Has anyone ever put a carseat in a bike trailer?

adamsmommy · Jun 10, 2008

DD is still in her Snugride. We love to bike and my son is now riding. I was talking to few extreme riders and this is what they said they did. Said it fits very snug and the reason babies cannot be in trailer till age 1 to begin with, is because of neck muscles. Well since the seat protects that, it is ok.

Anyone ever try it? We have a Burley Trailer that is in the attic so before going up there to get it, I was curious.

I miss my bike and it is so hard to watch dh and ds ride off, but I will do what is best.

Also, if I do put her in the trailer in her seat, do you think she would need a helmet?

Dillipop · Jun 10, 2008

Actually, the reason not to put an infant in a bike trailer is that it is a very bumpy ride. I would worry about shaken baby syndrome, personally, as the little head gets bobbed around. I would wait until the baby was old enough to wear a helmet (not recommended before 1) and can sit unnassisted, before adding baby to the biking activities.

adamsmommy · Jun 10, 2008

I was thinking the SBS too, but we would be on the same streets as I would be pushing her in the stroller. Very smooth, new subdivision streets. I am thinking to just wait until next summer. It sounded like a good idea at first.

canadiangie · Jun 10, 2008

People do this where I live. I see it quite often actually. And frankly it scares the pants off me LOL. I totally wouldn't do it, smooth surface or not, but that's just me. I'd wait until baby can sit fully upright on the seat itself, with a proper bike helmet. :thumbsup:

Dillipop · Jun 10, 2008

adamsmommy said:
I was thinking the SBS too, but we would be on the same streets as I would be pushing her in the stroller. Very smooth, new subdivision streets. I am thinking to just wait until next summer. It sounded like a good idea at first.

But you'd be going much faster...Try running while pushing her stoller on the same street. I'd think it would be a much bouncier ride along the same surface. I'd just wait until next summer. :thumbsup:

Jewels · Jun 10, 2008

Here are some comments from this thread in regards to small children riding in a bike trailer:

southpawboston said:
the reason for the age limit on bike seats/trailers is not so much fitment of the helmet and concerns of falling (there's ALWAYS a concern of falling, regardless of age), it's because of inadequately developed neck muscles. even though a 9 month old can hold his head up, the jouncing and jostling of fast-moving bike seat or trailer over bumps can cause uncontrolled head movements which can result in brain damage (similar to shaken baby syndrome).

EDIT: btw, for anyone looking for a great source of info for bicycle child-carrier information, my favorite site is helmets.org. this site is amazing, it's basically the car-seat.org of child bicycling safety.

here is what they say about infants and riding on bike seats/trailers:

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

Jewels said:
Yeah.
I also look at it from the same point of view as why we don't like to see babies under 1 (at the min.) FF. Even if you aren't going fast you can still fall off your bike or have a collision of some sort. It really is unpredictable just like when you are in a vehicle you just never know.

TechnoGranola · Jun 10, 2008

I didn't feel comfortable putting DD in a bike trailer until this summer; she is 21 months old. Even at her age, we ride VERY slowly on smooth trails. We stay off the streets as I want to keep her ride as safe as possible. I would never put an infant in a bike trailer and I especially wouldn't rig a car seat to sit in one.

southpawboston · Jun 10, 2008

also, it's worth noting that trailers are notoriously more bumpy riding than bike-mounted carriers. the bike carriers (rear ones), at least the european ones, are required to have built-in suspensions. my DD1's kettler carrier has a full 4" of suspension movement built in to it. you should see it boing up and down when i hit a big bump! DD2's topeak rear carrier has less, more like 1" of movement. the trailers have either no suspension, or really minimal suspension that has very little shock absorption.

strollerfreak · Jun 11, 2008

I'll be the lone dissenter...I put Reigan in the SIV, RF buckled in through the belt path, in our bike trailer when she was around a year old. She had a grand ol' time riding in there with Reide sitting next to her.

Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did, and I'd do it again too...

medcitymama · Jun 20, 2008

I totally agree with the safety concerns others have mentioned....we researched this last year when DS was still an infant.

A couple of other things to think of:
How would you restrain the car seat in the trailer? If it's not restrained and there is an accident, I could see the car seat just flying out of the trailer. We tried putting our SS1 in our Burley D'Lite (2-seater, I think a 2003 model)...and it didn't quite fit FF, it definitely didn't fit RFing (couldn't close the sun/wind shield).

If you do put the car seat in the trailer, I think it would be more dangerous to wear a helmet than to not. That is because the helmet will protrude from the back of the head, pushing the baby's chin down and blocking the airway. The car seat would provide head protection in theory if it has EPS/EPP foam, and with the roll cage of the trailer, nothing should actually 'hit' the baby's head.

We decided not to ride last year, which was really sad. In retrospect, I wish we would have just gotten a babysitter. This year DS is 19 mo old and really enjoys the Burley....we stick to a wide paved, flat trail at a slow speed. Now I'm pregnant and that adds a whole bunch of other safety concerns to our riding!

skipspin · Jun 24, 2008

Last winter we went riding when DS was 10 months old and we put him in the trailer with DD and they both wore helmets. I was okay with it since we were on a smooth bike trail and we didn't cross any streets, etc. It would have been more likely for us to get run over by an alligator than a motor vehicle. It was really in the "wilderness." So, I would probably be okay with an infant seat for an older baby (over 6-8 months, crawling, sitting etc) IF it was relatively smooth AND there were no cars anywhere near the trail. I really think it depends on the situation, the baby, etc.

Oh, and just because I did it doesn't mean I'd encourage everyone else to do it. I tend to be pretty adventurous with my kids as long as they are safe.

What I wouldn't recomend is riding 20 miles when I hadn't been on my bike since I was a few months pregnant with DS.

lovemybabies924 · Jun 24, 2008

my son has rode in the bike trailer (and the infant seat on the back of my bike) since 6m old! i only ride on the road, if ur just going on smooth surfaces ur ok! he wears a helmet too!

TechnoGranola · Jun 24, 2008

lovemybabies924 said:
my son has rode in the bike trailer (and the infant seat on the back of my bike) since 6m old! i only ride on the road, if ur just going on smooth surfaces ur ok! he wears a helmet too!

I haven't found a bike trailer yet that said it could be used for a child under 12 months (even with an infant car seat. A car seat does NOT stop the vibration and shaking of the trailer). What brand of helmet did you find that would fit a 6mth old? Most helmets don't fit a child until somewhere between 1 and 2 (depending on child's head size). I also would not recommend a helmet while IN a car seat as that will push the child's head forward from their neck, especially not safe for a 6 month old.

southpawboston · Jun 27, 2008

i agree. even on brand new pavement there are enough little imperfections that get magnified inside a trailer. hitting a twig can cause a a big bump. there really is no such thing as a perfectly smooth street.

hey, if you're going to stick to carseat rules, why shouldn't you stick to bike safety rules? the 12 month minimum is there for a reason!

lovemybabies924 · Jun 27, 2008

TechnoGranola said:
I haven't found a bike trailer yet that said it could be used for a child under 12 months (even with an infant car seat. A car seat does NOT stop the vibration and shaking of the trailer). What brand of helmet did you find that would fit a 6mth old? Most helmets don't fit a child until somewhere between 1 and 2 (depending on child's head size). I also would not recommend a helmet while IN a car seat as that will push the child's head forward from their neck, especially not safe for a 6 month old.

my trailer says not to use before 1 years old..but my son could hold up his head just fine. and the helmet says 12+ months but it fit perfect..hes got a big head! i never put him in the trailer w/the snugride but i checked and it fit! and i would NEVER put a helmet on him in the carseat it would restrict his airway! hes 10months now and still loves to ride in the trailer, the harnesses hold him where he needs to be perfect!

TechnoGranola · Jun 27, 2008

lovemybabies924 said:
my trailer says not to use before 1 years old..but my son could hold up his head just fine. and the helmet says 12+ months but it fit perfect..hes got a big head!

Whether they can hold their head up, is only the beginning steps of being strong enough to ride in a trailer. They still don't have the neck strength to hold their head steady with all the jostling that goes on. Similar reasons to why they shouldn't be FF in a car seat too soon. There really is a reason why both the trailer and the helmet say 12 months....

i never put him in the trailer w/the snugride but i checked and it fit! and i would NEVER put a helmet on him in the carseat it would restrict his airway!

Thanks for clarifying. Your post made it sound like you used the car seat IN the trailer WITH the helmet.

kate4478 · Jul 2, 2008

TechnoGranola said:
I haven't found a bike trailer yet that said it could be used for a child under 12 months (even with an infant car seat. A car seat does NOT stop the vibration and shaking of the trailer). What brand of helmet did you find that would fit a 6mth old? Most helmets don't fit a child until somewhere between 1 and 2 (depending on child's head size). I also would not recommend a helmet while IN a car seat as that will push the child's head forward from their neck, especially not safe for a 6 month old.

we have a chariot cougar, my DS loves it! it says it's rated for 10 months and older. he's 13 months old, but kinda small and fits well in it. he's 18 lbs and his head is only at the 7% and we found a helmet for him. it's a trek little dipper. this trailer also has an infant sling that can be used with it, if your DC is not old enough to sit on his own. here is a link to where you can see the infant sling.
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cougar_accessories.php?accID=2&conID=&proID=cougar&flaID=

here is my DS nice and snug in his 5-point harness! :thumbsup:
HTH!!

BookMama · Jul 2, 2008

I believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children NOT be transported in a bike trailer until at least 1 year of age. Of course, I can't find any relevant links right now, but I'll keep looking.

lovinwaves · Jul 2, 2008

All it takes is one accident..

I definitely would not have wanted a baby in my trailer when my accident happened, and I really wasn't going *that* fast.

northernmommy · Jul 3, 2008

We have a Chariot Cougar as well, and ds and dd love riding in it. That said, they were never in it in bike mode until about 13mo, and with a properly fitting helmet. For those looking for small helmets, Louis Garneau makes an awsome toddler helmet with a full-adjusting back. We got all the kids one at Costco for $20 (in Canada). Just a note to the OP with the Chariot...for the 5pt harness to be effective, the "V" part needs to be on the child's chest, not their crotch. You just need to take the buckles off the harness, then pull the harness out of the loops on the silver pad (my 14mo ds uses the lowest set of loops), then rethread the buckes and secure the harness. When you tighten the harness, just tuck the excess silver pad behind the baby's shoulders and you're all set! What a cutie too!

Has anyone ever put a carseat in a bike trailer?

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