Trying to go car free with a new baby on the way

[DizzyG3]

Hi all. I've been lurking around here for a while getting some great information and figured it was finally time to step in a introduce myself. I live in the Boston area and have been commuting by bike for the last 6 months. My wife and I seriously started considering a car-free life about a month or two after I started biking to work and have been trying to sell our car for a few weeks now.

We recently found out that we are pregnant with our second kid. So far, a car-free life has been pretty easy (all things considered), but we started when our son was nearly 2 and my wife wasn't pregnant. So here's the question: Does anyone have any experience being car-free with such a young and growing family? Most of the folks who post here seem to be younger and/or single. You all have been inspiring to me in various ways, but very few seem to have dealt with kid issues.

We've been looking into getting an xtracycle for my wife for a few months. Now I find myself wondering if it's okay for her to ride beyond a certain point in her pregnancy (assuming she remains reasonably healthy) and if so should we look for some kind of power assist system?

Sorry for the long post. I'm interested to see what people think and have experienced.

Thanks

[attercoppe]

Can't help you on the family/baby front, but I'd like to say congrats on wanting to go car-free, and for not giving up because of your future challenges. :beer: Stick around, and stick to it!

[tfahrner]

I know of several women who have ridden regularly until labor began. Every pregnancy is different, though; I wouldn't presume to say more. Except that non-jarring exercise is good.

We're car-free with a 3-year old (have always been, so through birth). We're thinking about adopting a second child, without even contemplating a car. If you've been lurking/searching this forum, you probably know that I consider Xtracycles pretty fabulous as car-free family tools, and I also manufacture an electric assist accessory specifically for them, developed out of our experience in San Francisco and now Portland. I don't see the assist as offering any special support for pregnant women, nor for families in general unless you find the distances and loads just too much to undertake happily on human power alone.

[becnal]

I see new born's in slings being "driven" around by bike. A baby need not stop someone going car-free. Combination of a child trailer and a granny gear makes taking kids along no problem at all.

There are many solutions, not least of which is the fact that Boston has a good transit system, IIRC.

Where there's a will, there's a way.