice that we have multiple same-age models in this review. Our third 5 year old model is 47 inches tall and weighs 48 pounds. She also usually rides in a harnessed seat (isn’t it great that all 3 of our 5 year old models’ parents aren’t in a rush to switch them to booster seats? We thought we should give them a shout out for being aware of their children’s maturity and putting their safety before convenience).
This model seemed a bit uncomfortable in the hifold in this 2007 Honda Odyssey’s captain’s chair, but that could be due to not having used a booster seat before. She fit the hifold well, and the seat belt fits her well in return. She struggled to remain centered within the booster, but that may be part of the reason why she isn’t *quite* ready to make the switch to a booster seat just yet.
Виды автокресел для путешествий
Компактные рюкзаки-бустеры для путешествий бренда Trunki появились в продаже около 10 лет назад, но популярность в России набирают очень медленно. Запад, как обычно, на шаг впереди. На ebay и amazon множество различных вариантов дорожных автокресел и бустеров.
Сегодня рассмотрим:
- складное автокресло Chicco Fold & Go i-Size,
- рюкзак бустер Trunki Boostapak,
- компактный бустер Mifold,
- складное автокресло Mifold Hifold,
- надувной бустер,
- и их бюджетные аналоги.
Еще одно применение компактного бустера или автокресла – ситуация, когда в одном автомобиле на заднем сиденье необходимо расположить сразу троих детей, ведь три полноценных автокресла в таком случае невозможно использовать в стандартной машине.
Weight and Height Use Recommendations
We were happy to see that on page 1 of the manual, Carfoldio included some very important points about the booster seat:
“Use only with a child that has outgrown their car seat with a 5-point harness and can sit in the booster seat properly for the entire duration of each trip. If your child will not remain seated properly, your child should use a child restraint with 5-point harness”
The manual includes some key definitions and requirements:
Outgrown means the child’s weight or height exceeds the use limits of the car seat.
Sitting properly means the child must remain seated without slouching under the lap belt, moving shoulder belt under arm or behind back, or leaning forward or sideways moving out of position so the vehicle belt remains properly positioned…
The vehicle lap belt MUST be positioned on the pelvis such that it is low on the hips, contacting thighs and not up on the abdomen.
The shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt’s MUST be on child’s shoulder and not in contact with the neck and not off the shoulder.
Because the hifold has such low height and weight minimums (36 inches and 33 pounds in the US and EU) and no age minimum, some children as young as two and three years old would meet the minimums for use. We’re glad to see the manufacturer encouraging parents and caregivers to not rush to the booster stage even though at this point in time Carfoldio does not manufacture a harnessed car seat.
Measurements
- Lowest shoulder belt guide position: 14.5 inches
- Highest shoulder belt guide position: 20 inches
- Width at widest point when the seat back is in the narrowest position: 17.5 inches
- Width at widest point when the seat back is in the widest position: 19 inches
- Internal body width at widest point when the seat is in the narrowest position: 12 inches
- Internal body width at widest point when the seat is in widest position: 14 inches
- Internal width at child’s knees when the seat bottom in is the narrowest position: 10 inches
- Internal width at child’s knees when seat bottom is in the widest position: 12 inches
- Seat pan depth: 11 inches
- Weight: 9.9 pounds
Adjusting the Seat
Adjusting the hifold takes a bit of effort. Here’s how to adjust the hifold to fit the child:
- Place the hifold on the vehicle seat and have the child sit in the hifold. Ensure the child is sitting straight up and not slouching.
- Adjust the width of the seat bottom and lap belt guides so that they are close to the child’s thighs by pulling the seat bottom side lock on the underside of the seat bottom forward and sliding the seat bottom sides in.
- Adjust the width of the seat back sides so they are close to the child’s shoulders. Have the child lean forward, then move the seat back forward to access the seat back side adjustment knob on the back of the seat back. Then, press the lock on the seat back side adjustment knob, and rotate the knob clockwise to move seat back sides in
- Adjust the width of the headrest sides so they are close to the sides of the child’s head by pushing the headrest side adjustment lock down and sliding the headrest sides in
- Adjust the height of the headrest and back so that the shoulder belt guide is just above the child’s shoulder. To adjust, have the child lean forward, lift the headrest height adjustment lever up, and move the headrest so that the shoulder belt guide is in the proper position. Release the headrest height adjustment lever to lock the headrest in place.
Note: Additional adjustments of the headrest height and headrest side width may be required to properly position the vehicle shoulder belt fully on the child’s shoulder
7 Years Old
hifold – 7 years old
Our 7 year old model has similar stats to our 6 year old models, and is 49 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds. He is used to riding in a high back booster, and he “corrected” the vehicle seat belt routing after he was buckled in by forcing the shoulder portion of the seat belt under the belt guide. We had to reassure him that the shoulder belt on THIS booster routes over the armrest and not under (although we’re not sure we have convinced him yet – but he did humor us by changing the routing).
Both this model and his stuffed beaver were very comfortable in the hifold. The shoulder belt is centered on his shoulder and the lap belt is low on his thighs, touching his hips.
Outside the USA
Can I use my mifold in a different country?
The mifold booster car seats conform to the most universally accepted global booster car seat regulations such as ECE R44.4 for the EU, and FMVSS 213 for the USA.
mifold Comfort and mifold Sport are globally regulated so can be used when travelling anywhere in the world (apart from Australia).
The mifold Original that is sold in the US is slightly different from the version sold in the rest of the world and is only regulated for use in the US. Neither mifold Original or mifold Basic are regulated for global use so for these two products we cannot advise you to use a mifold seat in a country where it is not regulated as local law enforcement may not recognize your version of the mifold seat.
Where is mifold available?
mifold is available in the US from a number of retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and mifold.com. In other countries please contact the local distributor for details. Contact details can be found in the “mifold worldwide” section of the website.
Why do you not ship to Australia?
We are not currently marketing mifold products for use in Australia due to Australian regulatory issues.
General
How does it work/compare to a regular booster?
A regular booster seat lifts the child to be in the position of an adult. mifold does the exact opposite, instead of lifting the child up it holds the seatbelt down. It does this at three points: there are belt guides on either side of the child’s hips to hold the lap belt correctly against the bones and off the soft stomach. These belt guides are adjustable to three sizes to make sure that the belt is always held snugly in place. There is a third clip on a strap that pulls the seatbelt chest strap down correctly onto the bones of the shoulder; away from the face and neck. So like a regular booster, mifold holds the seat belt in exactly the correct position on the bones of the hips and the bones of the shoulder, without needing a big, bulky seat to lift the child. In a collision, the child is protected in the same way. mifold simply works to hold the adult seatbelt correctly on a child.
What is the difference between mifold Comfort and mifold Sport?
Both mifold Comfort and mifold Sport feature a more padded seat than mifold Original.
The mifold Comfort seat cushion is 3x thicker than that of mifold Original making it more suitable for long journeys and everyday use than the previous version of mifold. mifold Comfort is available in 3 colors, Royal Purple, Charcoal Grey and Ocean Blue. mifold Sport, the luxury grab-and-go booster, has a more sporty look including a leather-style cushioned seat and incorporates high end materials and artisan craftsmanship. mifold Sport is available in black/silver.
Why should we use mifold?
mifold is a revolutionary car safety solution which is great for everyday use, but thanks to its compact portability can also be used on those occasions when a traditional booster seat is not available. Research shows that the correct child restraint is not used in about 25% of all child journeys (and that 50% of kids in the US don’t have the right booster when carpooling for the school run). This is often because a bulky booster is inconvenient or unavailable. We want to eliminate these risks completely. With a compact and portable device, there are no excuses, a child can always be safe no matter whose car they are in.
How is mifold the first innovation in booster seats for more than 50-years?
In 1963, Dean C. Hunter filed a US patent for the “Safety Seat” … a box that lifted up a child and held a lap belt in place across the bones of the child’s hips. Today, half a century later, boosters are essentially the same … blocks that lift a child up to meet the adult safety belt. mifold changes this. Instead of lifting the child up, mifold does the opposite and holds the seatbelt down to fit the child. Our patent «Apparatus for adapting a seatbelt for a child» is already granted in one country and pending in 45 others (http://j.mp/mifold-patent).
In what colors is mifold available?
mifold Comfort is available in Charcoal Gray, Royal Purple and Ocean Blue.
mifold Original is available in Slate Gray.
Where is mifold manufactured?
mifold is manufactured in China. Our manufacturing partners are world renowned manufacturers that are ISO approved and operate at the highest level of manufacturing and quality control standards. They already manufacture child restraint products for several other well known companies.
Shoulder Belt Guide
hifold shoulder belt guide
The shoulder belt guide is quite unique on the Hifold. It’s required for use and cannot be bypassed. Unfortunately, the design makes it quite difficult to thread the vehicle’s shoulder belt through the guide.
hifold – threading the shoulder belt through the guide
Here’s what we discovered: a red piece of plastic “locks” the shoulder belt guide closed so that the seat belt cannot slip out. While we appreciate the attempt to provide a mechanism to keep the belt guide closed, unfortunately, none of our child models were able to route the seat belt through the shoulder belt guide themselves, and all of the parents of our models struggled with the routing. The moving plastic piece combined with a very narrow guide makes a step that SHOULD be very straightforward a difficult one.
Initial Setup
Folded hifold
Back to our journey… the hifold arrives folded. To unfold the seat and prepare it for use:
Unfold hifold headrest
Unfold the headrest by rotating the headrest up until it locks in position (there is a pinch risk here).
hifold – unfolding the seat back
Then, unfold the seat back by rotating the seat back up until it locks in position. There is another warning about a pinch risk after this step in the manual.
Unfold seatback of hifold
Grasp both seat back sides and rotate them out into the open and locked position. There is another warning about a pinch risk after this step in the manual.
Unfolded hifold
Ta da! Our hifold is now unfolded and ready for use.
Here’s how to adjust the hifold booster to the maximum height and maximum width:
hifold Seat Bottom Side Lock
Pull the green seat bottom side lock on the underside of the seat bottom forward and slide the seat bottom sides out.
hifold seat back side adjustment knob
Squeeze the lock on the seat back side adjustment knob, then rotate it counterclockwise to extend the seat back sides out to their maximum width.
Note: there are three positions. Keep adjusting until it’s on the largest of the three positions.
hifold headrest side adjustment lock
Then, push the headrest side adjustment lock down and slide the headrest sides out until they’ve reached their maximum width.
Note: there are three positions.
hifold headrest height adjustment lever
Finally, lift the headrest adjustment cover up to access the headrest height adjustment lever. Lift the lever up and raise the headrest to the highest position using the lifting recess. Release the lever to lock the headrest in place.
Note: there are nine headrest positions.
Надувной бустер
Надувные бустеры не успели захватить российские рынки, в то время как остальной мир активно пользуется этого устройствами. Например, надувной британский бустер BubbleBum в течении 4 лет подряд становился Лучшим среди бустеров по мнению американского института дорожной безопасности, опередив своего конкурента надувной бустер UberBoost.
Надувной бустер комфортен для детской попы, легко чистится, компактно складывается, но его сложно зафиксировать (может съезжать вперед или вбок под ребенком), непрочен как любой надувной предмет и его сложно купить в странах СНГ – нужно заказывать с ebay или amazon.
А вы используете складные автокресла (бустер) или считаете их недостаточно удобными и безопасными для ваших детей?
Using mifold
How does the shoulder strap work?
The adult seat belt chest strap must lie on the child’s clavicle (collar bone); not on the face or neck and not over the edge of the shoulder. The mifold shoulder belt positioning strap and clip is attached to the back of the mifold seat and goes behind the child’s back. The clip is then attached onto the adult seat belt chest strap and holds it down on the clavicle. The length of the belt positioning strap and clip is adjusted to the right position.
Is mifold comfortable?
One of our priorities has been to design mifold to be comfortable as well as safe and easy to use. The new mifold Comfort features our new CompactComfort (TM) extra cushioned seat that is 3x thicker than a regular booster seat cushion and is our most comfortable backless booster. The mifold Original seat uses a unique EVA DenseFoam (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) to provide constant support at pressure points.
How can mifold be cleaned?
We have designed mifold to be easy to clean by washing the surfaces with a mild solution of soap and water. Remove the soap by wiping with clean water and then air dry. Alcoholic gels can also be used to clean any plastic parts. Do not use bleach. We do not recommend putting mifold in the dishwasher.
CAUTION: Pinch Risk
As CPSTs we always read manuals thoroughly and multiple times, whether for a review or for seats our children will use.
We are aware that not every caregiver is as thorough as we are, so often with a brand new seat, we’ll play with it for a bit before we pull out the manual to see how user-friendly the seat is. Here’s how this worked out with the hifold.
The hifold ships folded into a box. The seat itself is held together by a plastic buckle and strap. We undid the buckle and thought “how hard can it be to unfold the seat?”.
Well. One broken fingernail and a few pinched fingers later we DID figure it out, but to avoid this we would definitely recommend everyone reads the manual IN FULL before even attempting to unfold the hifold (we will admit that the manual very clearly states that there is a pinch risk multiple times when instructing how to unfold the booster seat. Thank you manual, warning noted!).
Folding the Seat
The directions to fold the seat aren’t quite as straightforward as following the setup steps in reverse order. Here are the steps for collapsing the booster for storage or travel:
First, adjust the seat back sides, seat bottom sides, and headrest sides to the narrowest positions.
hifold headrest height adjustment lever
Lower the seat back height to the lowest position.
hifold seat back side fold lock
Fold the seat back sides by pushing the button on the seat back side fold lock and rotating the seat back sides into the center of the seat back. Repeat this step for both sides.
hifold seat back fold lock
Fold the seat back down by sliding seat back fold lock up and rotating the seat back forward and down, inside the seat bottom. Note: if the hifold is even slightly reclined, the seat back fold lock will not move easily. Move the seat back to a more upright position and try again if you find this step difficult.
hifold headrest tabs
Fold the headrest by pinching the headrest Tabs together and rotating the headrest backwards.
hifold headrest side fold lock
Press the headrest side fold lock and rotate the headrest side into the center of the seat Repeat this step for both sides.
Folded hifold
Finally, buckle the storage straps over the now-folded hifold booster.
Аналог Trunki Boostapak
У всех аналогов автокресел с алиэкспресс две главные общие проблемы:
- они не проходили краш-тесты, и о их безопасности остается только догадываться,
- они не сертифицированы в нашей стране и у них нет соответствующей маркировки, следовательно, можно получить штраф за неправильную перевозку детей.
Аналог бустера Trunki Boostapak на алиэкспресс
Однако ценник в сравнении с оригинальными дорожными автокреслами для детей привлекателен, что и заставляет задуматься о покупке такого устройства из Китая. Если оригинальный Trunki Boostapak стоит около 100 долларов, то его аналог – 42 доллара.
