Bike riding infants/toddlers/kids

[papooses]

I know I rode in one of those gray plastic toddler thingies that attach behind Mom or Dad's seat, but I was about 2 years old.

Leila rides behind Dad with her own seat + pedals via a bar attached to Dad's bike (wearing helmet, knee & elbow pads).

I'm also trying to find a low cost bike trailer/stroller for Leila to buckle up inside that cozy lil net (still wearing her safety gear) so I can pedal to the library or just detach it from my bike & walk her instead since I've seen some with 100# weight limit.

However, someone is asking about a 6 WEEK old in a bike "basket" :eek: :confused: :(

[twom]

A bike basket??? That doesn't sound right. I think I've read on bike safety sites that kids shouldn't be on bikes/in bike trailers until they're a year old because it's just too hard on their necks before that with all the bouncing around, particularly since they need to be in a well-fitting helmet and that's pretty heavy for a little person to hold up.

Good luck with your trailer hunt! We went many miles with ours, and now I ride on a "tricycle" with the kids -- a tandem with a tag-a-long behind. :D

[rlsadc]

A basket? Like attached to the front? WTH?

I know that my brothers rode in those grey seats attched to the back of the back (it even has a 5pt harness...lol)

[southpawboston]

there are pros and cons to each type of child attachment. i want to have some sort of setup for this summer as well. i can't decide which is safer for urban biking, and apparently the people on biking forums are pretty evenly divided in their opinions: the toddler seat above the rear wheel, or the bike trailer. the bike trailer is harder for vehicles to see, even with a tall flag, so car accidents are a concern. on the other hand, with a toddler seat attached to the bike, if the bike were to fall for whatever reason, the toddler falls with it. i'm really torn. do you know the weight limits for the different options? is it the trailers that go up to 100 lb? what about the toddler seats? (and yes, to echo the comment above, some come with 5-pt harnesses). i think if i was riding strictly on bike paths/rural paths, i'd go with a trailer. but for residential streets with traffic, i don't feel safe at all with a trailer.

[papooses]

We're very rural & I haven't ridden in so long -- I get kinda panicky ... I just *feel* safer with the trailer for balance :rolleyes: :o The trailer in the sports store does have 5 point harnesses up for 100# but the seat above the rear wheel only had a 40# weight limit.

I just can't imagine even wearing an infant in a front chest carrier on a bike. I am so very pro helmet (one major reason I keep my car windows closed is that Leila actually yells at helmetless strangers, LOL) I just can't imagine thinking it's OK to ride with an infant who can't even fit a helmet yet, not by size or ability to hold that extra weight on their tiny neck :( :thumbsdown:

[JaRylan]

http://riverfrontcycle.com/images/library/site/cc_sidecarrier_05_p.jpg

http://riverfrontcycle.com/page.cfm?PageID=82

This one is called the Side-Carrier. Not sure what weight limits and if it goes into stroller mode or not. I like the fact that it rides beside the bike and not behind...to me it seems safer. That being said I have a pull behind 2 seater trailer/stroller (Instep Rocket I think) but we usually only go around the neighbourhood and to school. Mine won't fit through doorways or even my back gate.

ETA: 65lb weight limit and no stroller attachment

[Starlight]

Personally, at 6 weeks postpartum... I can't imagine wanting to ride a bike.

But then again, I can't imagine wanting to ride a bike at 5 yrs postpartum... Yeah, I haven't ridden a bike in atleast that long.

Scary, scary, scary. The lack of common sense in some people is amazing.

[Patriot201]

I like the trailer better. That's just me, though. :)

[JaRylan]

..and here is what happens when you continue to google "bicycle side carrier".

This one looks like it was built by Red Green and the child looks like she doesn't want it to move. ETA: I just noticed the 2nd child carrier mounted on the bike. YIKES.
http://www.teresabevin.com/images/sidecar2.jpg

This one scares me:
http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/PMX0706HOMECL002_large.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/PMX0706HOMECL002_large.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/3230021.html&h=472&w=600&sz=412&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=9XKHiJ59ZWuK7M:&tbnh=106&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbicycle%2Bside%2Bcar%26svnum%3D10%26u m%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGGL,GGGL:2006-35,GGGL:en%26sa%3DG

[supercrunch]

My dh uses a schwinn trailer, but he only uses it on the trails...never on the roads.

[skaterbabscpst]

We bought a double trailer when Gregory was a baby (around a year old), I personally believe the seats that attach to the bike are not safe.

[remken]

Here are some interesting articles on these

http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm

http://www.helmets.org/tiny.htm

HTH. Allison

[southpawboston]

We bought a double trailer when Gregory was a baby (around a year old), I personally believe the seats that attach to the bike are not safe.

why don't you think the attached seats are safe? because of the bike falling?