5 hour train journey with 2 under 5- how many seats?

[Haylstones]

I'm trying to book tickets for a 5 hour journey with a 4 year old and a baby- would you book 2 seats (one for 4yo and one for me) or just the adult seat and hope to find another spare seat for dd? Train company will reserve a seat for her but say if ticket collector asks her to move if train gets busy then she will have to (could be tricky when I have baby on my lap). THe only way to guarantee a seat for her is to buy a child ticket.
Should I risk not buying one? It's an extra £50ish.

I wouldn't risk it because 5 hours is a long time. Do you have any idea how full the train might be? What time of day etc? Could you get a Family Travelcard? They give discounted travel for the whole party (an excellent deal) but might not be valid without a five year old. Hmm. Looks like you'd have to buy a ticket for your dd - www.family-railcard.co.uk/ but it still might be cheaper.

I also wouldn't risk not buying him a seat.

Honestly Hayls for this sort of long journey the cost of the railcard will probably be fully covered by your savings on your own fare
If you can afford it, get her a seat too
Have never travelled on a long-distance train that was empty enough at any point for this gamble to have paid off

Thanks! Cost including buying a rail card for 2 seats is the same as without a rail card so think I'll do that.
I've never bought her a seat before but don't want to risk it with ds as well now!

We did a 6 hour train journey with 2 adults and 2 children (aged 1 and 2) a couple of months ago and tbh it was a nightmare.

We did not know that u could reserve seat for under 5s so had only booked 2 adult seats thinking there would be room on our laps like there is on the little local trains down here.

the long distance trains were cramped with little room betwwen seats. The ends of the cariages were packed so full of luggage that it was blocking the aisles and there was no where to put our 2 (relatively small) bags and folded pushchair.

On the outward journey all seat reservations had been cancelled. when we found 2 seats together it was at a table so very difficult to squeeze into with a toddler and a bag on your lap and the people opposite had laptops/ newspapers spread out( was very difficult to get DCs not to touch) and feeding kids on a train without making any mess was very difficult.

I will never do that journey again by train and is part of the reason I am now learning to drive. If I was you I would pay for a seat for your 4yo if you can afford it, even beter if you can manage to book a whole block of 4 seats as IMO you wil need that space

Thanks. I've had the reservations cancelled then reinstated into the journey, resulting in total chaos. Dd is 4 so i'm not worried about how she'll behave on the journey and the return journey is into the evening so hopefully she'll sleep. I'll also take my laptop so she can watch dvds and play games.
Still haven't booked tickets though, something is holding me back!

My other tip is that it is worth getting a "real" person to book the tickets for you rather than doing it on line. You are much more likely to get seats together and in the family coach (if there is one). You can do this at a local train station or over the phone. I have found that the computer doesn't really have a brain - we've had three ile (my spelling has just totally failed there - sorry!) seats when we've got on the train before, which is just not good with two small children!