To use a backless booster seat

[Raadi]

I am prepared to get flamed but just wondered what the general deal is. Flying back from Oz at the end of July and staying with my parents in a small village in the Cotswolds. We are getting a taxi from the airport (with precooked car seat). We are bringing a LOT of luggage back in preparation for moving back next year. My son is nearly 5 and is 24 kg. Here, we use the forward facing booster seat with high back. My partner wants us to just bring the booster seat part of it (no high back) to the UK. I have looked at the government site and a few sites besides... but it all seems confusing. He says we will be ok with this and it is perfectly legal. We will not be going on any motorways whilst we are in the UK (not with my son anyway) and will be just tootling around villages. That’s his other argument! I am reluctant but it would help slightly with the luggage load . Any thoughts?

I would suggest sending parents some money to buy a high back so you don't have it as luggage. They are not expensive say at Argos or Amazon.

Can you not order a proper hbb to be delivered to your parents? If your moving back next year it will be used then anyway

It's iffy, legally. In the UK you can use a backless booster from 15kg (regardless of age/height) if it's been approved to standards before March 2017, but if you buy a new backless booster in the UK currently it's not legal to use this until a child is at least 22kg and 125cm tall. As you'd be using a foreign-approved booster, I'm not sure which it would conform to.

Safety wise it doesn't seem worth it. Can you get your parents to pick up a Joie Trillo from Argos, or a Britax Adventure from Mothercare? Or just order one yourselves to their address? Both of these are just £35 but would give you more protection as a high back booster, and they could keep it for future visits as well. In fact, if you're happy to invest a bit more, the Maxi Cosi Rodi is about £60 and will last a bit longer height wise as long as your child is slim, or Diono MXT is £65 on Uber Kids, that's another long lasting one (and is a bit more protective than the Joie or Britax).

Not going on motorways would not particularly be my concern, motorway driving is some of the safest you'll do. Towns and country roads are much more likely places to have accidents.

Having said that, since our HBB got damaged on a flight when DS1 was nearly 7, on all trips since then we've only used a backless booster. But at 5 I don't think I'd be happy with the seatbelt fit really. And DS1 did used to think it was fun to push the booster seat forwards with his bum and sit in the little gap behind it - you can't do that with a high back.

Just buy a high backed to be delivered to your parents, or transfer them the money to buy one.

Motorways are statistically safer than other roads so it doesn't really matter if you will be driving on them or not. I would save the hassle and give parents the money to pay for a seat that can be delivered to the UK, assuming they are picking you up from the airport?

My DD is 8, 135cm... And in our car the seatbelt goes across her neck on a booster cushion if she is in the back. In the front or boot seats it fits fine. So he may find it very uncomfortable depending on the car.
I would also bbuy a seat to keep at grandparents.

Yes - I think that’s what i’ll do regarding getting one to keep at the grandparents. I had hummed and hawed over it as it seems such a long time away but at least I can be certain I’m doing the right thing. Now to tell him indoors that we will be doing what I originally thought after the advice of Mumsnet. Thanks all.