General Cycling Discussion - Baby in trailer - how young?

Bear with me folks. This is me and my first grandson, Daniel:
http://home.comcast.net/~olebiker/GrandpaDick.jpg

I rode my bike over to see him, my daughter and the SIL. Their neighbor had a Burley D'Lite trailer that their child had outgrown so I bought it from them for $50. How old should The Sacred Child be before I take him for a ride?

Old enough to hold his head upright, on his own, while wearing a helmet and NOT slip out between the belts. Usually around a year old.

I've read ~18 months, for the reasons DieselDan cites. When the time comes, have fun together.

I had a very different issue with my grandson, who began MTB riding and racing at an early age, long before I started bike riding. After I began cycling and we'd go for rides, he'd drop me!!! I wrote him out of my will.

By the way, Olebiker, start planning some cycling vacations that you can do with the kid. Several years ago, when he was 14, my grandson and I did a week-long bike/camping tour through Prince Edward Island. Yeah, he still dropped me on each day's ride, but once I caught up to him at day's end, we had a great time nonetheless.

Absolutely correct advice! One more piece (garnered from experience): buy some 1" to 1.5" thick foam and cut it to match (roughly) the shape of the back of the seat in the trailer (cut no higher than the straps, so there's no safety issues), then wrap it in a towel or other cotton cloth. This will greatly help a young child hold their head up and straight while wearing a helmet in the trailer. Both my sons were much more comfortable after my wife and I came up with this solution. Before, the back of the seat kept forcing their helmet-clad heads forward and down.

Enjoy your rides!

The Way To Travel is in a Trailer

For children from 18 months through five or so, the way to travel is in a trailer. Older children up to age ten will want to ride on a trailercycle (a Burley Piccolo for example) or the back of a tandem with a child-back conversion (or a Burley Stoker Kit).

Young babies less than 18 months may not be ready for trailer riding because they may not have the strength to hold their heads up for the duration of the ride. (And the helmet, which you wouldn’t leave home without, does add a little weight to the child’s head.) Do check carefully before taking a youngster on a bike ride, and ask the child’s doctor if you have any doubt.

Riding with parents is a very special treat for children. They get to see the scenery at a moderate open-air pace and enjoy a fresh-air outing with their parents. My own children, when they were younger, loved riding in their trailer. When my daughter was first learning to talk, some of the first words she learned to say were how to ask for a trailer ride. On sunny afternoons, she’d eagerly grab her helmet and say, “Marie’s helmet-Daddy, go bike.“

I love to look at the trailers owned by avid family cycling enthusiasts. The insides of the trailer are loaded with stuffed animal’s, children’s books, snacks, water bottle cages, and fruit juice. Some are very elaborate little play environments.

When your children are in the trailer, you can enjoy tandeming much as you would before you had children. Sure, you go slower up hills because the trailer slows you down, and you go slower down hills because you’re a safe and prudent kind of person. But you still enjoy the fun of togetherness, and you can go on rides of substantial duration while your children entertain themselves in the caboose.

The trailer is the safest way to bring kids along by bicycle. The alternative, a bike-mounted child seat, has three drawbacks: One, it places the child’s weight high, and behind the rear axle. This hurts the handling and stability of the bike, particularly on a single bike. Two, if you have a mishap and the bike falls over, the child seat falls from a height of about three feet. And three, there’s very little rollover protection for the child inside.

A good trailer neatly solves these problems. The rear axle mount affects the handling of your bike so little that you’ll find yourself looking behind to make sure the trailer is still attached. Also, the trailer is low, with the child less than a foot above the ground, and its low center of gravity usually keeps it upright even if the bicycle manages to fall over. If the bicycle does pull the trailer over, the child doesn’t fall from any distance-rather, the worst that can happen is that the trailer turns over sideways, usually in slow motion. And the trailer has a good roll cage.

Some people may be concerned that the trailer is difficult for other road users to see, or that it’s too wide. Neither of these is a problem. Good trailers are made in bright colors, with a flag as standard equipment. People will notice you! And at less than a yard wide you’ll find that road sharing normally isn’t a problem. If motorists give you funny looks, it will be because they’re curious, and perhaps envious of the fun you’re having.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I wish I had cool Grandparents when i was a wee lad...dang, the nostalgia...

steve

what about the use of a car seat in a trailer?

Highly doubt if it is recommended. Sounds pretty unsafe to me. The trailer is designed to have the child sit in it upright and be secured with straps on his/her body.

Bear with me folks. This is me and my first grandson, Daniel:
http://home.comcast.net/~olebiker/GrandpaDick.jpg

I rode my bike over to see him, my daughter and the SIL. Their neighbor had a Burley D'Lite trailer that their child had outgrown so I bought it from them for $50. How old should The Sacred Child be before I take him for a ride?
Congratulations.

Congratulations.

+1

Always exciting to see an enthusiastic grandparent. Your kids will appreciate that more than you know. I assume this is your first one based on earlier statements? If so, make sure to maintain the enthusiasm through all of the grandkids.

My parents seem to have lost enthusiasm towards my kids by the time they were born. I guess to many grandkids born before mine. Sorta, sucks but my wife's side makes up for it. Anyway, congrats and spoil the kid rotten.:D

Absolutely correct advice! One more piece (garnered from experience): buy some 1" to 1.5" thick foam and cut it to match (roughly) the shape of the back of the seat in the trailer (cut no higher than the straps, so there's no safety issues), then wrap it in a towel or other cotton cloth. This will greatly help a young child hold their head up and straight while wearing a helmet in the trailer. Both my sons were much more comfortable after my wife and I came up with this solution. Before, the back of the seat kept forcing their helmet-clad heads forward and down.

Enjoy your rides!
There are toddler size helmets that don't have the "point" on the back of the helmet so a toddler can sit in a trailer or child seat without head and neck problems.

what about the use of a car seat in a trailer?
Absoutly no. Car seats are designed for a car's seatbelt, not a bike trailer. You'll find the seat silds around and cannot be secured. That's a small part of the sacriface a parent must make when undertaking child raiseing.

+1

Always exciting to see an enthusiastic grandparent. Your kids will appreciate that more than you know. I assume this is your first one based on earlier statements? If so, make sure to maintain the enthusiasm through all of the grandkids.

My parents seem to have lost enthusiasm towards my kids by the time they were born. I guess to many grandkids born before mine. Sorta, sucks but my wife's side makes up for it. Anyway, congrats and spoil the kid rotten.:D

Yes, this is the first grandchild. We have another one on the way in November.

I want to be a grandfather like my own Dad. His grandchildren and his great-grandchildren adore him. He is 81 years old and is fishing in a tournament with two of my grown nephews this weekend. I called him a while back and he was babysitting for one of the great-grandchildren. I asked if the baby was spoiled and Dad responded, "Naw, he's not spoiled. They all smell like that."

Well - I'm sure I'll get flamed for this one:
I have 3 boys; starting with the first (which is now 11) I bought a Winchester trailer. I went to the local junk yard (Pik a part) and scavenged for a car lap belt. Later I drilled holes into the steel frame of the trailer and bolted the seatbelt in place. The rear facing infant car seat fit perfectly - no movement. And with the off camber wheels it was nearly impossible to flip - I tried without a kid in it. All three of my boys started riding at about 1 month old - BTW my 11 year old did a 12 mile MTB ride with me on sunday, with 700 feet of climbing.

I put my little guy on the back of my bike, on a child bike seat, when he was old enough to hold up his own head, at about 6 months old.

http://www.burley.com/home/bur/multilist_5/faq.html#q643

How old should a child be to ride in a Burley trailer?
A. To ride in a Burley trailer behind a bicycle, the industry standard is to wait until a child is one year old. While each child's physical development is unique, we recommend that a child should be able to sit upright unattended and hold his or her head up while wearing a bicycle helmet. Please check with your pediatrician if you are in doubt about your child's neck strength.

For strolling or jogging in a Burley trailer, a child should be able to sit upright unattended, which generally occurs around six months of age. The Burley Baby Snuggler™ is recommended for extra support and comfort for children ages 6-24 months. Please check with your pediatrician if you are in doubt about your child's neck strength.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/mtbsunny/081216_SR_errands/081128_2547a_burley.jpg
http://outdoormommas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1519.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3463230219_e8698b2def.jpg

http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:SrKAQQttdHoJ:scholar.google.com/++%22+bicycle+trailer%22+6+months&hl=en&as_sdt=1,5
This child product safety report says to never use a car seat in a trailer.
Also:
▪ Do allow a child to eat or drink in a moving trailer.

I have 3 boys; starting with the first (which is now 11) I bought a Winchester trailer. I went to the local junk yard (Pik a part) and scavenged for a car lap belt. Later I drilled holes into the steel frame of the trailer and bolted the seatbelt in place. The rear facing infant car seat fit perfectly - no movement. And with the off camber wheels it was nearly impossible to flip - I tried without a kid in it

I didn't do this myself, but if I was in my current situation with young kids, I would probably do this approach. Mine are old enough to pedal on the tandem or trail a bike and let me relax every now and again :)

My daughter has been riding with me since 7 months old. She rides on the xtracycle, in a trailer, and started in an IBERT seat. They need to be able to hold thier heads up with a helmet on. I have seen young kids in trailers without helmets, but they were over a year old............

A baby born on the day the last post in this thread was made, before this last bump, would now be in the first grade...

A baby born on the day the last post in this thread was made, before this last bump, would now be in the first grade...

Well maybe the OP will let us know how it turned out then.

I know this thread is old, but the pictures of the babies in this post sure are adorable!!!