Uk travel advice sought!

So we are going to the UK in June for a week. We'll be traveling mainly by train and a few short road trips. No family with carseats.
Ds1 is 5.5 y , 41 lb and in a frontier here. Ds 2 will be 3 when we go and is in a Boulevard or frontier.
They barely do harnessed beyond 40 lb there and those seats are all 200 pounds plus(400-500$).
We are going to buy a cheap but well reviewed booster for ds1 which we can use on subsequent trips but I am struggling to know what to do for ds2. It seems crazy to buy a great seat for eight days that he'll outgrow in a year. Our seats aren't legal there and Iapparently there is sometimes an issue with seatbelts not being long enough for Canadian seats to install. Just wondering if anyone has any advice about this or about good cheap seats in the uk?
Thanks!

Is your ds2 ff'ing in both vehicles? Belts being long enough won't be an issue for a "normal" carseat - it's only if you needed to do the long belt path (like with the Frontier,) that it can be a problem. Belts don't usually lock over there, so you'd either need a seat with a lock-off or else plan to use a locking clip, but that shouldn't be a big deal.

If ds2 is ff'ing, I'd probably buy a Maestro as a travel seat and use it while there. Visitors aren't subject to the same rules usually as what people who live there are, and if you're bringing your own seat from home I don't think it would be a big deal. The Maestro is fairly light and it's approved for use on aircraft when used in harness mode, so you wouldn't have to worry about checking it or it getting damaged in transit.

I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a seat that is only going to be used for a visit - and I don't think anyone would expect you to as a tourist.

I'd consider booster training the 5.5 yo and getting an RSTV for the 3 yo.

Visitors aren't subject to the same rules usually as what people who live there are, and if you're bringing your own seat from home I don't think it would be a big deal.

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Using a non-EU approved seat, like a US seat, is not allowed. Doesn't matter if it's for a tourist or a resident. There are no special rules applicable for tourists.

No one is likely to notice or care in UK, they are like all other countries 30 years behind in car seat safety.

Non-EU seats are not allowed but my personal opinion is that parents who bring their own seats deserve a huge hug. It means they are planning ahead and thinking about safety for the kids.

Focus should be on the ground, not on the aircraft. Using a car seat on board a plane is not relevant for safety which all research, real life experience and stats clearly show.

Using a booster cushion for your 5.5 years old would offer great protection. Safety is similar to what a high back booster or a forward facing seat with harness offer.

One downside with using a booster cushion for your oldest would be if she falls asleep. Body is then not held in position which means belt placement is likely poor. Since you mentioned mostly short trips with the car this would be my choice.

If you feel like using a high back booster, which offer at least as great protection as a forward facing seat with harness, Britax Adventure would be a great and inexpensive choice. It's also called Britax Highline in UK.

It's a loverly hbb only weighing 7 lbs and it has smart threading of the seat belt to avoid mistakes. I use this seat often for my kids, 5.5 and 8, here in Sweden and also when we spend long periods of time down in Mexico.

Using a rear facing seat for your youngest one is 500% percent safer so try to do this if possible. I would try to find other solutions than purchasing a new rear facing seat for the week you are there.

Enjoy your trip!

Adventuredad said:

Focus should be on the ground, not on the aircraft. Using a car seat on board a plane is not relevant for safety which all research, real life experience and stats clearly show.

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Actually, it is relevant because it affects safety on the ground. I've seen seats which are damaged as a result of being checked.

Also, major organizations recommend using a seat on a plane. I don't have the time to dig up all the links, but this article summarizes it very well.

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/on-the-plane/should-you-use-a-car-seat-on-the-plane

Are instances where a carseat could prevent injury an every day thing on planes? No. But are you willing to take the gamble on your child's life? Considering everything else that's done for them - and how simple it is to take a carseat on board and use it, it seems like a pretty foolish gamble to even consider. I wouldn't worry about the 5yr old, but on a long flight, a 3yr old will definitely be more comfortable in a harness. (And yes, I've flown with a 3yr old. I used a CARES one direction and brought a harnessed seat back with me when I came home. If my friend hadn't had an extra seat, I would've bought a seat for the trip home and sold it once I got home - the squirminess without a carseat was that bad and my flight was only 1.5hrs.)

But really - even if you don't worry about turbulence etc, a really important reason to use it on board is so that you know where it is and don't have to worry about it getting damaged. The only difficulty that could come with this is the UK has different rules about seats on planes than North America does, so OP would need to check what the specific airline policy is for the airline they're flying with.

eta: There was a kid in Canada about 3 yrs ago now or so who survived a plane crash due to being in a car seat. All the other occupants on the aircraft died in the crash. If I remember right the child was 3yrs old at the time.