Recreational & Family - Trailer Seat Back Pushing on Helmet for Young Children

I took my son for a ride in an older trailer and noticed that the seat back was pushing his helmet, making it fall over his eyes.

I noticed that the newer Burley D'Lite has a recessed helmet pocket. But according to this writeup, the pocket was too high for younger children.

http://www.roth.net/kids/BikeTrailer/#The%20Test:%20Biking

Do others have this problem? Would any of the Chariot trailers work better for small children?

(Warning! I'm channeling sydney) Before you go out and drop more money on a trailer, make a shelf first. Just put a folded towel behind his back, but under his neck. He'll sit foward enough in the seat to prevent the helmet from falling over his eyes. A second option would be to buy a helmet without that point on the back. They are out there and are legal for sale in the USA. Airus sells a "Toddler" size that fits that description.

Wike sells helmet relief cushions for this reason. I don't find them too useful, and would have just used a small pillow if I were to do it over again, but yes - this is a real issue for the young ones.

I am not sure that helmets are needed in trailers. Check the things that can hit his head, when he is belted into his seat, if the trailer tips over.

I'd suggest using a small pillow or folded towel behind your child. This worked great for us until our son was old enough to reach the helmet-well in a newer Burley.

I am not sure that helmets are needed in trailers. Check the things that can hit his head, when he is belted into his seat, if the trailer tips over.
Using a helmet in a trailer is more about teaching good habits more then it is for safty.

I have the same problem with my daughter in our Burley Bee. I now fold up a blanket and place it behind her entire back (from her neck down to her knees). It displaces her enough so that the helmet is more comfortable.

Steve

Using a helmet in a trailer is more about teaching good habits more then it is for safty.
It's the law in California, also.

I took my son for a ride in an older trailer and noticed that the seat back was pushing his helmet, making it fall over his eyes.

I noticed that the newer Burley D'Lite has a recessed helmet pocket. But according to this writeup, the pocket was too high for younger children.

The Burley pocket was too high for my son when he started at age 1.

I stuck a 2" thick soft foam sheet behind him, cut to size like a backrest cushion. That did the trick until he grew some more.

Also, I bought the smallest helmet I could find that would fit him. Some of the brands, like the ProRider helmets that our local police give away, are very bulky for their head sizes. I forget the exact helmet that we bought Ben - I think it was the Giro ME2 infant/toddler model but it might have been the Bell - but the LBS said it was the smallest one available for him at age 1. We have since upsized as he's grown a lot.

In his first year of riding, with poor balance, he would often tip over in the trailer and need fixing. Sometimes he fell asleep rubbing against a seat strap and develop a red mark on his skin if I didn't rearrange him. That stopped being a problem at age 2. Now at 3 he straps himself in and tells me where he wants us to go.

-Steve Goodridge

I would try the towel trick, too, before I would invest in a new trailer. Having said that, I have a Chariot Caddie that I use to transport my 3 1/2+ yr. old and my 1 1/2+ year old, and we have never had that problem. I started the youngest in the trailer when she was around 13 months old, and she wears a Giro (sp?) helmet that does not have the point in the back. My older child wears a Bell helmet, also without the point in the back. Attached is a picture of the two of them when they were around 3 yrs. 2 months and 14 months, as we are about to take off on a ride. Obviously, they both LOVE going for rides in their trailer!:D Hope this helps....

I am having this problem on the Chariot Cougar. My problem is that the helmet recess is too low for my 2yr old which is the size of a 3 yr old. It is a wonderful trialer other than that.

To those who think a child does not need a helmet in a trailer: The trailer can flip sideways if it rides up a curb on a corner. The child will likely hit their head on the pavement.

Wearing a helmet also gets the child accustomed to the idea that any time you are riding a bike or anything associated with a bike, you wear a helmet! It's all about safety and modeling safety! :-)